So Cal Baseball Trip

Kim and Morgan were real troopers as we jaunted to southern California for three days of baseball with a visit to the beach sprinkled in as well. My good friend Rob Lindstrom has a brother Matt, who plays for the Florida Marlins. Matt lived with Rob for a time in Provo and that is where we got know him a little bit. Matt is a way nice guy who is playing in his rookie campaign for the Marlins.

We got to San Diego in the early afternoon on the 4th of July. We had a nice BBQ with our friends Danny and Erin Packard and then took off for the game. It was nice to get to visit with Matt before the game and probably would have seen him after the game had the catcher not dropped the ball that cost Matt and the Marlins the game.
Danny's aunt hooked us up with fabulous tickets for the game on the 5th of July as we sat 6 rows from the field. Of course that was the day I left my camera in the car, but we did get to see the Marlins pull out a victory over the Padres 3-2. Rob was able to get Danny & I down into the players waiting area after the game. It was fun to see all the players and get to meet a few of the them. I am proud to report that David Wells drives a white Bentley that may have some custom seats to fit his large, round derrière. After our visit with the players, we headed to the beach for a few minutes and I was surprised to see a guy running up and down the beach with a spear gun. I am not exactly sure what someone would expect to spear in the shallow part of the ocean, but to each his own I guess.


Friday, we found ourselves in Los Angeles to see the Marlins take on the Dodgers. Matt had been tapped by the group of his family members for tickets, so Kim and I found ourselves in literally the last row of the stadium. I was truly amazed to see the parking situation at Dodger Stadium. It was like Disney Land times 10. The have their own stop lights and all. As many a sports fan can relate, we all like to move down once the game has started to better seats if they go unused. Apparently the Dodger Stadium want to ensure you stay in your miserable seat the entire game as some sort of punishment for being cheap on your ticket purchase. Rob and the rest of the group were sitting in the lower deck and had a few open seats by them. I am glad we had Morgan with us, because she can charm anyone. With her charm and a few less than true statements, we were allowed to pass to the lower deck.



We were able to see a great game, as the Marlins pulled out a squeaker in the 11th inning. Kim was very excited to get some bonus baseball on her last night in California. It appears that since I am older than most of the group we traveled with, no one knew who Jason Bateman was when he walked past us twice. I pointed him out to another guy in the group who recognized him, but none of the younger ones (the wives) recognized him. Oh well, it is probably better they have never heard of Teen Wolf Too. We also got to go and visit with the players after the game, however the visiting team gets a raw deal as they have to come back into the stands to visit and then when they are ready to get on the bus, they have to go back onto the field and get on the bus just behind the center field wall. Oh well, I guess you can't expect a lot from a 50 year old stadium.

I had a great time and as mentioned eariler, Kim suffered through and didn't mutter a word of discontent. What a peach!