Bobble-heads are only given out to the first 20,000 fans so you have to get there early knowing there would be plenty of people already lined up. As soon as T got home from work we were off in an effort to beat the crazy traffic which is inevitable when going to Seattle from Portland. Also, getting stuck in traffic could be the difference between getting a bobble-head or coming up short handed.
We parked in our normal spot and booked it to the ballpark. One on scene we saw we were well behind in arriving early. Throngs of people lined the sidewalks already in line. The gates to the park were open but the wait to get inside was heartbreaking. I refused to be denied and so we circled Safeco field desperately trying to find a way in quicker. (And when I say we, I mean myself. T and Camo could care less). When we finally came to the last gate into the park I saw how long that line was too. It was over, no bobble-head...I was devastated.
"Sure you can get in that line." Came a voice from off to my right. "What was that?" I responded. He pointed to the line we happened to stop in to sulk in my defeat. It was the ADA line. An open gate for the disabled with wheel chairs and walkers so they didn't have to navigate through a turnstile to get in. He must have saw Camo in his stroller because he let us get in the line. The great thing about it was there was only about 15 people in line ahead of us so we got in with plenty of time to get three bobble-heads, two baseball cards, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Once inside it was a typical Mariners game. Only one run was scored, pitching was awesome, we sat next to two mid-30's completely intoxicated females who were obnoxious beyond belief (most likely a consequence of the booze but part of me wants to believe they would have been the same regardless of the .90 blood alcohol level), and the Mariners barely squeaked out a win.
From Camo's end, he was given a certificate for attending his first Mariners game and he promptly fell asleep as soon as we sat down.
It's sad to know I will never see Ken Griffey Jr. play baseball again but being there at Safeco Field brought back many of the memories I have had of him throughout the years. He will forever go down in history as one of the greatest baseball players ever. He played the game right. He had fun, he played hard, he played with passion, and he did it all without performance enhancing drugs. We'll be seeing him in the Cooperstown soon.
A few pictures of the day.
