Since we have been in Florida I have developed (or perhaps reawakened) a love for baseball, and have really enjoyed going to watch the Miami Marlins play. Marlins Park is great place to watch a game - it's air conditioned!
Having been up North for a couple of months I have missed my Marlins, and was super glad to be able to go watch them play the Texas Rangers on the 20th. Here I am, all excited and posing with my guy (favourite player) Christian Yelich before the game. No that is not really him, it's a picture, okay - I KNOW THAT.
And here I am about 20 minutes later with an ice pack on my face.
Ice pack on face.
Whoa! What? Yep. First batter for those lousy Rangers popped a ball over the home plate net (which we were sitting behind) and as I turned to watch it sail into the level above, it hit the wall and I got to watch it rebound onto my face.
Right?
Let me tell you that hurt. DAMN that hurt. But it could have been worse. Like it could have broken my nose or taken out my two front teeth. Instead it just hurt hurt hurt, and like 1000 people turned to watch me with my hurt face. Which, though it shouldn't be (I didn't do anything to deserve this - unlike the guy who later was shouting insults and rhyming Hecchavaria with diarrhea - he should have been hit in the face with a ball for sure, but I digress...) is somehow incredibly embarrassing. I guess generally, just being hurt in public is not fun.
Luckily the nice EMT people came and took me off to the first aid centre, where I could bleed and cry in semi-private luxury. At some point a nice girl from the Marlins came and said "we are sorry for the incident" and gave me a big bag of swag. I didn't see her, or the bag, because I was too busy bleeding and icing down my face at the time. I'm sure she was very nice and very sincere.
After a while I recovered enough to go back to my seat, but during that time thost damn Rangers managed to score 3 runs and that didn't improve my mood one bit. Lots of people came and asked me how I was (not quite all 1000 of them, but maybe 800 or so).
A very very nice man from the Marlins brought me a beer, and then an ice cream, and then .... ta da! a bat signed by Christian Yelich! Woo hoo! Now that was almost worth getting hit in the face with a ball for. (Thanks Matt!)
Well, almost. But I still don't recommend it. I ended up with a big bruise and a really sore face and I am only just able to blow my nose again without it killing me.
And those damn Rangers beat us too.