Our first day in Seattle actually started at about 4:30 in the morning when we pulled into our host’s house in West Seattle. After a lot of time spent in the RV, we were very grateful for some incredible hospitality. A HUGE thanks from B4B to Chris and Karen for letting five smelly dudes stay with them for a few days. Thanks!
Due to some RV maintenance and sleep schedules, our team split up for a few hours to finish everything we had to do. After a few hours rest, Adam, Steve, and Chase biked over to Big Brothers Big Sisters Puget Sound to meet up with Jason, who we’ve been coordinating our event with. Tim and Rex got a few more hours of sleep at the house before tending to the RV and catching up on some laundry.
After BBBS Puget Sound, the three of us biked downtown to check out the Pike Place Market where we will be setting up an area to promote B4B. We finalized details for tomorrow before heading over to the Seattle Bicycle Alliance to meet awesome cycling advocates. We exchanged great stories about Seattle and cycling and chatted with the mechanics in the bike shop behind the Bicycle Alliance. We also happened to run into @Familyride at the bike shop and saw their really awesome setup to travel by bike with a family. The MOST efficient use of space on a bike we’ve ever seen. One bike, two kids, two bikes and additional cargo all on board and all pedaled by one person. It was very cool, definitely check it out.
After a quick bite, the whole team met up at Elysian Fields to sell shirts and promote B4B. Thanks to the Elysian Fields staff for being supportive and letting us use the Opening Day business to our advantage. We also ran into @KCKariLynn who hung out with the team for a bit. She even sold a shirt! Well done! Overall we sold a lot of shirts and made some good impressions with the baseball fans at the restaurant.
Leaving Elysian at 6:30, it was time to head over to the game to make first pitch. Stepping out of Elysian, we found hundreds of fans flooding Occidental Ave in their teal and dark blue colors making a bee-line for Safeco Field. Joining up with the masses on the way to the game, it began to set in and we became all giddy that this was our FIRST game of 30 games that we will be attending this summer. Opening Day fever. There’s not much like it. And we’re here! It’s actually happening, a trek around America to attend thirty of these guys. WAHOOOOOOO!!
One of the coolest things to happen all day came just before making it into the game. At Elysian, our good friend Andy, mentioned that there was a guy that was ALWAYS out cycling on his stationary bike before Mariners games, Seahawks games, Sounders games, basically any game, and in rain or shine. True to form, we found this man decked out in USA cycling gear pedaling as if he was overtaking a rival rider on his way to the finish line. After he caught us gawking at how many miles he pedaled last year (73,000 last year!), Alvin jumped down off the bike for a bit and snapped a couple photos with his bike and us. He even provided a nice little quote, that personally, I had never heard, and that he suggested should be the motto of the trip.
“When you are faced with adversity, don’t take a step back, make a comeback.”
We loved it, and were buzzing with excitement as we headed into Safeco. We literally ran to our seats, just as we used to as kids. I’m not sure we’ll be able to “run” to our seats for every game, considering we probably rode 100 miles that day to get there. Not only did we see first pitch, but we saw Felix Hernandez operate extremely efficient in the top of the first. 9 pitches, 9 strikes, 2 strikeouts, 1 line out, inning over. Unfortunately, all of his adrenaline and pitching effectiveness left him after that first inning outing. He was hit hard after that. And the Mariners didn’t muster up any offense to help him. Outside of a stellar grab in right field by Ichiro and that first inning by Felix, there wasn’t much for the home crowd to cheer for.
But we were able to sit next to a family with two kids, Hayden and Riley, that were a hoot. Singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and scoping out the sights around the inside of the ballpark filled much of the second half of the game.
Overall, I’d say Safeco is an AWESOME ballpark. The weather was “one of the best they’ve had for an Opening Day,” albeit a bit chilly. The fans, know their baseball and are into the game, but seem to jump on the chance to boo their team a bit more than what I’m used to. But I think that’s cause they had one of the best teams ever in baseball 11 years ago (116 wins in 2001), and they’ve fallen hard since then. They want that team back. The food was a bit inaccessible, because the entire stadium only took cash, but a couple of us managed to snag a reasonably priced hot dog.
Excited that we got out first game under our belts. I just hope that we don’t see the home team put up a shut out for the remaining 29.
Gm 1– 4/13 @ Safeco Field – Oakland A’s @ Seattle Mariners
Oakland wins 4-0 (WP – Colon, LP – Hernandez)