I had the pleasure of attending the Orioles and Yankees game last night at Camdem Yards in Baltimore. There were a few special things about the time. One of my best friends got us tickets through a contact at work for seats behind home plate. Row 16 on a beautiful summer night. Low 80s and low humidity which is unusual for this area in mid-August.

We also had a nice parking pass close to the stadium. It was a nice crowd, but I was surprised it wasn’t more packed. I believe it was short of 27K. The Orioles are on the verge of the last wildcard spot, and the Yankees are solidly in the playoffs so far. I think the 7-8 seasons of rebuilding in Baltimore have taken a toll on the fan base.

There were a lot of Yankee fans in attendance. Including me. But the company of my best friends, the banter and teasing back and forth throughout the game was great.

Oh yeah, we all commented about those seats down in that section have cushions on them. Sweet. Says my old behind.

That may have been my first game this season. I didn’t remember seeing the new video board before. They have done all the right things with the stadium, but the team on the field needs to pull it together as well as the front office and give the town a winner again because they will pack that place and make some noise without being prompted.

Being I don’t go to many games; I just wanted to sit back and enjoy this one. I didn’t take anything but some cash in my pocket. I was traveling light and no camera, which may have been a first for a ballgame.

Baseball has done some great things to speed up the game. Getting calls right also helps. But my last point is cost. I just went to seat geek and the cheapest tickets for tonight’s game were $27. A family of 4 $108. 4 hot dogs at $4.49 and 3 sodas at 4.49 and a domestic beer for dad at $6.49 and 2 bags of peanuts for $3.49 all these off the value menu. for a total of $44.90 for food. The cheapest parking I saw was about $17 and that was a 10–15-minute walk to the stadium. It went up quickly from there.

So, our total for a family of 4 in the nosebleed section with the value meals and cheapest parking is $169.90. That is not a cheap outing for a family. I guess someone has to keep the players rolling in millions and the owners in billions.

Note to all parties involved. I see there is a 75% chance of a work stoppage in baseball this December. Get your act together and don’t be stupid and affect the game. You all have a huge pot of money that the fans who attend and make it that way could never imagine. So wise up and don’t kill the golden goose who got you there. Or we might NOT COME BACK this time.