Live Baseball: 2014 ALDS Game 2 Tigers @ Orioles

     I've been away from writing this blog for what seems like years.  Blogs come and blogs go but the blog-o-sphere continues to turn no matter who is writing.  This isn't a comeback, nor is it a farewell.  If you read my last post that was way back around Father's day, my life was about to change.  Life changes all the time but having a child alters the course of your life permanently.  At that time my wife was due to give birth to our first child right around the last few days of August.  As fate would have it, due to some late term complications my daughter was born about 5 weeks premature on July 25th!  She came out kicking and screaming and very full of life!  She was in the NICU for 4 days and we were able to bring her home at 4 pounds to start enjoying her!  It's been one milestone after the other and today she weighs just over 8 pounds and her doctor is very happy with her progress!  If you've had a new baby at home you know that sleep is at a premium and most of your free time is spent getting some shut eye.
     So that's how I can explain most of my long absence from blogging.  The other parts of my absence can be attributed (but not limited) to watching baseball on TV, endless visitors to see the new baby, maintaining our vegetable garden, working as much OT at work as I can get, my brother-in-law's wedding, and just those every day things that pop up to take time away from hobbies.  Over the last few weeks or so, I've started to get my head back slightly above water and I've returned to the hobby I love whenever I get a free moment.  I've been working on a couple of projects to streamline my collection but I'll tell you more about that in the near future.
   So what does all of this have to do with the ALDS Tigers at Orioles game 2?  Not much, I just got off on a tangent!  In the midst of all of the chaos that has enveloped my life this year the Orioles are having the best season since I've been alive.  I was born about 2 months after they won the WS in 1983.  I've been able to keep up with them pretty much all season yet hadn't been able to attend a game during the regular season.  I can proudly say that I've been to an MLB playoff game.

     By now, nearly everyone knows how game 2 went.  Watching it on TV is one thing but to be there in attendance with 48,000 of your closest friends is another!  It is bar-none the best baseball game I've ever been a part of or attended in my life.  I'll never forget it!
   I'm glad I was able to attend with my good buddy William from the daily updated blog Foul Bunt, his son Chris, my friend Scott, his son Austin, and Scott's dad Wayne.  This was Austin's first MLB game and wow he picked a good one!  He was even able to score a batting practice ball from the Tigers' bullpen coach!  Going to a MLB game is great but going with friends makes it that much better!

I'll spare everyone the details of the game and just show some of the souvenirs I got while I was there.

I got this lapel pin because it was one of the cheapest things I could find but also because I think I'll be able to look at this when I'm 100 years old and the memories of this day will come flooding back.

I got this score card, not because I keep score during the game but just as another cheap souvenir to remember the game by.  Does anyone know how they got Buck to smile for this picture?
 

Last but not least is my rally towel!  If you watched any of game 1 or 2 you probably saw everyone swinging these around like crazy people.  I'm surprised that I didn't rip the corner off this thing as many times as I swung it around my head!

Lastly, I'll leave you with a picture that I took yesterday of my daughter with the rally towel.