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I know virtually nothing about baseball. For the longest time I didn’t even know Vancouver had a baseball team, much less that they were called the Vancouver Canadians. Yea! Go Canada! When the opportunity came up to check out a baseball game I decided, sure why not? It’ll fit in nicely with my Summer of YVR adventures and I’m always up for trying something new.
I’ve never watched a baseball game in my life. I played a little in elementary school the same way most others have done gymnastics or played floor hockey in gym class. I even had my own glove because I was too much of a wuss to catch the ball otherwise. I had to get my coworkers give me a quick rundown of the baseball rules before I went.
I headed to the games with a group of other Vancouver bloggers. This was the first event that I was able to make it to and I was looking forward to meeting some local bloggers. We arrived as they were singing O Canada and made it to our seats by the time the first pitch was being thrown. We were seated slightly to the right of the home plate in the grandstand. Tonight the Vancouver Canadians were playing the Eugene Emeralds.
Baseball, as it turns out, is a boring game to watch. At first I was enthralled by everything going on around me, but by the time we hit the 3rd inning I was ready for it to be over. The game was moving slowly and I wasn’t completely sure of what was going on. Megan from Wanderlust Megan was seated next to me and we were pestering everyone around us about the rules of the game and why certain things were happening a certain way.
Awesome souvenir baseball.
I went a grabbed a hot dog during (~$5.50 for a small) a quieter inning. You can’t go to a ball game without getting a hot dog!
I was really amused by the guys coming around with beer. Talk about great bleacher service. I was sad that I couldn’t find peanuts or cracker jacks (or maybe I didn’t look hard enough?). Instead, you can get sushi, popcorn, soft pretzels and a number of other snacks.
Beer, getcha beer here!
As the game went on there were funny antics that got the crowd going. Randomly cars and golf carts, all decorated with the Vancouver Canadian emblems drove around the field.
The most random of all disturbances was during the 4th inning with the sushi race. The team’s three Sushi Mascots go head to head in a race around the field. Competing are Ms. BC Roll, Mr. Kappa Maki, and Chef Wasabi.
It looks like Mr. Kappa Maki is in the lead with Ms. BC Roll behind him.
The music was great. They played lots of classic songs that everyone knows. It got the crowd on its feet and singing along. The guys who came out to rake the field did it to the tune of Cotten Eye Joe and broke out into dance much to the amusement of the crowd. The crowds got involved during the chicken dance as well. Lots of opportunities to have fun and get weird.
Of course you can’t forget about the 7th inning stretch, which really wasn’t long enough for a proper stretch. Everyone got up on their feet and sang “Take Me Out To the Ball Game.”
As the night went on, as the crowd drank more, everyone got rowdier and rowdier. The Canadians were playing okay and then in the bottom of the 8th, everything changed. Somehow they managed to get 5 runs leaving the Emeralds far behind. The crowds were enthusiastic, cheering loudly, as our team made run after run.
Both #10 and the guy on the plate scored runs on this ball.
In the 9th, the Emeralds were struck out quickly and before I knew it, the game was over. The final score was 13 Canadians, 7 Emeralds. Yay team!
Want to know something completely stupid that didn’t click for me until the game? I get why people say “the bottom of the 8th” or the “top of the inning”. It’s because of the scoreboard. They’re literally one on top of the other. Duh! Silly me.
The final score: 13 Canadians 7 Emeralds. PS Can you see what I mean about top and bottom? Doh!
All in all it was a great evening. I saw plenty of families out for a night at the ball game. There were a surprising amount of people there that night. I don’t know anyone that watches baseball so it was really nice to see how big a crowd had showed up. Here is a quick video I put together of some of the highlights from the night:
Would I go again? Maybe. If you know me, watching sports isn’t really my thing, but if there is a promise of fun and random things to watch like the sushi race and the dancing rakers, then I’m all up for it. I had a great time while I was there and I’m glad to have experienced this American pastime first hand.
Have you gone to a baseball game? Do you know the rules of baseball?
P.S. Kayaking in Deep Cove, Vancouver & Exploring the Richmond Night Market
Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to the game courtesy of YVRBloggers. Stupid baseball observations, excitement over the randomness of things and opinions are all my own.
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I had a similar experience in Hiroshima. The crowd was great fun you know, but the entertainment was not on the field! Than again, i LOVE cricket! Great post!
Ohh! I hear the Japanese love their baseball. I think it would be really fun to see one there.
Hahah! I love the running sushi and that’s awesome that vendors sell sushi as bleacher snacks. I wish we got that in the US. The US does the kiss-cam to entertain crowds during breaks, which can be fun. But I agree – baseball is a very slow sport and not very fun to watch!
I think it’s just a Vancouver thing. Sushi is so common it’s everywhere. All we need is for it to be in gas stations and 7-11s and they’ll be the most common foods anywhere. Doesn’t mean it’s always good though :S
I’ve never understood baseball, from the little i’ve seen on TV it looks like a complicated game. But i guess the atmosphere in stadiums is really fun and makes up for everything else.
It’s actually quite simple once you get the basics of it. I was really surprised at how quickly I picked up the rules of the game and was cheering at all the right moments without prompting.
I’d never been to a game until I moved to Chicago and then it felt pretty obligatory to go to a Cubs game. I find baseball incredibly boring but I had a great time! Probably had something to do with the beer, sun & hot dogs. 🙂 Plus the company that you’re with always makes a difference. Glad you had fun!
Definitely! Food, beer, sun and great company is the making of a fabulous time. Glad you enjoyed your experience too!
Great overview, I’m glad you came out! I’m going to try to check out a baseball game in Cuba. Even if the game is a bit boring, it will be neat to see the difference and soak in their baseball culture.
Oh! Definitely – I think that would be a cool experience.