The Pecan Park Eagle

4 balls. 3 strikes. 3 outs. 9 innings. hit, fair. foul. air. ground. in play. out of play.caught. missed. dropped. muffed. thrown. blown. safe. out. left. center. right. single. double triple. home run. one fielder play. several fielder play. runner on. runner gone. steal. safe. out. HBP. CI. RBI run. sun wind. rain. blue sky. big clouds. birds. argue. conference. hot dogs. peanuts. cracker jack. beer. nachos. cokes. change pitchers. mascots. coaches. bullpen. sunflower seeds. spit. spit some more. spit a lot. signals. gloves. bats. balls. balls of the heart. autographs. interviews. TV. radio. print and digital news media. music. organ. rap crap. t shirt guns. bat boys. ball girls. souvenirs. foul ball catches by fans. kiss cam. rain. roof closes. heat. stadium ac. families. love of the game. love period. opening day/ banter flags. first pitch tosses. National Anthem. God Bless America. Take Me Out to the Ballgame. scoreboard, our game, other games. pitch type. pitch speed. pitch count. condiment races. sleeping babies wearing home team jerseys. little kids wearing gloves for their big shot at catching the ball. lucky mustard you spill on your shirt from a second inning hot dog later leads to a seventh inning rally by your team. heat and humidity laced with the aroma of mustard, catsup, cheese, and chili that’s been spilled in the aisles where you sit. dugouts. sunflower seed shells. bats wiggling in the hands of players due up next to hit. the cracking sound of balls that ht. the leather-pounding sound of balls that are missed. ground crew. fifth inning sweep and smooth job on the infield. sky boxes. may as well be home watching on TV except for the fact that here they serve you food and drink constantly in the sky boxes. video games on the giant jumbo screens. big HD resolution digital pictures of known and unknown players. catcher’s gear strewn on the ground by a catcher who didn’t expect to bat this inning. mild disagreement between a manager and one umpire grows heated. umpire ejects manager from the game. manager kicks dirt on home plate and picks up a fine too for bumping the umpire on his way-out-of-his-way route to the clubhouse. variable fan attention spans. a few still keep score. many yap. some smoke in special sections away from field of play. and a whole lot sit in their seats and text with people who are not even there. Root. Root. Root. For the home team. If they don’t win. it’s a shame. For it’s one. two. three strikes you’re out. At the old ballgame.

And it all starts again in Houston on Opening Day, Friday, April 6, 2012, at 6:05 PM – when the visiting Colorado Rockies come to town to square off against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in the home team’s first Houston game under the new ownership group of Jim Crane in their last season as a member of the National League.

“Come. let us leave our close rooms and get better air in our lungs. The game of ball is glorious.” – Walt Whitman.

Tags: baseball season

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