'I gotta have more cowbell'

Major League Baseball: Majorly kid-friendly.

   One of the greatest thrills of being a dad is taking your child to their first Major League Baseball game. Although we've lived outside Tampa for three years, I finally got to take my daughter to her first game last week.
   It was so much fun but not necessarily quite what I expected and, I guess, that's what made it so special.
   I'll always remember the first game I went to but I was twice the age of my 5-year-old and had actually played baseball and knew a good bit of how the game was played.
   My daughter, on the other hand, had little clue about what was going on and that was just fine.
   That's one of the great things about going to a game — you don't have to know the game to have a good time. There's ice cream and Cracker Jacks and hot dogs and soda. There's a batting cage where the young ones can hit the ball off a tee. At the stadium in St. Petersburg they have a large fish tank in center field where you can dip your hand in the water a 'pet' a sting ray (that have been neutered of their sting).
   One of the trademarks of the Tampa Bay Rays' fans is the cowbell. We bought one at a concession stand and my girl was ringing that thing through most of the game — as were the other kids at the park.
   But aside from the game and all it's friendly noise and distractions, the greatest joy is the bond that's created by spending precious time at a special place.
   You see, going to a baseball game isn't like going to a football or basketball game where you have to constantly be following the action.
   The action in baseball is a lot slower (okay, more methodical) and this allows time to talk about what's inside the stadium, how the game is played or making new friends with nearby fans.
   Should the home team wins is always a bonus: they did and it was.