Today I convinced my parents that we needed to spend our Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field for the annual Mariners Fanfest. I’ve heard mixed things about fanfests across the board, but the possibility of walking on the field and taking some great behind-the-scenes tours was too tempting. Unfortunately, we showed up for the very last hour of the last day, and judging by all the fans exiting the stadium, it looked like there would be little left to see. Thankfully, almost every booth and activity was still open, so we power-walked around the field trying to get everything in.

I felt like a five year old sitting in the dugout, racing my mom around the bases (she called it quits halfway to 2nd base), and walking through the clubhouse. Even my parents had fun–my dad enjoyed himself in the locker room, saying things like, “Baseball is a different ball game than football: punt intended!” The only thing we couldn’t participate in was the trivia challenge among die-hard fans. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about baseball, but definitely not to the extent they were asking!

All in all, it was a great way to reignite my enthusiasm for the fast-approaching 2011 season. I can’t wait for Opening Day!