Last Tuesday was the first Mariners home game at Safeco Field, the day Griffey made his first appearance in Seattle as a Mariner once again. Big day...big day. CNash and I left Kent at 1:45pm--plenty of time to make a 3:40 game downtown. Or so we thought. We drove around for over an hour looking for parking. The lots right next to the field were $50. We scoffed at first, but after an hour of driving around, fifty started to sound pretty reasonable.
We eventually found a spot on the street and started the trek to Safeco as fast as our chubby legs would carry us. Right as we were handing our tickets to the dude to get in, we heard that Griffey was up. We ran up the stairs, two at a time, and tried to see over the shoulders of people in the aisle. Impossible. We had to watch it on the TV screen in the passageway. But I can tell you that the whole crowd was on its feet, chanting "Griff-ey, Griff-ey, Griff-ey." I don't care how many games you've been to, baseball or otherwise. You've never seen anything like it. I was so pissed. This was the moment I had been waiting for ever since I found out that my hero was coming back home, and I missed it. Junior, will you ever forgive me?
Anyway, we made it to our seats and proceeded to have a pretty good time. I say pretty good because we sat by some real freaks who kept trying to engage Carrie in strange conversations. One of the things I love about baseball (I suppose this is true of other sports, but I wouldn't know) is that you always make friends with the people around you. You crack jokes together, you learn each other's names, you share your licorice ropes. It's very convivial. This was not one of those games, unfortunately. The group of frat boys and their brainless girlfriends who sat in front of us also really brought me down. Besides, it was freaking cold and the lines for the garlic fries were WAAAY too long. BUT it was a good game. Mariners won in 10 innings, and it was pretty sweet. Too bad we didn't go to the next game, where Junior hit his 400th home run as a Mariner and Ichiro tried to remind Griffey that he was still the star of this team by hitting a grand slam. (A valiant effort, Ichiro, but it ain't never gonna happen. Try to start getting used to second place.)
Mariners win!
5 comments:
AMAZING! $50 for parking?!!? Those prices had to of gone up since Griffey came back.
Too bad you had to watch on TV and too bad that the Mariners in first place won't last...or will it?
I can't wait to get up there for a game. I don't know when it will be but I promise you this...GARLIC FRIES on me.
We went to that second game, and Griffey got the same reception, although it was a smaller crowd. The whole crowd were on their feet chanting. It was awesome to see his first homerun back as a Mariner, plus it was his 400th as a Mariner. Ichiro is awesome, too, I would never call him second best. Our team would not have survived the last few years without him. It was a great game, a really exciting one for the kids with the high score and all the home runs. Go Mariners!!
BTW-we parked in a lot really close to Safeco & only paid $15 for parking.
Aw Randi! Missing Griffey's first AB?! I'm glad you got to see him already though, in what is in all likelihood his last hurrah.--timo
Okay Rand. This post has been up here long enough. Now, how 'bout a "Post only Kamber will care about??"
Or something?? Anything? Pleeeaase?? Blog to us!!
Post a Comment