Why I love going to major league baseball games...

We went to the Texas Rangers' final home game of the season this afternoon in Arlington, Texas. We had great seats down the first base line, up in the "shade" of an overhang of the stadium, with a really cool breeze blowing in on us from the west (very pleasant since the temperatures got into the 90's late in the game). We really enjoyed the afternoon and the game. Well, at least until the top of the ninth innning. But, more about that later...

All throughout the game I kept remarking to my wife, Ellen, about how much I loved the experience of being at that game. I especially love the games at the Rangers' Stadium, The Ballpark in Arlington. Here's a few of the primary reasons why I love going to major league baseball games:

• Before the game even begins, you sometimes get a chance to see batting practice and/or watch how all the players get themselves ready to play the game. It is really fascinating to observe how each player has developed their own peculiar routine for a warm-up. It takes a lot of good conditioning and intense discipline to be a major league baseball player. I admire those who do it greatly!


• Also before the game begins, someone (or some group) sings the National Anthem and everyone in the stadium sings along with them, looking at a flag of the United States of America while we do it. We get to take off our ball caps, put our right hands over our hearts and reflect on what a great country this is. I love patriotic moments like that, don't you? It is so good for the soul to sing this song and be reminded of the privilege we all have of living in the United States of America. In my humble opinion, there is no better place in all the world to be a citizen and to live. No place else like America!


• Baseball is a team sport. It requires a lot of hard work and cooperation from two to nine players simultaneously on the field in order to be successful and win. In this day and age of so many people living as "islands" and basically unwilling to do what it takes to play well on a team, baseball is a great reminder of the importance of teamwork in this life.


• A baseball game usually takes between three to four hours to play the full nine innings. If you want to sit there and just be quiet for that entire time, you can. If you want to stand up and clap your hands and/or start the "wave" or shout out to one of the players, you can do that, too. The point is that for those three to four hours, you are free to just let the rest of the troubles/hassles of your life go by and happen without you. That stuff just has to wait when you are at a game. You need to take breaks from life and when you're at a baseball game, you really aren't available for doing work or any of the other activities that keep you so busy during other times. Baseball is kind of like "fishing" to me. You can just sit there and not have to say anything or do anything if you don't want to for those three to four hours. I like that...


• At the Rangers' games, we usually sing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" after a few innings. And when we do, we get to clap our hands and all sing this fun song. I love it because it reminds me of how much I love living in the great state of Texas!


• At the seventh inning stretch, the game stops for a moment, the players stop playing and then everyone in the stadium gives their attention to someone (or some group) who sings "God Bless America." This tradition was started after 9-11-2001, and I still get goose bumps (and sometimes even shed a few tears) when I hear the words of that song sung by an entire stadium. Once again, another great reminder of how blessed we are to be Americans and living in this great country of ours!


• I love seeing all the children and families at the Rangers' games. Some kids wear their baseball/softball gloves and hope to be lucky enough to catch a foul ball. Very few of them do, but the hope of that possibility occuring is so great! Parents who bring their kids to the baseball game seem to really love being there and "treating" their offspring with the very special occasion of being at a major league baseball game. Whenever I go, I am reminded once again of all the fond memories of the many times we took our children out to the games as they were growing up. Oh how special that always was for our family!


• Late in the game, between halves of innings, we usually do two of my favorite things at the ball park. These are "Kiss-Cam," and dancing to "Cotton-Eyed Joe." The cameramen in the stadium try to catch a guy and a girl sitting next to each other on their camera, and then dare them to kiss since the whole stadium is watching them! It is really cool to see some of these couples (especially the older ones!) really love kissing the person sitting next to them. What's really great is that the entire stadium smiles when this is going on. It is so much fun to be in a place where everyone is smiling and having just a great moment of clean entertainment! Then, we usually all dance in the places where we have been sitting to the familiar "Hee-Haw" tune. Once again, how can you not smile and dance when you're at a baseball game and everyone else is smiling and dancing, too? How many places in life does this happen?
• The best part about going to a major league baseball game might be sitting outside and enjoying the weather at the ball park; the clouds and the shadow patterns as they roll across the field, etc. Have you noticed lately how easy it is these days to just sit inside and waste days away watching junk on TV, or taking in some movie or DVD with no redeeming value, or letting time erode while catching up on Facebook, etc.? All the while missing the experience of being in the wonderful out of doors? I'm convinced that we'd all be a lot better off these days if we spent a lot more time outside, away from electronics and digital gadgets. Why don't we spend more time outside? It's a shame that we don't.
• Another great thing about going to a major league baseball game is that common people go to baseball games. It is still affordable for the "common man." Baseball games are not played in some extravagant palace that charges an arm and a leg to park or for tickets to get in. There are still "bleacher seats" out in center field, and even if you only have a few bucks to spend, you can still go to a major league baseball game (at least you can in Texas anyway!). That's a good thing!
• Frequently, the outcome of the game is not clear until the very end of the game. As a spectator, you are held there in suspense until the last out because sometimes a game can turn on a dime and the outcome can change very quickly. Even if one team is ahead by a lot, the other team still has a chance to come back. You can be very nervous for the home team, even when it appears that they have the game in the bag, because you never know who might hit a long home run or make a diving catch to win the game. It's exciting all the way to the end! You always get your money's worth!
• Finally, even if your team doesn't win the game, you've still been entertained and enjoyed the company of the people you came with to the game anyway. Maybe you even had a chance to make some new acquaintances of some of the other "common" people at the game sitting around you. Going to a baseball game is always good, even if your team doesn't quite hang onto the game. Even if you're disappointed, you're still glad you came out for the game (at least most of the time).

Those are a few of the reasons why I love going to major league baseball games. Have you been to one lately? If not, why not? You don't know what you are missing! Wholesome entertainment and an activity that is really good for the soul.