It was always a big deal, something I always looked forward to and never got tired of doing. Even after attending games at three real ballparks over the course of the summer (sorry, the Dome doesn't really count), I was still really excited to catch Blue Jays game in person. As terrible a ballpark as I now know the SkyDome is, it's still my team and my home turf.
The day was spent in Toronto with one of my best friends and was marked with a couple of firsts: my first trip to Sushi on Bloor, which many told me was the best sushi place in the city, and my first trip to the hockey Hall of Fame. Both were pretty sweet. But the ball game is what I was really here for.
I gathered about a dozen friends and we sat in the nearly vacated second deck out in left field behind the Blue Jays bullpen, long established as my usual spot. I had jokingly referred to this series against the Angels as the "Battle of the Most Underachieving Teams in Baseball", a title few of my friends could argue with as both teams looked very good on paper in the spring, but performed well below expectations.
It didn't take long for the heckling to start, even though the Angels stormed to a quick lead in the first inning. Josh Hamilton was the unforunate soul who played play left field for the Angels. Truth is, it could have been anyone.
"Thirty-two is a girls number!!!"
"Nice red hat Hamilton!!!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAMILTOOOOOOOOOOON!!!"
The Jays tied the game up on a grand slam by Anthony Gose in the second inning, but Mark Buehrle struggled and before we knew it, the Angels were well in control of the game. Hamilton even tried to silence us by hitting the right field foul pole for a home run. It didn't work.
"Hit one this way Hamilton, IF YOU CAN!!!"
We were relentless. Three of my friends and I took turns taking verbal jabs at him in succession, it was probably the finest display of heckling that I have been involved in. Even a guy in the front row helped us out here and there. I think his son might have even yelled at him once or twice as well.
Around the fourth or the fifth inning, things got weird. One of my friends, I can't remember who, paid him a compliment rather than insult his taste in baseball pants or his beard. Shortly after that happened, the Blue Jays got a hit. Then another. My old roomate's brother immediately made the connection.
"Come on guys, positivity."
Shortly after, the Jays scored a few runs. Then someone made fun of him again, and the third out was made.
"Come on guys, didn't you see? When we're being nice to him, the Jays were getting hits."
I can only imagine was Josh Hamilton was thinking as our new positive messages came raining down from the bleachers:
"I like your red cap Hamilton, it looks really good on you!"
"Those are nice baggy baseball pants, they look very fashionable!"
"I like your shoes Hamilton, I'll bet they grip the astroturf really well!"
It became a contest to see who could ignite the largest fit of laughter in our section. It was probably the most fun I've ever had so much fun heckling someone at a baseball game, and the best part is that the beers had almost nothing to do with it. It was just a hefty dose of some good clean fun.
Of course, with the Angels comfortably in the lead going into the bottom of the ninth, we threw karma to the wind and finished the game with a Simpsons-esque chorus of "HAAAAAAAAAMILTOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!" which surprisingly drew a quick, subtle response from the Angels left fielder. He held his glove up, and quickly opened and closed it like a talking mouth for a few seconds between batters. Of all the times I had sat in those seats, I had never seen a player so much as glance up at us, let alone give any sign of acknowledgement that they could hear us, even though it was hard to believe they couldn't.
For the third straight game on the trip, the home team lost, leaving a deflated feeling in the stadium that pretty much epitomised the entire Blue Jays season. The sense of disappointment could be felt all through the stadium as we left, but what's a loss when the night was spent enjoying the company of some friends that I hadn't seen in quite some time.
The other day on the radio, a few sports commentators got talking about the uniqueness of baseball in how it is experienced in person when compared to other sports. Going to a ball game can be as much a social event as a pure sporting event. There's plenty of stops in the action that allow you to carry on conversations that you don't get in hockey or basketball or football. Even as I sat with my friends and took in the game, it was easy to catch up without missing much of the ball game.
It was a welcome change after visiting two ballparks in two different cities the previous week by myself. It's just another great part of baseball, another facet that sets it apart from other high tempo sports. I always find that when I go to hockey games, I get just a bit too riled up and caught up in the excitement to really enjoy the company of my friends except between periods. Just one more reason why I love baseball, and going to the games in particular, so much.
The next day while I was waiting for my flight home in Calgary, I found Josh Hamilton on Twitter and sent him this tweet:
But this time, he never responded.@thejoshhamilton could you hear my friends and I heckling you at the SkyDome last night? don't lie.
— Matthew Bull (@theRealMattBull) September 11, 2013
-matt
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