After our unfortunate mistake the night before, it was back to Baseball on Thursday as we went to Chattanooga to see the Lookouts play the Biloxi Shuckers. My mom and I went to Chattanooga by ourselves and explored some of the scenery around the river that the city had to offer but didn't see much of downtown, so we made a point to do that this time. We managed to strike gold in a place called Community Pie, a place that specialized in New York Style Pizza, Gelato, and of course Beer. There were no board games to play this time, but there was a World Cup Soccer game on TV, so it was still a great way to kill time before the game.
We got to the ballpark probably a little bit too early because we were waiting in front of the gates for quite some time, but we were one of the first ones in so not all was lost. We managed to pass the Information both where they were trying to recruit people for some of the events that would occur in between innings. I walked up and asked if there was anything that wasn't for kids and they told me they still needed people for the dizzy bat, to which I agreed.
After I was all signed up for the dizzy bat, my mom and I wasted no time taking advantage of the "Thirsty Thursday" drink specials which were $1 Domestic Draughts and $2 for Craft Beer, we decided to take more advantage of the Crafts because quality is worth an extra dollar in our opinions.
Eventually, it was my turn to do the dizzy bat. My opponents were a woman in her 40s, a guy from Sweden, and also his friend, who funnily enough was from Alpharetta, GA, to which I responded: "it's like a battle of Northside vs. Southside." Seeing how I'm not very coordinated, to begin with, and I was starting to feel a little bit buzzed, I had no chance. I fell twice as a matter of fact. Once while I was spinning, and then again when I was trying to cross the finish line. The prize was a Tennessee Lottery ticket, which wouldn't have really done me any good because I don't even live in Tennessee.
So really the only thing I lost in this dizzy bat debacle was a little bit of my pride. It wasn't all bad because when I got back to my seat, my mom informed me that she accidentally took a picture instead of a video, which is a blessing in disguise because would probably have taken away from the number of views this post is going to get, so thank you mom, I really appreciate it! Speaking my mom doing things I appreciate, the Lookouts have this thing where you can put a customized message up on the video board for only $2, so my mom decided to put "Taylor and Dylan, you go." This was probably an attempt to embarrass us slightly, but I saw the funny and kind side of it. I'm not sure I could say the same about my brother.
The game itself was an absolute blowout as the Lookouts beat Biloxi 12-2. The show was stolen by Chris Paul, who went 3-5 with two doubles and 6 RBIs. By now you're probably thinking "wait, isn't that a Basketball player?" Rest assured this is a different Chris Paul, who wears a different number. This was CP5 of the Chattanooga Lookouts, not CP3 of the Houston Rockets. I also feel like I'd be doing my readers a disservice if I didn't include the interesting moment where a bat ended up getting lodged into a safety netting after a batter losing his grip while swinging. It was up there for the remainder of the game.
Friday was the day I had been waiting for since I moved to Georgia, a chance to see my beloved Baltimore Orioles play in Atlanta. Since we arrived early, we decide to spend pregame in what is known as "The Battery," a neighborhood of shops and restaurants just outside of Suntrust Park. We decided to check out one restaurant which was fun while it lasted, but eventually, we had to leave because my brother was under 21, but they did have some decent food and drinks, so maybe I'll go back if I can find the place again, that is. I'm still trying to get the hang of the battery because I don't go too often
It became even more of a family affair when more of my family from Virginia came for the weekend with their 8-month-old son, who my mom and I got to meet for the very first time. It was pouring rain before the game, so we had to find cover wherever we could outside of the stadium until we worked up the courage to go in. Once we were in we decided to go to the Chophouse, which can best be described as the Braves' in-stadium Restaurant. While there we had some refreshments and some nice conversations. One of the staff members introduced himself to me as a Red Sox fan, inquired to me about what it might take to bring Manny Machado to Boston as the Orioles look to begin their rebuild. I told him what I had been hearing in the press, and he wasn't a fan so we went back and forth on proposals for quite some time.
Eventually, it became time to find our seats, so we made way up to the upper level, but since this was a special occasion my mom decided to buy our tickets one level lower than we usually do, but with a similar vantage point, which was actually pretty great. For those that don't know it's a longstanding tradition in Baltimore (and sometimes DC) to sing the "O" in the anthem. There have been times where I do it wherever I am, but this time I had a reason to so I gave it my all, and it was terrific to be able to do so again. The Orioles fans traveled well so that made it even better.
Eventually, it became time to find our seats, so we made way up to the upper level, but since this was a special occasion my mom decided to buy our tickets one level lower than we usually do, but with a similar vantage point, which was actually pretty great. For those that don't know it's a longstanding tradition in Baltimore (and sometimes DC) to sing the "O" in the anthem. There have been times where I do it wherever I am, but this time I had a reason to so I gave it my all, and it was terrific to be able to do so again. The Orioles fans traveled well so that made it even better.
The game itself was quite the thriller. It was 0-0 until Chris Davis, who has not had his best year by any means, hit a solo home run to make it 1-0 in the 5th inning. The Braves ended up tying the game in the 7th inning and then taking a 3-1 lead in the 8th inning.
I was on edge going into the 9th because I thought there was very little chance the Orioles could come back, I even told my brother I wouldn't be surprised if they went 3 up 3 down to end the game. I ended up being wrong about this because the bats came alive at the most opportune time as the Orioles went on top score six runs in the top of the 9th.
With the Orioles having a comfortable lead, and 2016 All-Star closer Zach Britton coming on to close out the game and up his trade value, I figured they had it in the bag. I once again, ended up being wrong about this as the bats came alive at the most opportune time for the Braves, as they went on to score four runs and force extra innings.
Had it not been under such upsetting circumstances, I wouldn't have minded extra innings at all. What I did end up taking issue with, was the bats going right back to being silent after both teams had huge 9th inning rallies. I believe we left the game after the 12th inning, seeing as how we had one more trip to do the next day, and somehow I ended up getting home in time to see the Orioles score 3 runs in the top of the 15th inning, and subsequently close the game out.
In the next post, I will be talking about our trip to Fluor Field and Greenville, SC to talk about our experience there. Greenville is one of my favorite places, which is why I'm glad we got to save that one for last. It will be released shortly after, so stay tuned because it's going to be another good one.
I was on edge going into the 9th because I thought there was very little chance the Orioles could come back, I even told my brother I wouldn't be surprised if they went 3 up 3 down to end the game. I ended up being wrong about this because the bats came alive at the most opportune time as the Orioles went on top score six runs in the top of the 9th.
With the Orioles having a comfortable lead, and 2016 All-Star closer Zach Britton coming on to close out the game and up his trade value, I figured they had it in the bag. I once again, ended up being wrong about this as the bats came alive at the most opportune time for the Braves, as they went on to score four runs and force extra innings.
Had it not been under such upsetting circumstances, I wouldn't have minded extra innings at all. What I did end up taking issue with, was the bats going right back to being silent after both teams had huge 9th inning rallies. I believe we left the game after the 12th inning, seeing as how we had one more trip to do the next day, and somehow I ended up getting home in time to see the Orioles score 3 runs in the top of the 15th inning, and subsequently close the game out.
In the next post, I will be talking about our trip to Fluor Field and Greenville, SC to talk about our experience there. Greenville is one of my favorite places, which is why I'm glad we got to save that one for last. It will be released shortly after, so stay tuned because it's going to be another good one.
