For Love of the Game: Part I
When I lived in greater Cincinnati, I went to Reds games all the time. I could walk to the stadium from my place in Northern Kentucky. When I worked for someone else, I was in marketing and I often got the company seats for games. A few people that I worked with or were friends with had season tickets but couldn’t go to every game. In addition, I’d occasionally be glad-handed by clients, and then there was always the general “we have one extra ticket” that comes from friends.
Somehow, I ended up being the recipient of free tickets to baseball games from just about anyone who had extra tickets, ever. Kind of funny, now that I think about it. I can’t remember my personal best for the number of Reds games attended in one week. I think it was six. And I have no recollection of ever paying for a ticket. Ever.
I love baseball. Love it. And it’s just, IMO, a great way to spend an afternoon or an evening with friends and family. My brother has season tickets to Giants games. He and his friends are doing that thing that people do where they visit all of the stadiums. One time, they flew from San Francisco to Boston for one game, and flew back the same day. Cool. It’s on my list, you know? Calling my brother to talk about an upcoming trip to the Bay area quickly ran into a “well, when do you have tickets?” discussion. Because as long as I am there… we might as well go.
My brother and I call each other from sporting events. I don’t know why. I think he started it. But now, whenever I am at a game, be it major league baseball or college football, I have to call him and tell him about the seats, the terrible calls and where I am sitting (when I was at Reds games and thought he might see me on TV).
People back east keep asking me why there’s no MLB in Portland. My response: Well. Did we all FORGET what a BIG FREAKING DEAL it was to get a new stadium? How many people had BIG HUGE conniptions over the costs of TWO stadiums? And you can’t understand why a town like Portland that has never had a MLB stadium can’t get behind getting one stadium built?
It costs $200 to watch MLB from most markets on TV through Comcast, the local cable company. I really only want to watch Cincinnati, San Francisco, the Cubs and maybe the Indians. Cubs games pop up on WGN fairly frequently. Indians not so much. Cincinnati and San Francisco, not at all. $200! I don't know if I can justify that expense. But I didn’t realize how much I would miss watching the games.
I have been trying to get on board with Seattle. But I just can’t get any enthusiasm for their team. So meanwhile, I am trying to get interested in the local Triple-A team, the Beavers. Maybe it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Portland needs an MLB baseball stadium.
Build it, and they will come. Yeah, I know. That’s pretty hokey. But there are so, so many benefits to having a major league baseball team in the rose city. I’m going to have to keep reading to learn more about the purported pros and cons to find out exactly where Portland stands on building an MLB stadium. It’s right up there with trying to figure out why there hasn’t been enough riverfront development here. Meanwhile, sigh. I’ll catch the Mariners-Yankees game on TV today. And keep planning that trip to San Francisco.
I know this topic will continue to perpetuate the blog. The longer that I live in Portland, the more that I’ll learn about the MLB stadium backstory. So for now, this is just Part I of what is sure to become a regular blog kvetch on the rose city journal.
Somehow, I ended up being the recipient of free tickets to baseball games from just about anyone who had extra tickets, ever. Kind of funny, now that I think about it. I can’t remember my personal best for the number of Reds games attended in one week. I think it was six. And I have no recollection of ever paying for a ticket. Ever.
I love baseball. Love it. And it’s just, IMO, a great way to spend an afternoon or an evening with friends and family. My brother has season tickets to Giants games. He and his friends are doing that thing that people do where they visit all of the stadiums. One time, they flew from San Francisco to Boston for one game, and flew back the same day. Cool. It’s on my list, you know? Calling my brother to talk about an upcoming trip to the Bay area quickly ran into a “well, when do you have tickets?” discussion. Because as long as I am there… we might as well go.
My brother and I call each other from sporting events. I don’t know why. I think he started it. But now, whenever I am at a game, be it major league baseball or college football, I have to call him and tell him about the seats, the terrible calls and where I am sitting (when I was at Reds games and thought he might see me on TV).
People back east keep asking me why there’s no MLB in Portland. My response: Well. Did we all FORGET what a BIG FREAKING DEAL it was to get a new stadium? How many people had BIG HUGE conniptions over the costs of TWO stadiums? And you can’t understand why a town like Portland that has never had a MLB stadium can’t get behind getting one stadium built?
It costs $200 to watch MLB from most markets on TV through Comcast, the local cable company. I really only want to watch Cincinnati, San Francisco, the Cubs and maybe the Indians. Cubs games pop up on WGN fairly frequently. Indians not so much. Cincinnati and San Francisco, not at all. $200! I don't know if I can justify that expense. But I didn’t realize how much I would miss watching the games.
I have been trying to get on board with Seattle. But I just can’t get any enthusiasm for their team. So meanwhile, I am trying to get interested in the local Triple-A team, the Beavers. Maybe it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Portland needs an MLB baseball stadium.
Build it, and they will come. Yeah, I know. That’s pretty hokey. But there are so, so many benefits to having a major league baseball team in the rose city. I’m going to have to keep reading to learn more about the purported pros and cons to find out exactly where Portland stands on building an MLB stadium. It’s right up there with trying to figure out why there hasn’t been enough riverfront development here. Meanwhile, sigh. I’ll catch the Mariners-Yankees game on TV today. And keep planning that trip to San Francisco.
I know this topic will continue to perpetuate the blog. The longer that I live in Portland, the more that I’ll learn about the MLB stadium backstory. So for now, this is just Part I of what is sure to become a regular blog kvetch on the rose city journal.
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