FanPost Friday: Baseball is best at golden hour

Preferably at a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees

Hello and welcome back to FanPost Friday. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get romantic about baseball for a moment. Close your eyes. Imagine you’re sitting in section 308 in upper right field at T-Mobile Park. You’re with friends, watching the Mariners play baseball, engulfed by the comforting cacophony of train whistles, crowd noise, pump-up music, and pitched baseballs popping into the catcher’s mitt. The smell of fried food mixes with the occasional vague whiff of salty sea air. It’s mid-June and because of 6:40 PM starts, pitch clocks, and the latitude and longitude of your location on the planet, the game is approaching its final innings and the sun hasn’t even finished setting yet. That’s okay because you’re in right field and the sun has been basking you in vitamin D the entire game, save for a few cloud-covered innings. And since it’s June in Seattle, the temperature is only in the mid-60’s, so you’re not even hot. Just right, thanks to the sunlight and lack of wind. The beers, pizza, and camaraderie both with friends and with the several thousand like-minded strangers has all clicked into place and all bad things and real world strife are forgotten for now. The pure moment of baseball bliss in the Pacific Northwest is upon you.

The Mariners are down 2-1 to the lowly Chicago White Sox, but it’s okay. You’re at home. In your lane. Flourishing. Then Julio Rodríguez muscles an opposite field solo home run that even from your perch up in right field is clearly leaving the field of play. The ball seems to float at eye level almost for several long seconds as you rise to your feet, tear your hat off, and bellow out that kind of joyful yell that only comes from seeing your favorites do the exact, perfect thing at that exact, perfect moment. The crowd erupts with you, you throw your arms around your friends, and nothing else matters. The moment passes, but the feeling stays with you. It fills your bucket. It fills your soul. You can draw on this feeling, on this moment, when you need joy. When you need a smile. When you need to remember good things exist in this world.

The Mariners lose in extra innings because of another arbitrary rule change meant to speed up the game, which can make moments like the one you just experienced feel even more fleeting and rare. So, you savor it. The result of the game is of little consequence right now in the scope of the season and in the grand scope of it all. No amount of rule changes can take away your perfect moment.

PROMPT: Dig deep into the Green Fields of Your Mind and tell us about a favorite baseball moment or memory you experienced, Mariners-related or not. This is not necessarily a huge moment of victory or famous baseball moment (but it can be!), but maybe just a time when all the things aligned you can remember how it felt with clarity and joy. Share your story in the comments!

One quick note, next Saturday, June 22, is our first LL Growler Guys meet-up/game watch party of the season! Hope to see lots of folks there, both familiar faces and new.

Have a great weekend, folks, and go Mariners!