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Baseball season is starting this year and I'm happy. I love to watch baseball and have been enjoying it since my brother played Little League as a child. I remember many a game of backyard ball, with all the neighborhood kids playing. My brother slid into base when he was about 7 years old and broke his arm, but usually it was always fun and good exercise.

My favorite team is the Texas Rangers. For the last few years we've lived very near Ameriquest Field; I certainly preferred the former name, The Ballpark at Arlington, as did everyone, but I guess it's worth the extra bucks to the Rangers to sell out the name. I love the stadium, and we have been taking our 4-year old granddaughter there to get her addicted to baseball at an early age. There are lots of fun features for kids there.

Hannah loves the mascot, which she calls "Horsey-Man," and also Mark Teixiera, the first baseman. When we took her to her first game, he was inside the stadium meeting the kiddos and she had a picture taken with him. He was very friendly to her, and my husband told him it was her first game. Ever since, Hannah refers to him as "her guy," and she tries to follow him in the game. She's always asking, "What's my guy doing now?" and we'll show her where he is on the field. I signed her up for the kids' club, and she was very excited to get a newsletter with a special message from "her guy." Mark Teixiera is an inspiration to many kids, I think, and projects a good image. I hope he stays with the Rangers for a long time.

Although I don't really like to eat hot dogs, they always taste pretty good at the ballgame. Eating outdoors seems to make everything taste better, and we always get some roasted peanuts, hot dogs, and drinks. Once we took a picnic of fried chicken up to the third deck of the ballpark; there are picnic tables there and the view is great. There's a giveaway at many games too, and last year Hannah got a bobble head of the Captain Ranger mascot, a hat, and a towel. I got her a pink Rangers shirt, since pink is her favorite color, and she looked so cute in it. It's amazing how kids can pick up the routine of a ballgame, even at a very young age.
When the Yankees came to play the Rangers, we had to go and boo them. We'd been in Boston for awhile and were confused when we went to our first game at Fenway to see the Red Sox play; everyone booed the Yankees continuously, but they weren't playing the Yankees that night. I was so glad to see the Sox win the World Series last year; that was a treat! Fenway has to be one of the best stadiums ever; although small and lacking parking, it does have the venerable Green Monster and the most loyal fans ever. I'm glad the Red Sox finally got their due