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Saturday, August 20, 2011

A Baseball Birthday


My great-nephew, Carson, will celebrate his 10th birthday on Monday. His parents gave him a wonderful birthday party on Friday night in the form of a birthday package at a minor league baseball park. Included in the package was a birthday cake and the opportunity to throw out a "first" pitch. I put that "first" in quotation marks because there were several children celebrating birthdays who each got to throw out the "first" pitch.

Above is Carson with his dad, Dave.

The children (and a few adults) were lined up in order of their ages, youngest first. Here, they're receiving some last-minute instructions from a guy in a hula skirt.

Then they were introduced by name to throw their pitch. After everyone had thrown, each one was given a baseball to keep. Following is a video clip of Carson's pitch.


Somewhere around the third or fourth inning, the birthday celebrant and his guests could go to a small picnic area to enjoy the birthday cake.


Of course, the baseball game itself was part of the fun evening, too. And the home team won!

Here, the opposing pitcher manages to catch one of the home team guys trying to steal second base.

There was always something going on between innings.

A beautiful golden retriever entertained the crowd with a variety of activities including retrieving stray balls, dropped bats, and an occasional frisbee. In the above picture, the dog is delivering a bottle of water to an umpire.

Here, the grounds crew drop their equipment and break into a dance.

Of course, our fellow spectators provided a degree of entertainment, too.

This is a photo of the shirt of a guy who was sitting in front of me.

After the game, a fireworks display provided a perfect ending to the day.


Carson's mom reports that, as Carson was getting ready for bed Friday night, he declared that it had been "the best day of my life."


11 comments:

  1. I'm sure this is a birthday he will never forget.

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  2. What a fun day for a birthday boy. And may Carson's declaration be said many, many times again through the years. Happy Birthday, Carson!

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  3. I think you're right, Ruth.

    Hilary - Carson had declared his first day in the first grade as "his best day ever" in a conversation with his Aunt Beckie on that momentous occasion. And now he's had another "best day." His young life got off to a rough start, so it brings joy to my heart to see him having these "best days." Thank you for your wish that he might have many more.

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  4. It certainly looked like a fantastic day, what a wonderful thing for him to say :o)

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  5. This was certainly a best day. Your team must be the Islanders or similar name. I have a team over east of me I like because they are the Bees. I get hungry as soon as I get in a ball park.I never watch it on TV but love the energy live.

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  6. Oh! How sweet! What a perfect birthday for him! It made me think about how much my nephew would LOVE something like this. Glad he'll have this memory.

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  7. Deborah - It was a pretty fantastic day. I'm sure it blessed his parents' hearts to hear him say it was the best day of his life. :)

    Steve - The team we all went to see was the Tin Caps. They were pretty impressive for a Single A team. The food was looking mighty good, but the prices were a little too high for our liking. You're absolutely right about the energy of a live game versus watching on television.

    Thanks, Elizabeth. It WAS a pretty perfect birthday celebration for a pretty special boy. Maybe you can look into something similar for your nephew.

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  8. Great, never-to-be-forgotten birthday fun for Carson! We have a minor league team near us, and it's wonderful, family-friendly, and affordable entertainment.

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  9. Deb - It really was a special day for Carson, and I do think it will be a lasting memory for him. You're right about the entertainment value of having a minor league team in your area.

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  10. What a nice job of reporting on Carson's birthday, Linda. I can picture him showing this to his grandchildren someday. :)

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  11. Sandra - Carson might have grandchildren before he finds out about this post. He's pretty shy about appearing on the internet, so his parents probably haven't told him about this.

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