The other day we went to day four of the South Africa vs. Australia cricket test match. Truthfully, I'll take baseball over cricket any day, but it was still a neat experience. Can you believe the games can go on for five days?! Sadly, South Africa lost after all that.
Though I won't pretend to understand the intricacies of the game, I did notice dozens of kids scrambling around the perimeter of the field trying to get the players' signatures. I was really impressed that 1) the kids had the stamina to literally sprint circles around the enormous field all day, and 2) that the players would sign autographs in the middle of the game. Imagine a left fielder striding over to the side of the field after a play ended, and signing five or six baseballs before the next pitch! These guys seemed like real good sports about it.
As a kid, I was obsessed with ice hockey (go Hartford Whalers!), and would go to all the home games with my dad. Though it was a different sport, I completely see myself in these guys. I would dress up in my Whalers jersey, paint my face, and do just about anything to get the players to give me hockey pucks, or the camera man to put me on the giant screen. Sigh - those were the days.
