Back to the Grind

After nearly a month and a half of non-baseball activity, I finally returned to PK Park to see a baseball game. My first game of the year came on a beautiful early spring day that promised a renewed sense of anticipation and excitement for the season. Fan Fest was a blast, but there is simply no comparison to the thrill of going to an actual game.

The Oregon Ducks played host to the Cal State Northridge Matadors. The first game of a two night series, I advanced my first trip to PK Park by a day to take advantage of a brilliant day of sunshine and mild temperatures. I had originally planned on going to the nooner today, but a strong storm has come in and I wasn't feeling up to shivering in a cold rain at the ballpark.

While it was nice to get to a baseball game again, I'm still floored by the outrageous ticket prices to go to an Oregon game. By comparison, it is cheaper to go see the Yankees or Red Sox play at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park than to see the Ducks play at PK Park. Look, it was nice to see baseball after such a long off-season, but until the Ducks lower their prices, I will not go to their games.

For the amount that it would cost for me to be a serious Oregon Baseball fan, I could save up and go on a trip to some exotic location. The prices for tickets, parking, and a bag of peanuts at PK Park just don't attract me to passionately follow the Ducks. In other words, I have bigger fish to fry than the Ducks.

Despite my grumblings, the Ducks are supposed to have a decent team this year. They scored seven runs in the middle innings to storm back from an early deficit against the Matadors to win 12-4.

Now the countdown really begins. For the past few days, I have been staying up late at night to watch the early rounds of the WBC. I'm scouting out the teams trying to get a handle on who might be playing when attend the championship game in two weeks. I had originally intended on staying on seeing the entire championship round, but to save some money and some time off from work, I'm just going down for the championship.

I'll be sure to update all of you in the next couple days as to my exact itinerary, teams to be playing, and thoughts on the trip. I'm really excited to go and it is very nice to be back into the swim of things!

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)