Baseball ball

I'm not a big organized sports fan, but baseball stadium food is unique and part of the whole ballpark experience, therefore I will watch some live hardball when given the opportunity.

This last weekend, my in-laws treated my family to a night at our local AAA club ballpark.

Our Oklahoma City Redhawks took on the visiting Albuquerque Isotopes.

I've been to maybe a dozen professional baseball games in my life, 2 of which were in the very ballpark in which we were sittiing, but even I know of some truths that are absolutes at ball games.

Close your eyes to take a short between inning nap and the jumbotron camera guy will find you in the crowd.

Hot dogs are better with the brown spicy mustard (hides the nasty flavor of all those meat fillers) and ketchup

The side of the stadium you have tickets for will ALWAYS be in the sun.

Catching a foul ball is nearly impossible and reserved for the "that only happens to some other guy" category.

Once again, the fates proved me wrong.

I caught a quick snooze and no one saw me on the big screen.

Our ballpark is having a special promotion featuring dogs from other major league ballparks and I got to eat several Dodger Dogs with onions, relish, mustard and (hold on hot dog purists), ketchup. Heaven on a foot long bun.

Our seats were in the sun, but we moved up to the top of the bleachers and found some shade. The breeze started blowing and by the 4th inning, the temps dropped into the 70's.

Top of the 7th inning, an Isotope foul ball heads up to our section. C runs for it but a fella about my age gets to it first.

He then promptly and without any fanfare, handed the ball to my 6-year old daughter.

She didn't even bat an eye, but held it high above her head as she had seen done many times by other lucky fans with foul balls. Her face flashed on the jumbo tron with a smile as wide as the equator.

Is it me, or only in Oklahoma would a fella give the foul ball he caught to a 6-year old girl who he didn't know from Adam.

I thanked the generous Redhawk fan as we left the stadiium, our team winning that night and completing a 4 game sweep of the Isotopes. He just nodded and flashed a most satisfied smile.