Baseball full circle

As I sit here in sunny Arizona watching the Dodgers at their morning practice and receive text messages about the predicted snow back home, I am reminded that spring is here! Baseball has begun and Maryland weather is whacky! Welcome to spring.

Baseball has been a part of our lives for as long as I can remember. When we moved to Frederick years ago, we got caught up in the idea of a minor league team coming to play in our new “hometown.” An outing to a ball game would be fun for our two small children, Tiffany was five and Timmy was two.

On a chilly spring evening, we packed up the kids and headed to McCurdy field to watch the game. Timmy was more interested in the dirt underneath the bleachers and Tiffany was very interested in the cotton candy. But my husband and I enjoyed the peacefulness of a good ball game played in a more intimate setting.

Today our home team plays at Harry Grove stadium which is much bigger than McCurdy field. We still venture to our local ball park for a good ol’ all-American evening in the spring and summer. We cheer for our home team, sip on the locally brewed beer, and chow down on food that is probably not so good for the health, but it’s good for the soul. My trips to the stadium back fond memories of heading to Memorial Stadium with my grandparents to watch the Orioles play, to cheer along with Wild Bill, and to munch on that same ballpark fare.

Baseball for me has come full circle. Last year, I was able to take my granddaughter to some games. She was thrilled when she got to meet Keyote at Harry Grove! We played in the children’s area of the ballpark. At Harry Grove, kids don’t have to play in the dirt like my son did many years ago! There are many more exciting things to do!

We even headed to Oriole Park with Chloe. She was amazed by all of the sites and sounds. We laughed at the Oriole Bird, cheered on the team, and played in the kid-friendly section of the stadium. At the Fan Services desk, she even received an official fan certificate!

Being at the stadium last summer with my grandchild helped me to understand how my grandparents must have felt during our outings to the stadium. It’s all-American. It’s about families, kids, and having fun. Spring is here! Are you ready for some baseball?