Higher Than Hope
Chapter 12
"What is a baseball game like, I tried to watch the games on TV in Sarnia and it made no sense", said Nail as the team met downstairs in the lobby.
"It's a bit slow, but it's not too hard to figure out. And I bet some of the guys on the Avalanche don't know either", joked Taylor.
The team followed the coaches out the door and towards Coors Field the following afternoon. It was a hot and sunny day with an Indian Summer lingering in the air, the temperature approaching eighty degrees. The area around the handsome brick ballpark was crowded with fans in Rockies black and purple, vendors doing a brisk business in food and drinks and souvenirs. The interior of the park was almost as crowded with fans killing time in the various bars and restaurants inside that overlooked the field, the brilliant emerald of the grass and rich brown dirt with its chalk outlines looking as though it was a painting. Beyond the outfield fence was a rock formation with shrubbery and fountains, in the distance the jagged peaks of the Rockies still capped with snow.
"Sweet, I hope we're not sitting all the way up there, you can't see anything", said Ryan.
"Hey guys, glad you could make. We got seats near the left field line, you can see everything good and it's easy to catch a foul ball", said Matt.
"Great", replied Taylor as they went to find their seats.
Nail had to admit the seats had an excellent view of the field, every part clearly visible without trouble. "Privet, ka deyla? Menya zaviut Semyon Varlamov", said the man next to him. He was tall and strong with his muscles revealed by a purple tank top, wearing acid washed jean shorts with fringe and a cowboy hat in a lurid shade of purple with a neon pink and black hatband and made of crushed velvet that could have been seen from anywhere in the stadium over his curly brown hair.
"Spasibo, karasho. Menya zaviut Nail Yakupov, ocheyn priyatna", he replied as they shook hands.
"Welcome to Denver, Nail. I remember when I got traded here from Washington, it was so different and I was a bit intimidated. But I am used to it now, Denver's a great city with the mountains, it is especially nice in the winter with the snow. Then again, us Russians are used to snow", he joked as they both laughed.
The stands gradually filled with fans as they prepared to watch the Rockies play against the Washington Nationals, the latter team surprisingly leading their division in the National League East. "The Nationals are a great team, last year they sucked ass. Gonzalez is pitching today and Harper's in the lineup, that guy is awesome", said Matt reverently.
Nail slowly nodded as he tried to make sense of the unfamiliar terms. "The pitcher stands on the mound to throw the ball, the batters stand in one of those boxes and try to hit it with a bat", explained Jordan.
"Do they take turns or can the other team get possession?", he asked.
"The pitcher has to get three outs and then they switch sides, an out is when the batter doesn't reach base", said Paul, pointing towards the three bases in the field dirt.
"Or if the ball is caught in the air, or the batter swings and misses on three pitches, that's a strikeout", added Taylor.
Everyone stood up when a high school chorus emerged from the dugout and stood behind a row of portable microphones to sing the national anthem, both teams standing along the foul lines and taking off their hats respectfully. The Rockies then took to the field as the crowd roared, the hometown team in their white uniforms with silver pinstripes and purple trim. Matt bought the group a round of beers as they settled in to watch the game.
Nail nodded in thanks and took a sip of his beer, the cold brew welcome on this hot day. He watched as the Rockies pitcher stood on the dirt mound did a few warmup tosses, the Nationals batter walking up to the plate to face him. The pitcher got the sign from the catcher and threw a pitch that was fouled off, the batter eventually hitting a fly ball to left field that was easily caught.
Nail quickly grew bored as the game was slower-paced than hockey and not knowing the rules besides. The Rockies eventually ended up winning the game 5-1 after Carlos Gonzalez hit a grand slam in the 7th inning to break a 1-1 tie. "How come the Rockies get four points when the player hit the ball far?", he asked as everyone started to leave.
"When the batter hits a ball into the stands, that's a home run and how many runs depends on the guys already on base. Since there were three guys on base, the team scored four times", explained Matt.
"Da, I understand now", he replied.
"It's a bit slow, but it's not too hard to figure out. And I bet some of the guys on the Avalanche don't know either", joked Taylor.
The team followed the coaches out the door and towards Coors Field the following afternoon. It was a hot and sunny day with an Indian Summer lingering in the air, the temperature approaching eighty degrees. The area around the handsome brick ballpark was crowded with fans in Rockies black and purple, vendors doing a brisk business in food and drinks and souvenirs. The interior of the park was almost as crowded with fans killing time in the various bars and restaurants inside that overlooked the field, the brilliant emerald of the grass and rich brown dirt with its chalk outlines looking as though it was a painting. Beyond the outfield fence was a rock formation with shrubbery and fountains, in the distance the jagged peaks of the Rockies still capped with snow.
"Sweet, I hope we're not sitting all the way up there, you can't see anything", said Ryan.
"Hey guys, glad you could make. We got seats near the left field line, you can see everything good and it's easy to catch a foul ball", said Matt.
"Great", replied Taylor as they went to find their seats.
Nail had to admit the seats had an excellent view of the field, every part clearly visible without trouble. "Privet, ka deyla? Menya zaviut Semyon Varlamov", said the man next to him. He was tall and strong with his muscles revealed by a purple tank top, wearing acid washed jean shorts with fringe and a cowboy hat in a lurid shade of purple with a neon pink and black hatband and made of crushed velvet that could have been seen from anywhere in the stadium over his curly brown hair.
"Spasibo, karasho. Menya zaviut Nail Yakupov, ocheyn priyatna", he replied as they shook hands.
"Welcome to Denver, Nail. I remember when I got traded here from Washington, it was so different and I was a bit intimidated. But I am used to it now, Denver's a great city with the mountains, it is especially nice in the winter with the snow. Then again, us Russians are used to snow", he joked as they both laughed.
The stands gradually filled with fans as they prepared to watch the Rockies play against the Washington Nationals, the latter team surprisingly leading their division in the National League East. "The Nationals are a great team, last year they sucked ass. Gonzalez is pitching today and Harper's in the lineup, that guy is awesome", said Matt reverently.
Nail slowly nodded as he tried to make sense of the unfamiliar terms. "The pitcher stands on the mound to throw the ball, the batters stand in one of those boxes and try to hit it with a bat", explained Jordan.
"Do they take turns or can the other team get possession?", he asked.
"The pitcher has to get three outs and then they switch sides, an out is when the batter doesn't reach base", said Paul, pointing towards the three bases in the field dirt.
"Or if the ball is caught in the air, or the batter swings and misses on three pitches, that's a strikeout", added Taylor.
Everyone stood up when a high school chorus emerged from the dugout and stood behind a row of portable microphones to sing the national anthem, both teams standing along the foul lines and taking off their hats respectfully. The Rockies then took to the field as the crowd roared, the hometown team in their white uniforms with silver pinstripes and purple trim. Matt bought the group a round of beers as they settled in to watch the game.
Nail nodded in thanks and took a sip of his beer, the cold brew welcome on this hot day. He watched as the Rockies pitcher stood on the dirt mound did a few warmup tosses, the Nationals batter walking up to the plate to face him. The pitcher got the sign from the catcher and threw a pitch that was fouled off, the batter eventually hitting a fly ball to left field that was easily caught.
Nail quickly grew bored as the game was slower-paced than hockey and not knowing the rules besides. The Rockies eventually ended up winning the game 5-1 after Carlos Gonzalez hit a grand slam in the 7th inning to break a 1-1 tie. "How come the Rockies get four points when the player hit the ball far?", he asked as everyone started to leave.
"When the batter hits a ball into the stands, that's a home run and how many runs depends on the guys already on base. Since there were three guys on base, the team scored four times", explained Matt.
"Da, I understand now", he replied.