My first game of the year

This weekend was not only exciting because of pitchers and catchers reporting, but it was also the first weekend for college baseball. The past four or five years I’ve always made it a rule to start out the baseball season by attending my Alma mater’s first game of the season.

Because I now work in the real world I wasn’t unable to attend the very first game on Friday, and due to inclement weather the game on Saturday was cancelled. So; I had wait till Sunday morning before I was able to get my first taste of baseball for the season.

It was everything I thought it would be and was well worth the wait. While the college game is not near as entertaining as the big boys in the majors, it offers a different thrill that you won’t get at an MLB stadium.

Plainsman Park has been ranked as one of the best stadiums in all of college baseball. I love going to games at this field because it is such a beautiful park. It displays a tall green wall in left field similar to the Green Monster and the K Corner in right field gives off a nice appeal for a college game. There really isn’t a bad seat in the park, I’ve tried them all.

Attendance for the game was only around 3,000, but all the usual suspects that are at most college games were still there. You have your group of hecklers in the left field bleachers that yell throughout the entire game. They’ve had their chants together for years and not much has changed. The jokes are the same and they remain funny.

The diamond dolls try their best to entertain the crowd, but on this day with a light rain and a cool breeze the only thing fans got emotional about during the 6-4 loss was the 7^th inning stretch.

The great thing about college games is that you can connect with the field so easily. When you yell at an umpire in a major league stadium you just look like an idiot because he’ll never hear you. At a college game he hears you all too well, and when you get that look or sudden reaction from the blue it makes that shouting all worth it.

The college game could be changed for the better in several ways, but it’s still baseball and a great way to get the season started. I hope to attend a few more games before finally getting to walk into Turner Field April 13. The season has begun. 

You can follow Jake on Twitter at: @j8a1k0e or on his MLB Braves blog at: http://bravesandmore.mlblogs.com