By Kayla Dost
Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. Baseball season is among us and is planned to start in just a few weeks. What’s better than watching grown men chasing around a ball for nine innings? Absolutely nothing.
Baseball season is filled with endless opportunities to see some of the best athletes perform under stadium lights. Game attendance can rank up in numbers upwards of 40,000 depending on the stadium.
Many of the well-known teams such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants are willing to spend a little bit more money on their players in order to have the most successful and well-liked team. But how much more? Try $157,000,000 more. That’s the difference between a team such as the Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Clearly the difference shows on the field. I guess it’s true. Money can buy everything. Even wins.
A non-sports-loving person may ask, “ What makes baseball so interesting?”
It’s the rain delays, the amount of money you’re willing to spend on two chicken tenders and a handful of french fries, how many times you catch a player rolling their eyes at an umpire for a “bad call” and the opportunity to catch a foul ball that carries a lifetime of memories.
How many chances are available to experience such exceptional memories? 2,430 games are played between the thirty major league teams in an average season, and that’s not even including the postseason games.
Have you ever been to a VWC baseball game? While the attendance does not reach 40,000, and the players don’t get paid millions, you are always guaranteed a good time and a day full of memories. If you have never attended a baseball event here at Virginia Wesleyan, you might have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.
Have you ever wished that at some point in your lifetime, you could come within yards, maybe even feet, of a celebrity? You most likely have and didn’t even know it.
Ever heard of the New York Mets third baseman David Wright? I hope so because he is a local who originated in Chesapeake, Va. Wright attended Hickory High School and planned to commit to Georgia Tech to play college ball, but got drafted by the Mets in 2001 in the amateur draft.
Wright used to make appearances at Virginia Wesleyan College. That’s right everybody, OUR SCHOOL.
So come on out to a baseball game because you never know who the next David Wright could be.
Once you witness the action for yourself, you’ll be a cleat chaser for life. Whether it is at the major league level or college level, the experience remains the same and so does the love for the game.
We all have withdrawals from something. Right around this time of the year, everyone starts getting that little itch for baseball season to start. While we are getting our temporary fix with our VWC Marlins, nothing can replace the feeling of watching professionals hash it out for a World Series title.
Not sure if you’re ready to commit yourself to a professional game but you’re ready to see baseball at a level above college? Visit your Norfolk Tides over at Harbor Park Stadium. Their 26-man roster will begin their season on April 6 at 7:05 p.m.
So, whether you are in attendance for a game on campus, Harbor Park or any of the thirty major league teams’ stadiums, you are sure to leave with a smile from ear to ear and possibly a bag of peanuts.
