Baseball Field Trip a Surprise Winner

On a typical day, you wouldn't catch me singing the praises of baseball. However, the usual rules don't apply on a sunny, 65-degree day in the Humboldt Crabs ballpark, home of Humboldt County's beloved baseball team--also America's oldest continuously operated (65 years) summer collegiate baseball program. On a day this beautiful, it's easy to lure me out of the house, even to attend a sport that usually bores me to tears. Excited by the weather, if not the game, this afternoon I put on my sandals, sunscreen, sun hat, capris, and sweatshirt and headed out the door--with the requisite bag containing a jacket, socks, and a scarf in recognition of our ever-changing area weather.

As far as trips go, the 8.5 miles from our side door to the Arcata baseball park isn't a long one. However, sitting in the bleachers this afternoon with friends Diqui, Peter, Brennan, George, Teri, and some of their out of town relatives (Teri and George's nephew Sam is pictured at left.) and surrounded by an announced 711 fans, I found myself immersed in a bit of Americana I don't often encounter on a daily basis: baseball caps, hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, beer, and plenty of red, white, and blue (the Crabs uniform colors) added authenticity to what is considered by some to be the great American sport. Closer inspection revealed Humboldt-County twists: the caps covered dreadlocks; the hot dogs were Humboldt grass-fed beef or tofu pups; and the beer in my hand was Mad River Brewing Company's Steelhead extra pale ale. However, surrounded by an eclectic crowd of families celebrating Fathers Day, hippies celebrating Summer Solstice, and the usual assorted lunatics simply celebrating, I found that the "Star Spangled Banner" actually seemed an authentic and appropriate number this afternoon. The weather seemed designed specifically to encourage the free and brave.

While sun and friends were attractions, it's the "World Famous" Crab Grass Band that really made the trip to the ball park worth my while. One look at the band's play list will tell you why. Whether it's celebrating More Cowbell Night by ringing our bells in time to the band's rendition of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," flapping our arms to the "Chicken Dance," or moving to the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train," or Billy Idol's "White Wedding," my friends and I simply can't enjoy ourselves and the Crab Grass Band enough. As always, today we sat just to the left of the band on the bleachers and dedicated ourselves to looking uncool, wondering how anyone could choose to sit on the side of the park opposite the band. After all, rather than following the team's schedule, we check the band schedule before planning which games we will attend.

Not that the Crabs aren't worth watching--especially if you're one of those people out there that likes baseball. The team is pretty darn good when you come down to it, and I haven't been to a losing game yet; even for those of us not really into sports, winning is always a lot of fun. Today's win was made all the more exciting because it was close. After being ahead for most of the game, after the top of the ninth the Crabs were suddenly behind 3-2. With one out already recorded, my friends and I were hoping we'd at least make it to an extra inning (although also lamenting the fact that the beer stand closes at the end of the 7th inning regardless of the game's length). Amazingly, with two men on base, one of the Crabs' players (the sport-types amongst you can look up the stats, I'm sure) belted a drive right through the infield, bringing in two runs and winning the game.

As the smiling, sun-kissed crowd trickled out of the stands, the band played a few more tunes, and children were invited to run the bases while Crabs players lined the baseline between third and home to high five them on their way in. Should we want more Crabs contact? We were invited to join the team and band at Big Pete's Pizza after the game. As tempting as that may sound, I headed back to the car and made my way home, looking forward to the next sunny summer day and (dare I say it?) baseball field trip.