The Magic of the First Game
What really makes your first ball game special?
In 1998, my dad hung up a paper in our garage from our fancy new color printer with an invitation for when I got home from school…
“Tonight, Indians vs Devil Rays at 7:00 p.m.”
I beamed with excitement - I was going to my first professional baseball game!
This game had special significance beyond being my first game. My dad grew up in the Cleveland area and the Indians were his childhood team. The Devil Rays would become my childhood team and this was their inaugural season. We had previously attended Devil Rays games when they were a minor league team at Al Lang stadium in St. Petersburg, but now they had graduated to Tropicana Field and Major League Baseball (MLB)1. I remember it being pure magic: the stadium, the announcer, the hot dogs, the dippin’ dots ice cream, the crowd, and the steel drums and projectors showing rotating Devil Rays “swimming” along the sidewalk after the game.
In 2024, I was eager to give my kids a similar experience. Living in Colorado, I checked the Colorado Rockies schedule. I instantly noticed the opening weekend series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays (a rare matchup between the American League and National League). Just as my dad recognized his childhood team and picked tickets to see the visiting Indians, my hometown Rays would be the perfect matchup for taking my kids to their first game in Colorado.
But then, the experience didn’t seem too magical at all. The stadium was hardly 50% full, the Rockies were fumbling into a loss (1 of 101 losses during the season), and I realized just how complicated the game of baseball can be for young kids. I had raised my kids to appreciate soccer and along the way they didn’t understand baseball any more than what they saw from the Sandlot movie.
Kid: “Why are they cheering?”
Me: “Oh, the player got out.”
Kid: “Oh, like a red card? They are OUT of the game?!”
Me: “No, no, they are out. There are 3 outs for an inning…not a big deal like a red card.”
Kid: “**Blank stares**…ok, so can we get ice cream?”
We left the game somewhere in the 8th inning, and I felt let down by the experience. I wondered - why did I think it would be the same as my childhood experience? Maybe, I just need to stick to the sports they understand like soccer or football.
A few days later, I asked my kids if they would rather go to a professional soccer game or another Rockies game. I was sure I knew the answer I would hear. “Rockies!” - they screamed! I blurted out “Wait, what, really!?!?”. Kids that can’t agree on a movie night selection were now all singing in perfect harmony that the Rockies game was a hit (I couldn’t resist the pun).
They explained that it was fun going to a new stadium, seeing a new game, and of course… ice cream. The only negative reflection they had from the entire game was that they didn’t get a souvenir ball from the left fielder in between innings (but it seemed like the slim chance of catching a ball was as thrilling for them as an 18-year-old playing the lottery for the first time).
I was forced to reconcile my experience with their reflections. Over the years, I had raised the bar for what created a great game experience to include: (1) an energetic packed stadium, (2) my team winning, (3) available parking and lack of traffic (which conflicts with #1), and (4) a spectacular play by a superstar. My kids had their own criteria (1) quality time together, (2) something new, and (3) something sweet.
I realized my kids didn’t need to raise their standards for a great game experience; I needed to adjust my own.
If you’re hungry for more Devil Rays history, here is a great link: Tampa Bay Rays team ownership history