Watching Our First Game Together

Today is Opening Day. Okay, technically there were games yesterday, but no one really counts those as Opening Day. I mean, the Monday is what counts, right?

The Pirates played at Boston and the game started at 2:05. One thing that I love about baseball is that it starts on time. If they say the first pitch will be at 2:05, that means 2:05. The other ceremonial stuff will be before the first pitch. Hell, they will sometimes be silly and say the game is starting at 7:07, just to prove how precise they are at starting games. I love it.

The Pirates lost, 5-3, and it all came down to just one bad inning, which featured a bunch of bad baseball. McCutchen bobbles a ball, which allows Bradley Jr. to go to third, then Pablo Sandoval hits an infield single, which scores Bradley, which throws Cole off and causes him to pitch poorly. A few more hits, then a home run and it is 5-0. The Pirates tried to claw their way back by scoring three runs, but it was just not enough. In case you were wondering about my hope for Andrew McCutchen? It is quickly fading away.

But enough about that, if you wanted a recap of the game, you would go to an actual baseball writer. This post is about watching a game with my daughter for the first time. I made sure to time everything so that when the game started, she would just be finishing up a bottle. She was dressed and ready to go as soon as Rick Porcello threw the first pitch.

She sat on my lap for the first two innings and she actually stares at the television during the game (I had on spring training games and WBC games, which she seemed to notice). I am guessing it has to do with the colors, the grass is always vividly green. Obviously she has no idea what is happening. But it is fun to pretend.

After awhile she wanted to move around, so I had to bounce her and play Supergirl (that is where I fly her around the room). She also had to sit on Samson for a bit. And then she was a little tired, so she took a nap until about the 8th inning, which meant it was time to eat.

This has been something I have been looking forward to since before she was even born. I hope that this can be a tradition, watching Opening Day together for many years to come. We will watch again Wednesday and hopefully the Pirates give her a victory.

Author: Ngewo