Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Take me out to the ball game!

Until just a few weeks ago I had never heard of the organization Umps Care 
BUT BOY CAN I TELL YOU THEY HAVE SIX NEW FANS IN THE MCINTOSH FAMILY!!!!

Our family was treated - ahem, VIP style - to a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles on August 4th. The Rays ended up losing but it was a once in a lifetime experience and so incredible that we got to have this memory making event all together as a new family.

When we arrived we got our complimentary tickets for our seats on the third base line. Best seats we've ever had at a Rays game and Michael and I both agree it spoiled us for sitting in our usual nosebleed seats. We also each got a goodie bag with TB ball caps, Cracker Jacks, sunflower seeds, gum, candy  and $10 each for snacks.

We had a little time to watch the Orioles take batting practice. Then we met our guide and she gave us our field passes and took us to meet the umpires. What a nice bunch of guys!



On our way through the tunnel to the umps dressing room we passed the visiting team's workout room, cool. Upon entering the umps dressing room and getting through introductions they offered up all kinds of CANDY - I can't even begin to explain the volume of candy in this room. When they first offered it up we all glanced in the general direction of multiple jars of candy on the counter...then they opened the cupboards... not cupboard, cupboards, PLURAL! Jars and jars and jars of candy. They told us to fill up our bags :-) I'm slightly shocked but pleased to say each of the children (and Michael) took only one or two candies. This isn't even including the cooler full of Gatorades and sodas they offered us. We were expecting the evening would be for multiple adopting families, but nope it was just us and the umpires. All the children clammed up - not a single question for the umps. So they handed us a bunch of game ready baseballs to add to our goodie bags and we went out on the field with the home base umpire and had a photo taken with him. 

It was a very cool experience.

 Dad and his boy watching the big boys play ball

BJ's up next

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