Take me out to the ballgame...in STYLE, I might add...

Those of you who know me well know I'm not a big sports person. Yes, I've been to the Men's Semi-Finals at Wimbledon...and had to have the game of tennis explained to me. So sad. And I watch golf on TV occasionally if Tiger is playing (which means I've watched very little the past year). Still trying to figure out why there are all these birds involved in it. And my idea of a Decathlon is a race through a shopping center to get in and out of 10 stores with a list and a credit card and finish FIRST. (Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it...)



So when Mike told me he could get 4 tickets to an Astros game, I was a bit "blech" about it. Then I thought, why not? I never go - when we get tickets, Tim, Megan and Kennedy usually go with Mike. But this was a Tuesday night, not a weekend. They weren't able to drive in from Pflugerille on a weeknight. So I decided to "give it a go" and we invited our friends Tim and Beth to join us. And off we went.



You've heard the term, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend"? Well, if you're not the world's biggest sports fan and you're headed to Minute Maid Park, that is a true saying indeed! Little did I know that said tickets were (gasp!) in the Diamond Club section!! Oh my - I didn't even know such a place existed. You know where George H and Barbara sit when when go to the Astros games? Just behind home plate? THAT is the Diamond section. But wait - that's not all! Parking was alongside the STADIUM! That's it - park, walk across the drive, show ticket and then enter a special entrance to go downstairs to the Diamond CLUB! Clean bathrooms. Long buffet. Unlimited "chow-down" until the 7th inning. Then out to the seats within "sweating distance" of the players. I mean, I could see which players had acne for goodness sakes - it was THAT close! And when the players came to bat, Beth would give me a brief history along the lines of, "That is so-and-so. He used to play for the Astros but went to the Dodgers last year. He's really tall and cute". All the "histories" had "he's tall and cute". Maybe I should look into this game more seriously?? Who knew? (reminded me of the little known "change shirts between sets" moments at Wimbledon - sorry guys, only at the men's matches...)



So we fill our bellies, trying to act like "yeah, we do this ALL the time" and not jump up and down screaming, "OH MY WORD! THIS IS THE MOST FANTASTIC THING!! WISH I'D TOLD THE KIDS WE'D BE HERE!!! WILL WE BE ON TV??? WHY DIDN'T I WEAR SOMETHING NICER??" (Limited success in that department - I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb; or more like a mule in with the Grand Champions...)



We finish eating and head out to our seats - did I mention that those seats are REALLY close? Oh yeah, guess I did. Let me tell you, when you sit where we did, you think twice about picking your nose. (I actually thought about it THREE times...) Anyway, we're sitting there taking it all in and here comes a lady with a tray asking if she can GET US ANYTHING! "Ice cream? Popcorn? Something to drink?" I felt like the chubby kid's first visit to an all-you-can-eat-Chinese Buffet. I DID show admirable restraint and tried to order only that which I would have ordered and PAID for under normal circumstances. Okay, I would not have had 4 diet Cokes with lime nor a plate of nachos with chili and queso. And probably not the popcorn either. We would have bought ONE diet Coke and split it truth be told.

I am so ashamed.



And you know the "fun" experience of trying to get to a ladies' room in the 'where normal people sit' part of the stadium? The waiting in very long lines for a toilet that is one cousin removed from a port-a-potty in cleanliness? Not a problem here - just walk down a hallway, pass by the STILL serving self-serve buffet line of many varieties of food and viola! there are the restrooms - marble and granite floors and walls. Clean stalls. No waiting. No suspicious "spills". Lots of paper towels available after washing of hands with SOAP (not the dregs left when it ran out during the first couple of innings). Depart to return to seat by passing by the dessert section and picking up a cookie or two while weighing the odds of also grabbing some cotton candy or Cracker Jacks. And here's the irony - most of the ladies in the Diamond Club obviously DON'T eat all these foods temptingly arrayed (either that or...well, I won't go there).



So thanks, Bobby (head of company Mike works for). We had a BLAST!! Enjoyed myself IMMENSELY!!! Our guests had a great time too! Thanks for a great evening!! And feel FREE to do it again sometime.

Oh, and I think they also played a game of baseball, but I'm not sure - I wasn't paying attention.