Fever Pitch

Work craziness and Mariners games have kept me away from the blog for a while, but I'm getting back on track now. Opening day was last Monday, and I've already been to 2 games. Now that it's my third baseball season, I'm finally starting to understand the subtle details of the game--the strategy, what the different calls mean, and what all those abbreviations like RBI and ERA stand for. For someone who's never really been a sports fan, I'm pretty into it now--but the highlight of the season is still when I get to see the grounds crew dance. Some things never change.

The only downside this year is what to eat... in the off-season I've come to terms with my wheat allergy, which means I can't have any of the good stuff. No cheeseburgers, no pulled pork sandwich, no major league dog. And worst of all, no 2 for $5 sausages after the game.
Nevertheless, here's my Mariners top 10 for the first 2 weeks of the season:

1. Yuniesky Betancourt--great shortstop, even greater name, my favorite player
2. Kenji Johjima--new catcher, awesome hitter
3. The old man who sells peanuts and kettle corn outside the stadium
4. Souvenir size Sierra Mist
5. Heat lamps in the ladies room--baseball in April is COLD
6. The Hat Trick game--I'm 2 for 2 so far...
7. Meeting up with our friend Dan and his 4 year old Noah--the cutest fan ever!
8. Mariners win at my first game of the season (game 2 against Anaheim)
9. Finding free parking downtown
10. The awesome organ music