Every grandparent has the smartest, cutest, funniest, most talented, grandkid in the world. I am no different. However, I possess objective evidence to prove my claim. Ellie is something else. She is full of wild ideas, new projects, and dreams. She has plans for several businesses and has offered jobs to friends and family. At age six she left me the following voice mail: “I made up my mind, I am joining the circus.” It was not only the words, but also the resolve with which they were spoken that captured some of the essence of this precociously delightful little girl. Ellie loves life and she loves people. No one in her orbit is a stranger for long.
From April through October, it is hard to be in our home and not be exposed to the game of baseball. Over time I would tell Ellie a little about the San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners while we were watching a game on TV. I often told her about the Giant’s third baseman, Pablo Sandoval, a colorful enthusiastic player known as The Panda. 
Here is Ellie wearing her Panda hat.
As she got older we would play wiffle ball in the driveway. Ellie swings the bat well and like any self-respecting pitcher, she gets ruffled when I remind her of the time I hit 3 home runs off her. She has yet to learn about moving a hitter off the plate. I took her to several Wenatchee AppleSox games as did Karen, her maternal grandmother. (The AppleSox are a summer collegiate team in the West Coast League). We sat in the front row behind home plate at the first game we attended. Ellie did a tremendous job assisting the umpire! In June of 2015, even though she had not yet watched an entire game, I knew she was ready for the major leagues. I was confident that the big league experience would work its magic. Just as with my first visit to Candlestick Park, the ballpark did not disappoint.
Safeco Field is a fantastic place to watch a game. I’m in good company when I say; it is the best ballpark in the country. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be rooting for the Giants at AT&T Park, but for the simple pleasure of watching a ballgame, Safeco can’t be beat.
But I digress; of course we got there early for batting practice and Ellie was duly impressed with all that she saw as we walked into Safeco Park. It was all there, a well manicured diamond, the verdant expanse of the outfield, the unbridled joy of a kid’s game, and the smells of all kinds of tasty delights. That’s not how Ellie would have described it, but she was taking it all in. Granted Ellie is not quite the rabid baseball fan that I was at her age, but an autograph from the Mariner Moose and a walk around the ballpark helped to keep her engaged.
Ellie sporting a Mariners fishing hat, wearing a Giant t-shirt and carrying a stuffed Mariner Moose.
Being a purist I’m not a big proponent of inter league play, except when it brings the San Francisco Giants north to Seattle. Not only did Ellie get to see her first game, she was able to see the Giants just like her Grandpa Charlie had some 50 years earlier. However unlike me, thanks to our scorecard, she will be able to recall what team the Giants were playing and the final score. In my case, that fact escapes me. I don’t think my mom would be much help although she attended both my first game and Ellie’s too. At age 87, she is still watching ball games most every night.
As is my custom, I bought a program and was getting ready to keep score. You can imagine what happened next. Of course Ellie wanted to keep score too. Now, this might seem to be a bit much for a first grader, but I did not even consider trying to dissuade her. In fact I was relatively confident that she would do quite well. I submit her first scorecard as evidence that she really is something special with apologies to other grandparents. I know your grandchild probably has something equally amazing to their credit. However, since we are talking baseball, I will only listen to exploits and accomplishments related to the National Pastime.
When it comes to baseball our family is divided. I am a life long Giant fan of the 1960’s vintage. My wife gravitated to the Mariners when we moved to Washington. Seattle’s amazing run to the pennant in 1995 helped to seal her devotion. That season deserves a discussion all it’s own. We watched the Mariners every night and it was during those exciting days of August and September that our oldest son became a Mariner fan. Charles was 7 and though a bit younger than I was when the Giants won the pennant in 1962; it had that same impact on him. He is and will be a Mariner fan for life. Our youngest son, Luke, Ellie’s dad was too young to be captivated by the M’s in ’95, and he chose to follow his dad and uncles and is all Giants. So you can see, this posed no small conundrum for a young girl preparing to go to her first big league game. Ellie was asked often about her rooting interests. Her answer initially was a pretty straightforward: The Giants. (I told you she is a great kid). I think it was a nod to her dad, who by the way had bought her a cute sparkly Giants t-shirt. And I have to think it was at least partly a kind gesture towards her Grandpa Charlie who had helped to nurture her interest in the game and of course bought the ticket. I could tell as the game approached that she was becoming more conflicted. By the time we left on our two and a half hour drive to Seattle, she had a solution borne of true diplomatic genius; she would root for whichever team was up to bat. I’ve suggested on occasion that she consider the possibility of running for President, but perhaps Secretary of State is the best fit.
The game itself was a bit anti-climactic as the Giants won easily 7-0. There never was much for the Mariner fans to cheer about. They only mustered five hits and the Giants led from the second inning on. Like me at my first game, I doubt Ellie will remember much about this game. When I think back to that experience, the singular memory is the view of the field when the doors of Candlestick Park opened to me. That image remains, clear, vivid, and bright, a canvas of the mind if you will, on which the game of baseball has continued to paint an amazing array of memories. Sharing this moment with Ellie is part of that beautiful picture.
Note: This was a four generation experience. In attendance along with Ellie were her dad Luke, grandparents Brenda and Charlie and great grandmother Berniece.
Replay Review 