Well fans, it's Wednesday night and you know what that means. Or do you? Wednesday night is Silver Slugger night at Roger Dean Stadium. This is minor league baseball season and our stadium has 2 teams that play there so every night there is a ball game, from April to September. And every Wednesday there are hordes of Senior Citizens attending those games because WE (yes, Ger and Cath are both part of the fan club), are Silver Sluggers. NO, we do not PLAY base ball, we watch. Each week the masses gather at the ticket booth to get their treasured ticket to get in PLUS, (hope you're sitting down for this part), a voucher for a FREE hot dog and soda. The hot dogs are actually quite good, fresh rolls and nicely grilled with mustard, onions, sauerkraut and relish available. That condiment table gets pretty nasty at times with some of the old folks pushing and shoving to get to the mustard. Throw in the guy in a wheel chair and it is worth your life. And for goodness sake don't step on the old lady's oxygen hose. Once you get your dog and 3 ounces of soda, (the cup is a 6 ounce cup but once they fill it with ice there isn't much room for the drink), fight your way to and from the mustard and kraut everyone heads up to the stadium seats. The fact that you have a ticket with a section, row and seat number means nothing. It is totally a sit where ever the hell you want. First come get the seats in the shade or in the case of rainy nights, the three rows of seats under the over hang. No one questions this system and no one has a problem with it except the visitors who just can't get their heads wrapped around letting the old guy in their seat remain where he is. There have been altercations when some tourist just won't sit where ever but insists on ousting the old guy sitting in his seat. The tourist inevitably looses.
The games generally go for 2-3 hours. Most times there are no extra innings because most times no one manages to score through the whole boring game. But hey, it's a night out with your hubby, there is usually a nice breeze and the place is ripe for people watching.
Tonight was an exception . . . I had read the latest email from the stadium before tonight's game AND without thinking I shared the information with Husband. The email stated that tonight everyone should arrive at 5:30, rather than 6:30 because they were featuring a, (once again I hope you are sitting),
FRANK SINATRA singer for the entertainment of one and all. Guess what H wanted to do . . .
Husband wanted to leave the house at 5:00 to be sure to get there for the very first song. (WE live 5 minutes from the stadium. Had we left at 5 we could have set up the singers equipment.) We compromised and left at 5:15 and were there just as the doors were opening. (OH JOY!) I thought maybe the guy would be out on the field performing but no, he was right inside the gate where the concession stands are. You had to walk right in front of the guy to get to the seats. OH, But we were not going to our seats . . . H found a chair, (one of the 10 or so that were set up in front of the singer) and plopped himself down among the other seniors who had arrived an HOUR EARLY. And there we sat for the next hour. Listening to "Frank" croon away. The guy was good and he was adorable in his black suit, bow tie and hat but sitting there among the Joisey and New Yak folk on their walkers and canes I just wanted to stand up and yell, I'm REALLY NOT THAT OLD ! H was in his glory watching all the people while I couldn't believe I was part of this Old Folks Nirvana.
The crowd loved the show, they sang along and cheered when "Frank" sang "New York, New York".
I can't believe I was part of this! In years past when there were guest entertainers we would slither around the back unnoticed to get to our seats. But over this past year when H was getting chemo or radiation something must have been removed or planted in his brain that turned him into AN OLD FART.
Please Tell me I haven't arrived there yet . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment