I haven't written one of these in a while, so thought I'd share a little A's & Family Fun from over the weekend. It's been oft-stated by yours truly that I am truly blessed to have had baseball passed on to me, so I consider it my duty to do the same.
I always seem to end up with my sibling's kids at the Coliseum, this one is from Showergate.
On Saturday I went to Beerfest with my niece Stephanie. The A's have put on this ingenious event for each of the last 14 seasons, but this was our first time.
For those who've never been, you purchase a special A's Beerfest mug at the door for ten bucks, which also gets you two drinks of your choice. And there were about 30 microbreweries represented. I am a pretty basic drinker (translation: boring), so I vowed to use my two tickets on beers that I had never sampled before; I went with Kona Fire Rock (meh), and Deschutes Mirror Pond (better).
The highlight of the event was Tainted Love, a cover 80's band, who delivered a smorgasbord of hits, all of which did well to remind me just how old I am. Thanks, Tainted. Steph and I set up a little to the right of the stage, and watched as the crowd gradually gathered round. About the third song in, one or two girls got out to dance. Then a couple more. Not long after, it was wall-to-wall people, belting out songs like Rebel Yell and Don't You (Forget About Me).
I'd love to see how these people respond to three beers. Sheesh.
Alas, the A's managed to provide the sobering reality of what it's like to play a team of Minnesota's caliber, as the Twins eked out a 4-3 win. Considering Bob Geren's mishandling of the 9th inning perhaps "managed" is a poor choice of words, hmm?
Steph and I don't see the A's lose too many times (at least when we're together), but she says we need these little bumps in the road to enjoy the triumphs that much more. Ever the optimist. Just glad to have her back home, and there will be plenty more ventures to the Coliseum this summer.
A winning smile if there ever was one.
***
The next day my nephew Patrick and I took our godsons to Helmet Day, only we arrived too late for the giveaway. Luckily a friend of the family happened to be sitting in the same section as us, and he and his wife gave up their souvenirs to the delight of my youngest nephews.
Is it wrong to think that my nephew is sexy? Because I do.
About the fifth inning we took the boys to the Stomper Zone, which sadly was nothing like I imagined, though the A's mascot did make an (all-too-brief) appearance, and was immediately surrounded by adoring fans. That reminds me; Stomper was at Beerfest too, and he got up on stage and wooed the crowd with his dance moves. Right, pics or it didn't happen. Sigh.
The best part of the Stomper Zone- besides the hot mom's- is the batting cage, with both boys taking their turns at the plate:
Patrick's godson- 05MARQUEZ- puts his game face on.
When is it our turn? I swear that's three outs already.
Wait for your pitch, 05.
See the ball. Hit the ball.
See the ball...um, never mind.
We returned to our seats in time to see the last six outs, as the A's topped the Twins 5-4.
Upon arriving at my brother John's house (the kids are his), my 3-year old godson gloated: "We won Dad- ‘cause we were there!" Now to suggest that the A's only did well because we were in attendance is just the kind of small sample size thinking you'd expect from a small sample sized child. (Yeah, it's a stretch; forgive me for trying to sound hip and knowledgeable).
It was a satisfying conclusion to a bittersweet weekend that began with beers and brats, and ended with just brats; well-behaved ones I might add.
Godfather (67M) & godson (07M). No, I didn't keep the helmet.
The A's take on the Angels this afternoon, 12:35 start time.
