Braves 9, Marlins 1

I don't enjoy watching baseball on TV, but the game seems fundamentally different when you're in the stadium watching it live. It's still a slow game, but hearing the crack of the bat and watching a ball sail against the dark sky toward the outfield is very different from the commentated, televised version of the sport.

This was only my second major league baseball game (my first was over 10 years ago: Angels 10, Mariners 2 in the Kingdome), but I could see myself attending more and learning more about the game. Especially if I can sit in the second row, literally arms length from the field each time. I could have carried on a conversation with the on-deck batters if they weren't so intent on getting ready for their at-bats.

Even experiencing the game first-hand, it was still an experience that I value more for the socialization among the party I arrived with than for the game itself. The pace is too slow to pay attention to every detail, especially when there are thousands of other spectators who give plenty of clues if something exciting is happening on the field. And pinch runners? C'mon, these guys are supposed to be professional athletes and they can't even run their own bases?

I won't paint my face or do the tomahawk chop, but if you want to go the game, I'll buy the first round.