Jul 16 2009
What a Night, Full Family Baseball Outing of Fun and More
What a night! A full family baseball outing of fun and more… But let’s go back to where it all started. A few weeks ago, my local Centennial Bank held a free cook out and S’mores day. I was taking the kids to a new local water park and we stopped there for a nice and messy snack. While there, my son put his name in for a drawing for a baseball game with the Stone Crabs who are the Tampa Bay Rays’ minor league team. Yep, you guessed it, he won. But the Game was a wash-out due to a storm.
The manager of the Centennial Park then went the extra mile and got us enough tickets for the whole family, with free parking and free all-you-can-eat buffet at the ball park.
Thanks Pat! But it gets better, while at the buffet two staff members asked my son and I to participate in a few games they do during the innings. After I signed the damages waver, they told us to meet them during the 4th inning.
My wife and kids got our full at the buffet and then played at the kids’ playground inside the new park. There was a little delay due to rain. The game started and we had seats above the visiting team’s dug out.
This was all of my kids’ first game… So, it was going to be special! We just didn’t know how special. There was light rain but that gave us a beautiful double rainbow out over center field.
The Stone Crabs mascot named Stoney, who was, of course, a “stone crab” but my two youngest girls loved him so much they kept calling for him to come over… and he did many times during the game. But, they had their own name for him… “Lobster!” So, the whole game the girls were calling out “lobster, lobster, lobster”.
Now time for the game. My son had to stand on the top of the home team’ s dugout and play a matching game during the bottom of the 5th inning… He won 2 more tickets to any game he wants…
Then it was my turn… It was a dance off against me and Ron over the dugouts on top of the roofs. What was up for grabs? A year’s worth of Hamburgers at Wendy’s. The music started and we both had to dance and do our grove thing… The crowd would pick the winner by cheering for the winner when…
We both got up there and I danced and grooved my butt off… Not too sure what I did or if it was a dance at all but I danced around and I could hear my kids laughing and even heard some one yell, “shake it baby”.
The music ended and they asked every one who wanted Ron to win to cheer… Then they asked if they wanted me to win… WOW, the stadium roared with cheer… Yes, I won.
It gets even better. My son got a free baseball hat and two staff workers behind us gave my girls baseballs from the game. Plus, the kids had their baseballs and programs autographed by their favorite player of the evening, Shawn Williams No. 4.
It was without a doubt a great night out…
Oh, here is what happened in the game:
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The Charlotte Stone Crabs put things away early in a dominating 8-2 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads and claimed sole possession of first place in the FSL South division on Wednesday night at Charlotte Sports Park.
