Stripers and Jumbo Shrimp

 

Today we had another double header with the Gwinnett Stripers, and no, this one wasn't planned either.  Yesterday's game was postponed because of rain, so even though we didn't have tickets for yesterday's game, we were invited to get there early today so we could enjoy that one and the one we already had tickets to.  On top of that all, it was a Chris Sale Bobblehead giveaway today, so we really wanted to get there early to get ours.

Which we did!  Mom and I got there as the gates were opening an hour early, and were there for the bobbleheads along with a lot of other people.  But we got ours and then returned to the Wicked Weed to have a seat in the air conditioning and order a plate of wings to share.  That's becoming a nice little date there.  

Soon it was game time.  We love these seats - it's on the shade side, and it's at the back where you can still see just fine, but the bonus is a breeze that comes through up top, one that naturally cools you off a bit while you enjoy the game.  As you can see above, the theme to the first game was "Crayola Night," so the players were wearing these special jerseys that looked fun, and on top of that, Chopper (the mascot) and his cohorts were also dressed with that theme.  Fun!

It was also public servants night - honoring military, police and firefighters.  Instead of a bat boy - or girl - there was a bat dog that went out during some innings to retrieve the bats from ball players as they went to bases!  Each retrieval got a big cheer from the crowd!

Here's a short video clip from the second game:  Sandy Leon got a home run in the second game, adding more to the Stripers' total.  

Carlos Santana brings in a few RBIs with a triple.  It was a fun day today - the Stripers lost the first game, but JR Ritchie came out for the second game and we hadn't got to see this rookie pitch yet, but he did really good, holding the other team to just one run.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the other team.  One of the reasons we chose to come tonight was to see the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp!  The logo is amazing, and of course there was a lot of chatter about the rain-out yesterday, given that both team mascots are fish and shrimp.  But anyway, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp won handily in the first game, dominating the Stripers with eight runs.  We did some catching up late in the game, adding four runs, but other than that there wasn't much to cheer for with the home team.

It's a good thing Chopper was there!  We were seated right at the spot where he comes up from the field each time, and that was pretty fun!

Rowdy Tellez was on first for both games, getting some solid hits in each of the games, producing RBIs for the Stripers.  The team wore the Crayola jerseys in the first game, and then switched to standard Stripers jerseys for the next.

The fishing gear races across the field - Barb won this race today!  All the little games in between innings are fun, of course, with kids racing to collect items, or cheering for something on the big screen.

Brewer Hicklen beats out a throw to get to first base safely!  He did well today, and it was pretty fun to see him play for the Braves a few weeks ago.  

It was a fun night.  We got ourselves a few of these bobbleheads, and had our Cracker Jacks, along with a new tradition:  a frozen Minute Maid lemonade.  These are cool, refreshing, and they cool the body down on a hot day - but they're also pretty tasty!  

Just towards the end of the game, Mom and I decided it was time to head home.  And crazy enough, we were on our way out when the rain came!  We didn't see it coming, not did anyone else, but we were sure glad to be already on the way to the car.  We got out of there just in time, staying dry and staying safe on the way home.  The Stripers were ahead at the time, and it was looking like they were going to hang on for the win.  In fact, they won the second game, so that split the double header.  But it was fun just hanging out there.

The rest of the day was quiet - I dropped Maddie off at Team Edge this morning, and didn't see her until later on tonight after the game.  She and Nate opted not to go to the game, but they had a good day together.

We read a little tonight, and then we said our prayers - it was time to get some sleep as we have a big service tomorrow at church!