Play Ball!

Baseball is known as bangqiu around these parts, and until today I didn't realize how much I really do miss baseball.  Or maybe it's just that I'm missing home and when I was asked to go to a baseball game today I jumped at the chance.  I used to be a better baseball fan when I was younger--SF Giants fans, this next fact will show you how long it's been...in the days of what they called the Triple Threat--ha, remember Will Clark, Kevin Mitchell, and Matt Williams?  Would you believe I used to collect baseball cards, too?  

To clarify, I've still been a baseball fan in the years since. Though not to the level that would live up to the true title, fanatic.

As of today I root for the Hometeam Lions who today played the Capital City Tigers.  We won, 7-2.  The game was pretty good, I thought.  After you get used to the 'huai qiu' (ball) and 'hao qiu' (strike) calling of the game.  Lai yi bang!  Jia you!  Picked up some cheering phrases as well. 

Baseball isn't at all popular in these parts.  Games are free.  Only one guy from what I could tell knew how to watch the game.  He was the only other guy yelling. And it says something that we were the most obnoxious fans out in the audience.  Afterwards we looked like a bunch of groupies hovering outside the locker room waiting to meet the players.  You'd think that we were meeting bonafide celebrities--except there wasn't any security around the players and no one else in the sparse audience seemed at all interested. 

Random thought...for all the spitting I see around these parts, I didn't see any of the players spit today. 

Nothing beats catching a game at PacBell Park.  But hey, I'd settle for what I got today :)