My Second Debut on a Baseball Field: First Pitch and Meeting Managers

     In junior high, it was the popular extra-curricular to sing in the choir, Sounds of Salem, and although my voice can be glass shattering, I belted it with what we called gusto.  I am not sure what year it was and all of my picture proof remains in storage at home, but one year, we were given the opportunity to torture a large crowd by singing the National Anthem at a St. Louis Cardinal's baseball game.  I still remember walking out on the field and seeing a large, brand new player with a name I could not  pronounce "Pujols" (SPIT......hey, if the players can spit all the time, I can spit the times when I hear his name).  Looking around at the crowd from that standpoint and being pictured on the gigantic screen was surreal.  Growing up in Cardinal's country makes that experience all the much better; we are true baseball fans!  I never thought that I would be given that opportunity again, so being the braces-wearing teen that I was, I lived it up, sang that du-wop-ity song, and headed for my hotdog-eating, soda-drinking, cotton candy-sticking location in the nose-bleeders to cheer on my favorite team.
     Lucky enough, that was not the only chance I would have of standing on the field of a baseball stadium.  As an aside and to my young readers out there, a piece of advice: make really awesome friends!  Because, you see, PDub and I have already traveled twice for weddings of really awesome friends, and this summer, one of our really awesome friends shared the opportunity of throwing out the first pitch and meeting the managers and umpires at the Nationals vs. Mets game.  Yes, you heard it correctly; I made my second debut on another baseball field!  Instead of the nose-bleeders this time, I headed for the green seats behind home plate; still got my hotdog but with an adult beverage(s) this time.  Oh the beauty of professional baseball....

They made me change my hat to meet the coaches and give the line-up to the umpires.  I played by the rules.

Feeling extra-confident....and looking snazzy!

We always make fun of the kids that can't decide on a team, so like PDub, they wear two (Cards shirt and Nats cap).

THE ball.

A lovely couple.

Warming up....wouldn't want to pull anything on the first pitch. 

The dugout....and the first pitch ball, which wouldn't stay out of the picture for some reason.

The Zhaoster with his catcher, labeled "Wingman."

The Preparation

The Pitch.

The Follow-Through

Screech the Eagle high-fiving The Zhaoster for a real bouncer of a pitch. 

Whoo hoo!

The dug-out with some real playas.

Randy Knorr, the Nationals manager, and the JDub (I mean who's the bigger deal here?)

Confession of a Cardinals fan.

Waving and smiling to a camera.

On the Jumbo/Mega/Big Screen.  It's the largest I've ever seen myself.

Handing over the line-up to the head umpire.

Meeting the Mets (did you know that Mets is short for Metropolitans?) manager, Terry Collins. 

An important group of people.

The Diamond Club bar.

Hot-dog-nacho bar.  Not sure which bar is more important....it's a toss up.

Four ice creams please and keep them coming.

The presidential race....Go Abe!!

View from our seats.

The damage that we didn't pay for.  Thanks to United points and The Zhaoster who seems to have unlimited miles!

Extra:  The father of the family sitting in front of us caught a foul ball.  His 5y/o son proceeded to ask if he could have it.  The father responded, "No.  You can have it when I'm dead."  Classic!  I hope to be a parent like that one day.....we can only hope!