I left the office at 345 Tuesday afternoon. The usual heavy traffic on 285 west. Parked and walked to the stadium, arriving just before 5 pm.
On the way I had a nice chat with a stadium employee, who loved her job. She encouraged me to apply for a job. I found an unusually short line at the 1st Base Gate, and only had to wait 30 minutes for the gates to open.
The gate giveaway was replica City Connect jerseys, either Acuna, Albies, or Olson – all size large. I wanted an Olson because I like how number 28 looks more than 13 or 1. Didn't really matter, because I'll be giving the jersey to Will. Outside the ballpark the apartments next door were giving away knockoff Blooper t-shirts and towels, so I ducked into the A-List office for a bag to carry them all in. I wound up giving the t-shirt and towel to coworker Rachel.
Made a beeline for the Braves Clubhouse Store, and beat the long line that usually forms before games. $200.00 jerseys were 50% off, and everything else 25% off. I browsed the caps and bucket hats and chains, but didn't see anything I just had to have.
I circled the stadium clockwise, stopping for a free Designated Driver Coke. I saw my new usher friend, but she was too busy for me to say hello. Sat in the outfield and watched batting practice for a bit.
Food and drink was 50% off before first pitch, but I wasn't that hungry. Missed another golden opportunity. One guy did get himself something that looked tasty. Me and an Emergency Medical person were watching him eat. I told her that she might have an emergency once he finished eating. Hope he didn't spill anything on his new Braves jersey.
I remembered to visit Blooper's Clubhouse to get my photo taken with Blooper. When Bloopy pointed to the camera I did the same, forgetting I was holding my goody bag. Still a decent photo. My friend Rob and I have a thing going where he acts like me and Blooper are the same person. Also took a photo of the Mascot Security Guard for Will – that's his dream job.
After all that I still made it up to my seat by 630 – a full 50 minutes before the game started. Had a nice chat with the season ticket holder to my left, and the old guy to my right. Both attend like 54 games every season, and were interested in how many games I attend. I sheepishly replied "about once a month".
I spend the rest of the time before the game watching the video board, clearing out my email folders, entering contests, checking and posting on social media, and snapping more pictures. With such avid fans sitting around me, when the game started I made it a point to focus on the game more than my phone. Gave me a chance to familiarize myself with the stats for players on both teams.
The Mets started Ronald Acuna's younger brother Luisangel at shortstop, and he made several nice plays in the field. Earlier this year one of the Mets minor league teams gave away a double bobblehead with Luisangel and his father, who used to pitch for the Mets back in the day.
A good game to watch. Rookie Schwellenbach pitched a gem, retiring ten of the 26 hitters he faced on 3 or fewer piches – including four batters on just one pitch.
Not sure if any of the home runs were during the RaceTrac home run inning.
Walked back to my car and stopped by Chickfila on the way home for a free cookie.
Lifted weighs at the gym this morning.
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