Almost Doesn't Count

THE Texas Rangers...in beautiful San Diego?!?!
I wouldn't be a true fan if I didn't rearrange my schedule to at least make one game. So I did. I didn't care if I had to go alone...which I almost did, I was going to go. I have some friends George and April who share my love for game and for the Rangers and called me with the same philosophy so we headed out together. Petco Park was absolutely beautiful...baseball and the beach what else do you need?!?
 The park is right in downtown San Diego is the Gaslamp Quarter. Our adventure started at the Tilted Kilt Irish pub/bar right outside the park. There were so many Ranger fans it felt just like home...with a beach! Good to know Texas fans travel well :). Unfortunately they didn't have Harp on tap I figured they would...Irish lager...Irish bar....kinda makes sense but apparently not to them. I had a Killians instead...not a a bad 2nd  choice by any means.
Well, now George claims to be a Texas fan yet he says his Texas shirt was "at his other house"...mhhmmm so he shows up in a plain black tank...and for his punishment for looking like a bum and not sportin Ranger red&blue...
its cold outside.
He made a phone call to the sports apparel store that was about a mile away and they said they has Texas shirts...so we decided to go for a walk...it seemed a lot longer than 1.8 miles away I must say. Well Lord knows I had to pee, story of my life I have the smallest bladder of all time and of course by the time we decide to stop we had made our way to the residential area and we were surrounded by high rise apartments instead of useful places with public bathrooms.
Until we came across a gem
Nestled in the corner next to the public transit train. .
The Kansas City Barbeque.

We thought we were just going to aimlessly walk in to this bbq joint and use a random bathroom, relieve our bladders get out and be on our way to somewhere more flattering for a beer...
NOPE we were wrong this place is famous! Scenes from the classic movie Top Gun were shot in this bar and today they have the nickname The Top Gun bar. And the decor lives up to its name.

 The bartender got everyone at his bar top going with his story about  his arm being in Top Gun serving drinks and how his self worth was found it that prideful story...which was completely not true and left us laughing because we were the fools who believed him. To make this place even more interesting they have the notorious 'Shrine Collection'. This randomness includes over
350 Navy hats ranging from hats from destroyers and submarines to countries no longer in existence like East Germany and the USSR,

400 License plates from all 50 states and 42 foreign countries,
15 gallons of bra archives from the smallest hilltops to mountains at a 64FF,
and 15 life preservers from the U.S. Army, Navy and Coastguard and the Canadian Navy...a cool story and a different experience for sure.
George left April and I to finish our beers (Red Trolley is amazing in case you were wondering) while he went hunting for a Ranger Shirt. Only to find out they were sold out ...haha a bunch of Texas band wagoners in San Diego apparently. George wasn't too happy that we walked all the way over there and the guy on the phone told him he had shirts...but everything happens for a reason because we would have never found The Top Gun bar or gotten to ride one of those really weird looking bicycle taxi's with the cute Turkish driver!

Inside the park we sat in our section for the first couple innings next to a drunken Dodger fan and his Padres fan girlfriend and then parted ways.
I had an old friend Ryan Cotton, to meet up with. He is in the military now and like a true Texas fan in Cali had to make time for the game. As we were catching up a random couple asked us if we wanted to use their two extra tickets that are like 3 rows up and right next to the home team dugout...um yes! No hesitation there! Kelly was from Tyler, Texas and her husband from the Netherlands. I was intrigued by their story. They were an amazingly sweet couple and I am so thankful for them, it was very cool of them to let us sit there because they were possibly the closest we've ever been and I had a great view of Josh Hamilton's 2 RBI triple..yep I was happy.

Speaking of Josh Hamilton...you must know I am his biggest fan, ever. Like, ever ever, I have an I Am Second bracelet because of him I sport his name on my shirt to all the games I can in SoCal and make signs for the games and better believe I keep up with him and the Rangers better than any girl you know  & I was nervous that he wasn't going to play considering he hasn't been starting lately due to an illness. But he is feeling better and in the line up, I was stoked. Every baseball fan goes to a game with secret hopes of catching a ball..foul ball, homerun ball, a ball thrown after the inning...anything. And If it were from their favorite player it would be the highlight of their summer. I remember being 6years old with my t-ball glove at the Ballpark in Arlington anxiously awaiting the time when my baseball fairy tale came true and I caught one. I could be sitting in the nose bleeds, but my innocent little girl self believed in fairy tales and I was prepared. At the time I was praying Pudge would be the batter in shining armor that hit me that ultimate love letter.
Well to this day I'm still waiting for the happily ever after part of the fairy tale...

AND OH! Let me tell you. I'm going to need therapy because this is one of the most unfortunate stories, ever. Definitely not what you would expect happily ever after to be like...

I'm walking back to my seat from hanging out with Ryan,
I stop to grab a drink at the bar...I would have been in and out of there had it not been for the super social bartender who was asking me all about being from Texas...at the time I appreciated him for not just having the snobby "I'm the bartender" attitude but about 5 minutes later I wished nothing more than that he would have been that way.
I had been walking in between innings, so I wouldn't miss anything. But now that I chatted for so long, I leave the bar and notice Josh is up to bat...I am too far from my section to make it in time and I HAVE TO  watch Josh, so I stroll out to stand above the section I was at and right in time for the next pitch too...
Josh fouls it off...
 my heart stops.

its headed right toward my section..

I swear time slowed as I watched this unfold a few sections over...
right as the thought "I swear if that ball.." runs through my head...
I see the guy, the annoying Dodger fan...the one in the seat RIGHT NEXT TO ME dive over the seats and triumphantly stand up holding the small, white trophy in the air with pride...
and I am furious!
And in shock "Did that REALLY just happen?!? Really?!?!?"
Okay so yes it is my fault I left my seat, I know this, but seriously?!?! I get back and try to persuade them to let me have it.. I mean I AM wearing his name on my back and THEY didn't even pay attention enough to know who hit it! Trust me I went on and on about this, it was a tragedy, really. They had no freaking clue and not to mention when Josh came up again they were chanting and yelling that he sucks and they wanted him to strike out.  I had to deal with this guy the rest of the game! That ball should have been mine and if I was there I would have fought for that bad boy! I mean this is not just a foul ball..
It is a Josh freakin Hamilton,
the one and only,
my baseball hero,
foul ball.
and I missed it.
It hurts to say I almost caught a Josh Hamilton foul ball.
Almost doesn't count...
That's a once in a lifetime type thing...
needless to say I am heartbroken.

Not to mention when they were in Anaheim I sat literally in the seat next to the grassy area where lots of home runs end up prepared and ready to jump that fence for a ball... But of course, that game nothing comes close:/ So this game I was ready to go thinking man it HAS to happen this time...
And it did...
And it was hit by my hero ...
And it was in my section...
and it was right by my seat section 208 row 1 seat 16
And I was gone.
Ugh.

I did get a picture with it

But they made me give it back....

Absolutely, utterly, completely, heartbroken.

I might just be pitiful & get ice cream and watch baseball movies every night for the next couple weeks....

But Scott Feldman did pick up his first win and RBI after they intentionally walked Michael Young to get to him. Good things :)

So next time you're in San Diego stop at the Kansas City Barbecue and just listen to the stories. If you're going to Petco Park The Tilted Kilt really is awesome and a great place for pregame drinks. After the game the nightlife of the Gaslamp Quarter awaits. We chose The Shout House, a great piano bar with a lively crowd and awesome dueling pianists and The Yard House with about 200 beers on tap...you just can't go wrong there.

Btw. Next game I am GLUED to my seat. Even if it's the nose bleed seats.