Friday Night our family cheered on the Sugarland Skeeters (a minor-league baseball team that plays in another suburb close to our house). Mainly we went because the twins’ school was singing the National Anthem and the kids had been looking forward to that for a month straight. But we also went because M has been wanting to go to a game, even before baseball legend Roger Clemens started pitching for them.
The verdict?
We had a fantastic time and totally recommend it. But I’m not sure if a game is for everyone. Here’s a bit about our experience so you can make your own call.
1. The Time….
The game started at 7:05, which is just about bedtime for our crew. We gambled on the premise that Cracker Jacks and Cotton Candy would pull us through any meltdowns. If you can stay until the end of the game, (not enough sugar in the world to keep us there past ten) there are fireworks. But again, that was happening way past our bedtime.
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| By the bright sun, you can see we got there wayyyyy early for the 7PM game. |
2. The Experience:
In a word, laid-back (is that two words?). A minor-league game is everything a major-league game is not…free parking! Close parking! Parking attendants thanking you for coming to the game! Low stress and small crowds. Fun for the whole family. Really. If you’re okay with it not actually being the big-game experience.
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| So laid back that Mr. Clingy felt brave enough to walk |
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| Low-stress enough to let the kids stroll ahead |
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| The kids felt so big marching right into a big game, all by themselves. |
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| Add comfortable enough for a little pre-game rough housing. Which was totally appropriate considering Elisabeth felt certain we were going to a football game. |
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| Headed onto the field for the big singing moment! |
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| Nate and M watching our beloved Kindergarten teacher rearrange the squirmy five-year-olds. |
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| Thanks to the small crowds, you, too, could be THIS CLOSE to a giant mosquito. Or you could just come to our backyard, where we have actual mosquitos that make this guy look small. |
5. Summary: So, the Skeeters had everything we were looking for in our baseball game experience: guys selling cotton candy in the stands, low stress and crowds, giant mosquitos, the National Anthem (!), Deep in the Heart of Texas after the seventh inning, and a Kiss Cam. BUT as an added bonus, there was a playground, carousel, and swimming pool behind the outfield. This was great for our family because the kids had absolutely zero interest in the game.
We spent the next few innings fighting the crowds at the playscape. This part of the experience was NOT laid back or low-stress, but it was a nice diversion. In fact, when we left, Elisabeth proclaimed, “I really love FOOTBALL games.”
See? She didn’t let the baseball game distract her from the whole experience at all.
