By: CJ Harbach
With the exception of a short season in t-ball as a child, where I received the “Most Improved” award which I am still very proud of, I have very little experience actually playing baseball. After that I spent a short and disappointing period playing softball, and quickly moved on. While I may not have played baseball, I have spent large amount of my life watching it. My family used to have season tickets to Orioles games and both of my brothers have been playing baseball all their lives, almost exclusively. To add to my baseball watching credentials, I even held a part-time job for five summers at Ripken Stadium, and then returned a few years later to partake in my current internship.
My point in all that is to establish myself as an expert in observing stadium activities, however delusional I may be?? To be clear, I am not an expert in baseball, no matter how many games I’ve watched. I can’t kid even myself in pretending that I used to pay attention during games. I definitely love this sport, but I spent most of my time at games judging the food options and observing the entertainment instead of watching game.
Because of my bizarre relationship with the sport and my time at Ripken Stadium, I pointlessly have high standards at any baseball park– and it has nothing to do with the team. Thankfully, I was not disappointed at the Cal Ripken World Series 2012 Championship game Sunday night. The entire complex at the Ripken Academy is a sight. The structure alone is impressive, but if you add in the personal facets that can only come with a serious event like the World Series, it is downright incredible.
If you have never been to a game during the Cal Ripken World Series, make it a priority next summer. I mean, come on, it’s free and it supports youth baseball. Just do it. I went with another intern in my department for the purpose of writing this blog and ended up fascinated by the park and the goings on.
The Championship game pulled a huge crowd, for good reason. The seats were packed, but don’t sweat, there was no lack of seating. Cal Sr.’s yard holds the traditional stadium seating, in addition to grass seating (where yours truly sat). Picnic tables could be found near the Mansion House (a.k.a. The Marriot), where there were also spectators watching from the few balconies. Each seat in the house had a respectable view of the game, so no one could miss out on the action.
For this game, the stadium was turned into a giant playground. As well as the actual playground found over the left field wall, there was a carnival in place, complete with a few rides and games with prizes. Yes, I did see a few giant stuffed animals and inflatable green aliens dragged around the park.
For me, what made the game even more legitimate was the on-field entertainment performed by Buddy Lee. As a former Flight Crew member and an already noted delusional expert in stadium activities, I appreciated the CRWS want to entertain in between innings. And entertain they did! Not only were the games comical and worthwhile, but Buddy Lee was easily able to get the crowd interested and had all five umpires dancing to the “YMCA” in center field. I cannot forget to pay respect to Ripcord, the IronBirds mascot, for donning a CRWS jersey and performing his mascot duties like a champ.
The most heartwarming sight was the devoted cheering sections and wide range of fans who attended. Both Japan and the USA had large and distinctly audible followers that were prepared to support the players every movement. In addition to the participant’s fans, the game obviously attracted the other CRWS teams who were noticeable in their own team jerseys. The event also brought in various little league players who flaunted their team uniforms and pooled together in the grass behind the outfield wall, gloves and all, to catch any homerun that dared leave the park.
Most importantly, a great game was played by both Japan and the United States. Each team was awarded with medals following the conclusion of the game, and I’m sure both felt a great sense of accomplishment throughout the series. The Cal Ripken World Series gave every team involved a taste of the major leagues and that is a totally worthwhile feeling.
Bird Watch 