Grog
Semper Gumby
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2000
- Messages
- 5,033
As all you baseball fans know, the All Star game is going to be played here in Houston at Minute Maid Park this Tuesday. Today I was able to get to the MLB All Star FanFest. If you are a baseball fan, and ever find yourself in a city where the AS game is being held, you don't want to miss this event.
FanFest is being held at the George R Brown Convention Center, which is right down the street from the ballpark. Tickets had to be purchased for a specific time as well as day, as they are staggering the crowds to keep it from being to crowded. The event started at 9:00 am, and we had tickets for 10:00 am.
We arrived a few minutes early so we went across the street to visit with the Budweiser Clydesdales. After that, we went into the show. The hall was set up with a baseball diamond in the center of the building, where clinics and roundtable discussions are held throughout the event. All around the building were museum exhibits, interactive areas, batting cages, fantasy broadcast booths, a cyber ballpark (where you could play MLB for Playstation to your hearts content), memorabilia dealers, shopping areas for MLB and Minor League merchandise... total sensory overload.
Probably the two best exhibits were the exhibit from the Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, and an Exhibit on the Negro Leagues. The most interesting thing we did all day (IMO) was a discussion we attended with five members of the All American Girls Baseball League. It was really interesting to hear them talk about their days in the league, and compare their experiences with the movie "A League of Their Own". They agreed the movie pretty much got it right, although none would admit to Madonna's character being based on them. Two of them started playing in the league when they were only 14 and 15.
It was really a fun experience and I just wanted to share. We were there for about four hours, and only left because we were starting to get tired. We all agreed we could have stayed longer. If you ever get a chance to go, do so.
FanFest is being held at the George R Brown Convention Center, which is right down the street from the ballpark. Tickets had to be purchased for a specific time as well as day, as they are staggering the crowds to keep it from being to crowded. The event started at 9:00 am, and we had tickets for 10:00 am.
We arrived a few minutes early so we went across the street to visit with the Budweiser Clydesdales. After that, we went into the show. The hall was set up with a baseball diamond in the center of the building, where clinics and roundtable discussions are held throughout the event. All around the building were museum exhibits, interactive areas, batting cages, fantasy broadcast booths, a cyber ballpark (where you could play MLB for Playstation to your hearts content), memorabilia dealers, shopping areas for MLB and Minor League merchandise... total sensory overload.
Probably the two best exhibits were the exhibit from the Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, and an Exhibit on the Negro Leagues. The most interesting thing we did all day (IMO) was a discussion we attended with five members of the All American Girls Baseball League. It was really interesting to hear them talk about their days in the league, and compare their experiences with the movie "A League of Their Own". They agreed the movie pretty much got it right, although none would admit to Madonna's character being based on them. Two of them started playing in the league when they were only 14 and 15.
It was really a fun experience and I just wanted to share. We were there for about four hours, and only left because we were starting to get tired. We all agreed we could have stayed longer. If you ever get a chance to go, do so.
