Creative_Non_Fiction_Essay

My First Baseball Game Crack went the sound of the bat as the ball flew so effortlessly into the field in the green belt just behind the home in which I grew up as a child. The neighborhood kids and I were playing baseball on a beautiful fifty five degree late winter day in Colorado. I had just hit a towering homerun blast over the younger kids playing in the outfield. As I trotted around the bases with a sense of pride and a bit of ego I remember thinking about how much I really loved this game. Although such a simple game as most might think, it truly can be very complex as well. Some may think you just hit the bat with the ball and run around the bases. But for me it was deeper than that. It was a true love for the game. Countless hours were spent in my back yard and in the field behind me practicing the game I loved so much, the game of baseball. It started with a tennis ball against the back wall of my brick house. I would toss the ball against the brick wall to make diving grabs time and time again. As a young kid I would dream that I was Cal Ripken Jr. saving the day and winning the World Series by making a play only an All Star could make. My mother hated this though. For every hundred tosses against the brick wall there would be one that would hit the window. “Stephen” she would yell out through the kitchen window. “Take that ball out to the field because you’re going to break one of the windows out one of these days!” Needless to say it worked as motivation for me to not hit the window but didn’t keep me from playing ball against the house. It was another late winter day and my friend Danny had called me up to get another baseball game going with the neighborhood kids. I had homework to do so told him to round everyone up and meet at the field in forty five minutes. After struggling to get through my homework since my mind was so anxiously awaiting to play, I finally completed it and headed out. “Hurry up and grab your glove, you’re on the mound today” shouted Tony. I grabbed my glove and ran out to the field in a rush so I could get the game started. Before we took action though, my friend had told me that his dad got tickets to one of the first games for the Colorado Rockies at Mile High Stadium. He said he had four tickets and his dad was letting him bring a friend. Knowing my love for the game he offered to take me with. I was so excited! Let’s play ball they shouted, so that is just what we did. So a few months went by and here we were. It was the day I was going to see my first professional baseball game. We met up early that afternoon so that we could get downtown and grab dinner before the game. After mauling down my burger with anticipation to get the game, we headed out and off to the stadium. We arrived early on what was a perfect evening in Colorado. The weather was great and the stadium was full. I remember being so amazed at how they transformed a football stadium into a home that both the Rockies and Broncos would share for the next two years. So we arrived for batting practice. It was completely magical seeing all the big league players up close. We had seats in the outfield. I stood there up against the rail getting as close to the action as I possibly could. Rockies center fielder Alex Cole was catching fly balls in the outfield. A colossal blast came out towards our seats in the outfield and he made a spectacular catch. He looked up at me and must have noticed the amazed look in my young eyes seeing a game for the first time. He threw a ball up to me and I caught it. I couldn’t believe that I received an official baseball from a professional player on the first game I ever attended. It truly is a day that I will never forget. The game began shortly after. We all had an amazing time. The Rockies played the New York Mets that early spring evening and it was a slugfest. There were countless hits and homeruns which made for an overall exciting evening. Since then I have attended well over a hundred Rockies games. But there are only a few that stand high in my mind and this one still tops them all. What a special evening it was. I was so thankful to the many people that assisted in making a special day that I will never forget. It might have been such a small thing for Mr. Cole to throw a baseball up to me in the stands, but that memory relives itself every time I attend a baseball game to this day. Nineteen years and a hundred plus games later I have yet to ever get another baseball at a game. I have come close to a few foul balls and homeruns, but still to this day I only have one baseball from an official Major League baseball game. The baseball I received from Mr. Alex Cole.