The 11 Golden Rules of Watching Baseball

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Jenny Hansen

Photo credit: Pixabay

I’m smarting over here on the West Coast because the American League won the MLB All-Star Game last night. My home team is the Angels, so obviously I get to more American League games these days, but I am a National League girl.

The L.A. Dodgers..the San Diego Padres..the St. Louis Cardinals..really any NL team except the New York Mets. (Sorry, Mets fans, I adore the Cardinals…which makes your team pond scum.)

So yes, I’ll watch the AL games if they’re local, and at least the Angels have Mike Trout to keep me happy. But in every league-to-league contest, I root for the National League team. *ducks and covers*

How did I come by this passionate love of baseball?

From my mama, of course. That woman could name every baseball stat that happened in her life time. She got cable before it was the only gig in town so she could watch baseball games on TBS and WGN. I grew up playing “name that announcer” and can spot a balk at 50 paces.

I was blessed to get a visit from my mom’s best pal last month and she gave me the best gift. My mom’s baseball rules! She had very definite and distinct rules about the proper way to watch a baseball game. We’ll use the Cardinals since the Red Birds were her favorite.

11 Golden Rules for Attending Ball Games

by Jenny’s Mama

  1. Wear jeans or jean shorts.
  2. Must wear your team’s t-shirt or jersey. (favorite player optional)
  3. Athletic shoes to be nimble on your feet.
  4. Wear team visor or baseball cap.
  5. Take your ball glove for home runs or foul balls.
  6. Take transistor radio (nowadays, you’d use your phone) to hear the play-by-play from your team’s announcer – in her case, Jack Buck. (May he rest in peace.) Be sure to take a headset so as not to disturb others.
  7. Take cooler with water or soda. (Is this even legal anywhere now?)
  8. Wind shoestring licorice around your next for easy access and stress chewing. (Bubblegum optional.)
  9. BUY peanuts or popcorn and one soda to support the park.
  10. Get your program, score card and pencil. Know how to keep score properly.
  11. Bring your binoculars for good viewing. (She sat in the cheaper seats so she could go more often.)

When she died in 2004, we all lamented that we hadn’t written down her rules. And now look at this marvelous present I just received.

It’s prompted me to go buy tickets to the Angels’ interleague games. I love interleague play – it has saved me since I moved out of National League territory.

And in case you detest baseball, and am wondering why I spent all these words on such a dumb subject, here is an article for you.

What is your sport, and who taught you to love it? Enquiring minds always want to know these things here at More Cowbell!

~ Jenny

About Jenny Hansen

Avid seeker of "more"...More words, more creativity, More Cowbell! An extrovert who's terribly fond of silliness. Founding blogger at Writers In The Storm (http://writersinthestormblog.com). Write on!
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22 Responses to The 11 Golden Rules of Watching Baseball

  1. Rebecca Forster says:
    July 12, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Loved this post. TY. Now take me out to the ballgame

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Tina Newcomb says:
    July 12, 2017 at 6:37 am

    Love this. What a treasure your mom’s friend gave you.

    Sadly, I didn’t follow in my mom’s baseball loving shoes.She never missed a Braves game. I was content to watch my son, and now my grandson, play.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Diana Beebe says:
    July 12, 2017 at 7:37 am

    I love your mom’s rules for baseball! I grew up watching the Astros with my dad. Nothing better than going to the Astrodome and hearing the entire crowd yell “Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzz!” (And then get to watch his son play for the Texas Rangers to the same cheer!) Ahhhhh, baseball. That’s so awesome that your mom’s friend found her rules and gave them to you. What a gift!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. jbhurwitz says:
    July 12, 2017 at 1:53 pm

    I may have lived in SoCal for 30 years, but I’m still a die-hard Cardinals fan.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. jansenschmidt says:
    July 12, 2017 at 1:54 pm

    Well now, here’s something I didn’t know about you. This we do not have in common. Baseball is probably my least favorite sport – well of the big 3 anyway (football, basketball, baseball). I find it incredibly boring.

    But, I have overjoyed that you have this incredibly fond memory of your mama. That makes my heart glad. So, keep on loving the game my friend. Your mother would be proud.

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenny Hansen says:
      July 12, 2017 at 8:27 pm

      LOL. I love to watch basketball too, and swimming and gymnastics. Football and golf have been a learned love because my guy explained them too me, but there is so much more going on in baseball that you only find out with a great announcer or with a mama like mine. 🙂

      One of the things on my bucket list is to visit all the great baseball sites – Fenway, Wrigley, Cooperstown. I get kind of bummed whenever teams build new parks and move.

      Like

  6. yvettecarol says:
    July 12, 2017 at 9:18 pm

    What a special gift and even in your mama’s handwriting – proper cursive script, bless her soul – you must have been stoked. I found a handwritten note from my dad over the weekend and I couldn’t even read it. I’ll save that for another day, once I know he’s better.
    We don’t really play baseball down at the other end of the world. Softball was as close as I got as a child. My parents used to follow cricket (as opposed to rugby, our national sport), and while my brother picked up the bug, playing and following cricket, I’m afraid that one passed me by too. Sorry, Jenny! I’ll have to enjoy baseball vicariously, through you 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenny Hansen says:
      July 12, 2017 at 11:19 pm

      LOL. Whenever I travel, I have people ask me “what the deal is with baseball.” None of my Brit, Aussie or New Zealand friends understand the game so you are not alone! Just think of cricket with more strict rules and the teams switching sides everytime someone bats. Also, where a cricket game can go on for days. Baseball can only go for 9 innings or until one team outscores the other – whichever comes last.

      Like

  7. Pingback: Writer’s Workshop: Baseball and Me – The Sound of One Hand Typing

  8. John Holton says:
    July 13, 2017 at 12:30 pm

    I pinged you back on this, because it formed the basis for my post today. Thanks!

    It’s interesting that you bring up the whole National League-American League rivalry, because it would appear that Major League Baseball is trying to eliminate that with interleague play. I’m not as big a fan of it as you are. I miss the rivalry between the leagues and think baseball should get back to that, not letting AL and NL play against each other except during Spring Training, the All-Star Game, and the World Series. It’s too much like the NFL now, even adopting the “Preseason” and “Postseason” terminology, and now a team can do great against the other teams in the league, badly against teams from the other league, and not get into the playoffs.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenny Hansen says:
      July 13, 2017 at 4:58 pm

      Oh, I only like the interleague play for selfish reasons (because i don’t live in NL territory). I don’t think it’s good for baseball. I’d rather it be all AL and all NL, until the World Series. 🙂 But I live in Angels territory….

      Like

  9. scr4pl80 says:
    July 13, 2017 at 1:03 pm

    Stopping by from John’s The Sound of One Hand Typing. Great post about baseball and I follow almost all of your mom’s rules! I don’t listen to the game on the radio (or my phone) and I don’t keep score but other than that I’m there. We went to an Angels game when we were on our honeymoon 33 years ago! Saw them play the Tigers. It was a great game. SF Giants fan here, don’t remember Jack Buck but HATE Joe. Nice to meet you!

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Ally Bean says:
    July 13, 2017 at 1:38 pm

    John sent me this way, so “hi!” Your rules are delightful… for those of you who like to watch baseball and do such things as keep score. 🙂

    I’ve never been much for sports, probably because no one taught me to love any of them. But I was in marching band in high school, so I’ll say that football is my favorite sport. At least with it I have an excellent idea of how far the players have to run to make a touchdown.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jenny Hansen says:
      July 13, 2017 at 5:03 pm

      “At least with it I have an excellent idea of how far the players have to run to make a touchdown.” <– Hahahahaha! That's awesome, and yes, true. I didn't love football until I married my husband and he let me obnoxiously watch a game with my head on his shoulder.

      "What's a snap? Oh! You mean the 'hike'…okay, got it."
      "How come a safety is a person AND a play?"
      "What's a two-point conversion. Ooooo…ballsy move!"
      "Why do all the football terms and positions sound sexual?"
      "A flag? How do you always know what the flag is for?"
      "How can the person at the bottom of that huddle breathe?"

      Yes, my Hubs is a VERY patient man.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. The Regular Guy NYC says:
    July 25, 2017 at 11:02 am

    Actually, with the ridiculous amount they charge for everything here in the NY ball parks we bring in all our food and snacks, which is allowed in a clear plastic bag. I bring in my own big bag of peanuts for a fraction of the cost at the park. My own bottled water too. Plus, I refuse to pay $10 for a crappy Bud Light there!

    Liked by 1 person

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