Minor League Fun

I have been a hardcore sports fan my entire life. My summers usually have the soundtrack of the Seattle Mariners playing in the background. I have the game on the radio as I am doing yard work or running errands or just about any time it is on. We manage usually to go to several Mariners games in person each year too fighting the traffic to get in to downtown Seattle and paying the astronomical parking prices etc.

Oddly enough, we had NEVER been to a Tacoma Rainiers game despite the fact that we live in the very city in which they play. The Rainiers are the Seattle Mariners' AAA minor league affiliate.

This past Friday evening we went to the Rainiers for the first time since Josh's school was going as a group. Our family with the exception of Sarah who was working a lucrative babysitting gig all went together and had a lot of fun.

The stadium itself is only about 20 minutes from home so we didn't have to stress the drive or leave very early to get to the game which helped. There were about a bazillion kids there at the stadium since there must have been a dozen different elementary schools or little leagues that were attending on that evening.

The game itself was fun to watch. You seem to get a nice smattering of player that are both on their way up to major-league stardom along with a lot of aging veterans that are trying to make their way back to the big-leagues for one more chance.

Valerie was hoping that we might catch a glimpse of the Rainiers team owner/oily bohunk, Nick Lachey but he was nowhere to be seen. I'm thinking he might not actually get to Tacoma a whole lot. A thorough search did however turn up a cardboard cutout of him hidden in the corner of the gift shop behind some clearance merchandise.

Benjamin's favorite part of the game was his discovery of cotton candy for the first time. It was actually pretty disgusting. He would lick his fingers to get them good and wet and then shove his whole hand in the cotton candy bag. The candy would then stick to each of his fingers and he would lick it off from there.

Josh got a chance to run on the field between innings with Rainiers' mascot Rhubarb the Reindeer, a slightly deranged looking cousin of the more famous Mariners Moose.
After the games on Friday evenings, they do a fireworks show that we stuck around to watch as well which was pretty cool. We will make sure to go back to see out true hometown nine a little more often.