Minneapolis has All-Star Game fever. Everywhere you look downtown, you will see some sort of baseball related adornment. It’s awesome. Yes, I’m not a fan of the traffic and crowds the festivities will create, but the energy is one of pure joy.
We went to the Futures Game and the Celebrity/Legends Softball game at Target Field on Sunday. It was so much fun. Baseball has such a rich history and there really is nothing like going to a big stadium filled with baseball fans. It’s so communal. You sit in your assigned seat, but you chat with some of the folks around you at some point. You all have something in common, baseball. Whether you are booing everything Yankee related or talking about who has stolen the most bases in a season, there’s something to talk about.
Even while walking to the stadium, you can sense the excitement and fun in the air. At the stadium, the energy gets stronger. There are press everywhere. There are people taking pictures of everything with big smiles on their faces.
The Futures Game is fun because these are guys who could be on the All-Star team in the future. Right now, they are relatively unknown and usually playing in the minors, but it’s still fun to see them hit a home run, or hit a foul ball into the windshield of a truck parked as a display at the field. Yep, that happened.
The Celebrity/Legends Softball game is fun mostly for the legends. It’s great to see guys who you can tell just love the sport of baseball and any excuse to get out on the field. They are having a ball, pun totally intended.
If the All-Star Game comes to your city or near your city, I highly recommend checking out one of the festivities. Sure, the All-Star Game itself is probably priced out for most of us minions, but there are other things to do and see that are exciting and fun and baseball related.