Atlanta Braves Game

Never would have guessed that the game would have gone 13 innings and end a midnight, but it did. Since Hannah was with us and we wanted to beat the rush, we headed to the car at about 11:30pm. The game had started at 7:15pm. We listened to the game on AM radio in the car and got out of range before the game actually ended. The Braves put up a good fight, but they lost 4 to 3 to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the Phillies' 102nd record-breaking win in a row. Winning against them would have been better, but at least the Braves made them nervous and made them truly earn that last win. I had not been to a Braves game since 1998.

A couple of observations: 1 - The parking situation has gotten worse. I used to park at the capitol building and walk down. But a traffic cop wouldn't let me / or it was closed. I couldn't tell. Then, all the lots on the way down were unavailable unless I had a voucher. Cash alone wasn't enough. You couldn't turn back nor change lanes easily because all lanes were going the same way. You couldn't see which lane to be in because there were no signs above indicating which lanes fed into which lots. There were no signs letting you know the lots were "voucher only" until you lined up and waited your turn to get into the lots. Then you discovered you had lined up and waited for nothing. It seems if each lot is going to charge $12 to $15 per car, they could afford some overhead signs that let people know what to do.

2 - Is it 1984? If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. Taking my kids out in public has become stranger now that LCD screens are getting bigger and more numerous and speakers are getting louder and louder. There were few chances to actually watch the game and have a conversation during the duller moments because--lest the crowd get bored--we were encouraged to do with something with our bodies and our voices nearly the whole time. It was all conducted with those gigantic screens and enormous speakers. It was fun at first, but since it was a loooong game and the music was often too loud, I sure got tired of it. Being asked to cheer the whole time actually detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game. It was a fun experience, but next time I attend a game, I'll sit closer to the action and hopefully the speakers there won't be as blaring, and hopefully the game will end sooner.