First, let me just say that I love baseball, as many of you already know. So I’m pretty happy just heading to any old game and watching them play. I recently went to see the Charros of Jalisco, the professional team in Guadalajara, Mexico. (A charro is like a cowboy.)
Baseball is baseball, of course, so there weren’t a lot of differences in the game itself. The things that seemed uniquely Mexican were the cheers and the food. Everywhere people were yelling “Arriba!” (Go!) or “Vamanos!” (Let’s go!). It was also interesting to see that they had cheerleaders.
You could buy a hot dog, but that stand wasn’t very popular. Popcorn was everywhere, as was Papas El Capi, which are essentially potato chips with various toppings. The most popular toppings include lime juice, salt, and hot sauce. Lots of hot sauce. There were plenty of other foods, including tacos, tamales, hamburgers, and donuts(!). Drinks included beer, soda, and mixed drinks with taquila that could be delivered to your seat.
The stadium is beautiful, the atmosphere was fun, it was a nice night, and I was able to get a good seat for $15. This made it surprising to me that there was barely anyone in attendance. At times it seemed like there were more vendors and cheerleaders than fans.
I had only one complaint about my visit to the ballpark. They have a weird system where you have to purchase a special payment card and load it with money in order to buy any concessions. I asked what happens if you still have money on the card at the end of the game, and I was told that I could use it at the next game. I guess that’s fine if you are a local, but in my case that additional money would likely be lost. I opted out.
The week that I went to the Charros game was the same week that Dodger’s ace pitcher Fernando Valenzuela died at the young age of 63. He was one of the greatest Mexican players ever to make it to the major leagues, and it reminded me of what a tremendous opportunity baseball provides to gifted athletes. Lots of these players have a dream of making it to the big leagues in the US, and some of them looked like they have a chance.
I enjoyed myself, and the baseball was played at a high level. I’m glad I was able to go.
Dog of the week.
Church of the week.
Art of the week.
