I think I have a minor league crush on minor league baseball ...

Until May of 2007, I'd never been to a Tacoma Rainiers game (or any other minor league game, for that matter). I had been in or around Tacoma for more than 12 years at the time, had even lived in Aberdeen for a bit while the Gulls were still there, and had still never been to a game.

And then ... I went.

It was May 2007. The Diva Daughter was in kindergarten. An age in which we began to realize the beginning of the end of our own agenda, the beginning of just how busy we were about to be with the lives and itineraries of our three little ones. The daughter's elementary school was selling tickets for a "let's all go to the Rainiers" school event ... and she wanted to go. And so we did.

And I liked it.

The small-scale venue, the fact that you could see the field, the smell of the grass, the taste of the hot dogs, the crowed ... the ... I just can't fully describe it. We took the neighbors. The kids cheered. I even cheered. The Boy declared his desire to become a batter someday ... and just last week he started his first T-ball practice. The Baby Girl, then 2, was an insta 2-year-old cheerleader ... jumping up and down on my lap and screaming "go Rainiers." They had fun watching for Rhubarb, and they danced between innings. The only complaint at the time was the Diva not liking the loud fireworks ... but we've been back a few times, and she's over that now.

And now, according to the calendar, it is Spring. As the rain poured down right on schedule for this morning's Junior Daffodil Parade in the Proctor District, it seemed hard to believe.

But the Baby Girl's preschool picked a baseball theme this year and she's been running around the house in her cap and long-sleeve tee singing "Take me out to the ballgame" ... and it got me thinking: When DOES baseball start? More to the point, when's the first Rainiers home game?

I NEEDED to know.

Turns out the first home game is coming up quick ... Friday, April 17 ... just three days after the Baby Girl turns 4. Guess who now wants a baseball themed birthday party? A baseball cake. To go to the baseball game. Baby Girl.

And you know what? I'm excited! It's my first true sign of spring -- one of my favorite seasons -- and all of the sudden I'm itching to see a game. It's a little thrilling.

I really did not expect to get this hooked. It kinda snuck up on me.

And now ... well, I don't know how I'd get through spring without at least one ball game. And it's not the peanuts or cracker jacks.

I'm a little discombobulated.

But batter up nonetheless ... let me root, root, root for the home team ...

:)

They got obliterated, but won us over ...

We went to our first Tacoma Rainiers game tonight. We witnessed the slaughter -- and walked away with the grand slam ball the other team sent over the fence to kick off the eventual 12-o defeat of our local Rainiers baseball team.

Back in my softball days, they would have stopped the game at inning 7 if one team was 10 runs ahead of the other.

However, as insane as the score was -- it was still a fabulous time. As someone who had never been to Cheney Stadium, never been to Giant Insurance Company field -- I really enjoyed myself.

Anyhow, I'm happy to report that there's no bad seat in the house at Cheney, so even my 2-year-old daughter was boogeying her butt off like a wannabe cheerleader and yelling "hit!" "throw the ball!"

My 4-year-old son spent the whole game in bliss that we had a game ball in hand before we even got to our seats (it landed in front of us on our way in -- I'm thinking I'm glad we got a little lost finding parking after running into a full parking lot). He even got it signed by two Rainiers -- but didn't bother to mention which ball it was. My son is just thrilled to have a ball -- and is currently dreaming of someday being a batter baseball player. (Yes, I said BATTER ...)

My 6-year-old daughter, whose elementary school we were there with, was pretty quiet throughout the whole thing, but definitely concentrating, and pleased when her principal came by taking pictures of all the kids. And LOVED the fireworks. And the cotton candy. And then chatted our ears off on the way back to the car.

They all loved watching Rhubarb's antics.

Did I mention the fireworks? The fireworks were all the splendor and spectacle that the game was not tonight -- though on that side of things, I figure this means that future games we go to can't get any worse! I was assured by our seat mates that the lackluster performance was not the norm. But there was plenty of fire and pep in the fireworks!

In the end, the score didn't matter so much. We all walked away happy -- and pledging to come back time and time again. Which, in our playbook, is a big win for the Rainiers.