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Major or minor, a ballgame is a lot of fun
July 13, 2007
SEATTLE — On my recent vacation to Seattle I took the opportunity to take in one minor and one major league baseball game.
I didn’t intend to write about the games, but felt compelled to talk about the differences between the different levels of baseball.
Mariners vs. Blue Jays
On Friday, June 29, the Seattle Mariners took on the Toronto Blue Jays and came away with a 5-3 win to push their record to 10 games over .500 for the first time this season.
This was significant because they had not been 10 games over .500 since 2003.
While the game itself is always one reason to go to Safeco Field, there are several other reasons to take in a game.
The first is Safeco Field. Having gone to numerous games in the old Kingdome when I was growing up, Safeco is a welcome improvement.
Outdoor experience
The best part is that the stadium is outdoors, although there is a retractable roof that can be put in place for the comfort of the fans. And early in the season, the Seattle weather can be brutal at night. The closing of the roof does not completely enclose the stadium, but rather acts as a canopy.
The Kingdome, on the other hand, was a dump.
It was falling apart in the final years the Mariners played there and was the ugliest thing the Seattle skyline had ever seen, although the Experience Music Project museum has taken that title now.
Safeco Field opened in 1999 and, since then, has been hailed as one of the premier facilities in baseball. The field is always in top shape and the view of Seattle from the stadium on a clear night is second to none.
Going to a game at Safeco can be expensive, especially if you want to eat. Food and beverage prices can be hefty but, in most cases, the food is good. There are so many different types of food offered at the stadium it is hard not to find something tasty.
When the Mariners are playing well, as they did the night I went, Safeco is a great place to go and watch baseball.
Seattle sports fans are some of the smartest fans anywhere, but they are also very fickle. When a team is not winning, going to the games is easier because there are more empty seats.
All in all, Safeco Field is a great place to go watch a baseball game.
Everett Aquasox
On Sunday, July 1, I made the trip to Everett, Wash. to watch the Aquasox host the Eugene Emeralds in a Northwest League game.
The Aquasox are the Class A affiliate for the Mariners, and the Emeralds are the same for the San Diego Padres. Eugene won the game, 9-3, but, again, I was there for more than the game.
Growing up in Marysville, just a short drive from Everett, I used to go to Everett Memorial Stadium for Everett Giants games at least 10 times a summer. At the time, the Giants served as the farm team for San Francisco, before switching affiliations in 1995, and one of the local grocery stores would give away tickets to the games.
My grandfather would get tickets to the games and take me and my friends to watch the future stars of the San Francisco Giants. There were not a lot of future Giants who played for Everett in my time.
The differences between attending a major and minor league game are not just in the quality of baseball on the field, but also in the enjoyment for the fans. At the Mariners game, there are contests between innings and areas of Safeco where people can go to socialize if they are not interested in the game.
Much used stadium
Memorial Stadium is a high school stadium used by several teams. It is spacious and has a huge wall that surrounds the outfield. Players really have to get into one to hit it out.
Perhaps the best part of the experience at Memorial Stadium is after the game. Children, and sometimes parents, lineup by the exits and get autographs from the players of both teams. The players will sign for a long time because most of them are just starting off their careers and like to sign.
One of my favorite memories of going to games was buying a ball at the start of the season and trying to get the autograph of every player on the Giants.
Contrast that with trying to get a Mariner’s autograph.
One night I stood outside the Kingdome for two hours and the only autograph I was able to get was pitcher Bill Swift.
As fun as it is to go and see major league games, minor league baseball provides a more enjoyable fan experience.
— Ross L. Timbrook
SEATTLE — On my recent vacation to Seattle I took the opportunity to take in one minor and one major league baseball game.
I didn’t intend to write about the games, but felt compelled to talk about the differences between the different levels of baseball.
Mariners vs. Blue Jays
On Friday, June 29, the Seattle Mariners took on the Toronto Blue Jays and came away with a 5-3 win to push their record to 10 games over .500 for the first time this season.
This was significant because they had not been 10 games over .500 since 2003.
While the game itself is always one reason to go to Safeco Field, there are several other reasons to take in a game.
The first is Safeco Field. Having gone to numerous games in the old Kingdome when I was growing up, Safeco is a welcome improvement.
Outdoor experience
The best part is that the stadium is outdoors, although there is a retractable roof that can be put in place for the comfort of the fans. And early in the season, the Seattle weather can be brutal at night. The closing of the roof does not completely enclose the stadium, but rather acts as a canopy.
The Kingdome, on the other hand, was a dump.
It was falling apart in the final years the Mariners played there and was the ugliest thing the Seattle skyline had ever seen, although the Experience Music Project museum has taken that title now.
Safeco Field opened in 1999 and, since then, has been hailed as one of the premier facilities in baseball. The field is always in top shape and the view of Seattle from the stadium on a clear night is second to none.
Going to a game at Safeco can be expensive, especially if you want to eat. Food and beverage prices can be hefty but, in most cases, the food is good. There are so many different types of food offered at the stadium it is hard not to find something tasty.
When the Mariners are playing well, as they did the night I went, Safeco is a great place to go and watch baseball.
Seattle sports fans are some of the smartest fans anywhere, but they are also very fickle. When a team is not winning, going to the games is easier because there are more empty seats.
All in all, Safeco Field is a great place to go watch a baseball game.
Everett Aquasox
On Sunday, July 1, I made the trip to Everett, Wash. to watch the Aquasox host the Eugene Emeralds in a Northwest League game.
The Aquasox are the Class A affiliate for the Mariners, and the Emeralds are the same for the San Diego Padres. Eugene won the game, 9-3, but, again, I was there for more than the game.
Growing up in Marysville, just a short drive from Everett, I used to go to Everett Memorial Stadium for Everett Giants games at least 10 times a summer. At the time, the Giants served as the farm team for San Francisco, before switching affiliations in 1995, and one of the local grocery stores would give away tickets to the games.
My grandfather would get tickets to the games and take me and my friends to watch the future stars of the San Francisco Giants. There were not a lot of future Giants who played for Everett in my time.
The differences between attending a major and minor league game are not just in the quality of baseball on the field, but also in the enjoyment for the fans. At the Mariners game, there are contests between innings and areas of Safeco where people can go to socialize if they are not interested in the game.
Much used stadium
Memorial Stadium is a high school stadium used by several teams. It is spacious and has a huge wall that surrounds the outfield. Players really have to get into one to hit it out.
Perhaps the best part of the experience at Memorial Stadium is after the game. Children, and sometimes parents, lineup by the exits and get autographs from the players of both teams. The players will sign for a long time because most of them are just starting off their careers and like to sign.
One of my favorite memories of going to games was buying a ball at the start of the season and trying to get the autograph of every player on the Giants.
Contrast that with trying to get a Mariner’s autograph.
One night I stood outside the Kingdome for two hours and the only autograph I was able to get was pitcher Bill Swift.
As fun as it is to go and see major league games, minor league baseball provides a more enjoyable fan experience.
— Ross L. Timbrook
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| Leaving a juggernaut in her wake |
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