I have never had any interest in sports except for the Superbowl party we usually host and then it is all about fun. Baseball on TV was boring. Ron went to a game at Petco Park and came back raving about it and since then he has gone to a few games in the nosebleed sections with friends. No interest. Last week Ron went to a Padres game and came back all excited. Uh huh. Big deal. Another game the next night. I don't understand what he is talking about ...what is a Western Division.

Ron has been working very, very hard lately and has been stressed to the max and told me on the phone he needed a break Friday so I thought I would make the ultimate sacrifice and I went on ebay and bought two tickets to the Padres/Dodger game. I didn't have a clue what seats were good and what seats weren't. Seats are seats and I was going to be making a huge sacrifice taking him and then it would be over with. The tickets were ticketfasted to me via email and I never looked at them but hid them in the car since this was going to be a surprise.

Ron came home and I told him I was taking him out and to dress casually. He said, This isn't a concert, is it? A play? A movie?" I said we are going to a Padres game. He was clearly shocked. We found a parking place and as soon as I got out and we entered Petco Park "land" I was amazed. This was FUN!!! Kids were playing, someone gave us a FREE t shirt as we entered the gates, food stands every where, beer, wine (they even have Chardonnay!!!). I told Ron I wanted the FULL experience and we bought a foot long chili cheese dog and I got a beer.

Oops! Star Spangled Banner song and it is time to go to our seats. Section 101 Row 16. Ron's mouth drops. We are 16 rows directly behind home plate. Nearly 45,000 people were there for a sold out crowd. More and more fun talking to the people around us and yelling on cue, "Beat L.A., Beat L.A." It was such comraderie. Ron explained the game play by play and I was fascinated watching the score board to see what were balls and what were strikes and when the Padres ran into home I was up screaming with everyone else.

I found out what a seventh inning stretch was. You get out of your seat and STRETCH, Ahhh, makes sense! Then you sing the song about, "Take me out to the ball game". They really do sing that song. Then because the Padres were winning Trevor Hoffman comes out at the beginning (I mean the TOP) of the 9th to scenes from 300 (the movie) and playing Hell's Bells and everyone is one their feet swinging around the free white t shirts they had received. It was this huge frenzy of t shorts from all over the stadium. He then pitched to LA and they struck out and we all went home early!

I had SO MUCH fun I have now bought tickets off of ebay to every single game left to play at Petco Park. I am taking other ladies who never would have thought to go explaining this is "Woman Friendly". My 82 year old mother, my mother in law, my sister in law and daughter are going week after next. I recorded the game yesterday while we were out and came home and insisted we watch (Padres lost). Ron says he has created a monster. I never knew how much I like these games.

Now that I know where the seats are I am buying only the best seats. We have a date with Barry Bonds three times next week. Maybe I will catch a ball in the stands! Probably not because Ron wanted ice cream while we were in our seats and the vendor threw it to us and it hit me in the face and bounced off. I was supposed to CATCH it. Now I know. Free hat night is coming! Can't wait!