Take Me Out to the Ballgame . . .



Fans Ken Hatch & Gary Glant

Last night Ken and I, along with around 25 other guests who had purchased this "opportunity" at the recent ARCS Auction met the group at MOHAI and then boarded a private coach to be driven to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma for the Rainiers' baseball game.  Mikal Thomsen, husband of ARCS member, Lynn Thomsen, is a major investor in the team and serves as the CEO.

Kaycee Krysty and guest along with  Nancy Mee

Mikal brought some great wines from his private cellar to share with us on the way to the game and at the game including my personal favorite, a Walla Walla Cayuse 2005 Syrah.  ARCS member, Nancy Mee, who co-chaired the auction this year, prepared lovely hors d'oeuvres including homemade cheese biscuits filled with honey mustard and Black Forest ham to stave off our hunger pangs on the bus on the way to the game until we could get to the hot dogs.  And of course, with the juxtaposition of wearing her foam reindeer antlers, Nancy passed out antique china plates rimmed with gold and antique linen napkins for us to use along with large wine glasses.  Tres chic!

Gary Glant, Shaun Corry, Vicki Glant 

Once we arrived, we were shown into the Franchise Suite where there was a baseball hat for each of us.  We did our best to get everyone to remove the price tag and sticker on their hats though a few fans continued throughout the game with the "fashion faux pas" apparent.

It was fun to sit next to "sports babe" and ARCS member, Sally Behnke and her friend, Bliss during the game.  They both were completely on top of what was going on in the game and what actually qualified as an error.  I hope to be just like them when I grow up (not yet though).  Some of the other guests enjoying the game were Dennis Evans, Bob & Micki Flowers, Michael & Kaycee Krysty, Shaun & Reed Corry, and Vicki & Gary Glant.

Sally Behnke and her guest, Bliss

Cheney Stadium is a little jewel that seats around 7,500 people, though Mikal thought there were probably only around 3,500 in attendance, and felt like going back to a more innocent time in our lives.  The Tacoma Rainiers actually won the game beating the Salt Lake City Bees 4-1.  My favorite part other than the 7th inning stretch and the rousing rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was at the end of the game when families and children were invited out onto the field to run the bases.  This is apparently something that they do every Sunday night following the game.  It was so much fun to see toddlers to teens to inbetweens joyfully running the bases together.  Play ball!

Young fan running the bases.