Take Me Out To The Ballgame

By Ronnie Mestas

These past few months have been the most stressful I have experienced since returning to Dallas and stepping into the community empowerment arena. Dallas is once again trying to revitalize itself, with the International Federation of Association Football in town, City Hall reportedly up for sale, and city officials leaving me to wonder why we even bother to vote. Well, I take that back—voting is sacred to many Latinos, right along with baseball.

Yes, I said it: baseball. It was the one thing I could think of to ease my mind and relieve some stress. No suits, no ties, no meetings, no protests. Best of all, besides not having to worry about what to cook for dinner, I attended my first Texas Rangers game at Globe Life Field.

Unlike FIFA, the Texas Rangers game against the San Diego Padres gave me all the international flair I wanted—without requiring me to choose a country, uniform, beer, or food to enjoy at Globe Life Field. The Charros, Mexican cowboys known for their horsemanship, brought that spirit to life; on this day, their roping skills took center stage.

It seems the older your Rangers gear is, the more loyal as a fan you are to the team. I was right there in the “Front Rooowwww,” calling balls and strikes and heckling the umpires. The Rangers exceeded my expectations. Baseball is a game of skill, but some players are also gifted with the passion to give everything they have to their team—and the Rangers have those players.

I did miss an opportunity to grab a tip-foul ball, for some strange reason I thought about the Dog days of summer for these players and families, but by the time the seven-inning stretch came along I was a fan. When all the fans, old, young children started signing “take me out to the ball game” I knew I would be returning to the old ball game.