Playoff Atmosphere

So many times you here commentators or players say it was like a playoff atmosphere. Well, on October 4th, at 42 years old I finally got to attend a playoff game and saw what a “playoff atmosphere” was really like.
My brother Scott and I went to the game. We like to get there early for batting practice, and for free parking. Usually if you get to Dodger Stadium early enough you can park on the street just outside the stadium parking lot. However the first difference I noticed for playoff baseball was that everyone arrived there early. By the time we got there the parking lots were opened already and it was more than two hours before game time. So we ended up parking inside the stadium parking lot.
It was about then that I realized that I did not bring the tickets. There was a moment of stress, but the people at the will call window were nice enough to print me new tickets. The Dodgers opened all levels of the stadium right away, but would not allow anyone into left field without a left field ticket. So we were relegated to the centerfield warning track area. Here was our view of the stadium when we entered.

It was nice that we had somewhere to go to try to get a ball, but the place was packed.

A few balls came close to my area, but it was hard to move around. Most people that hung around for a while were really nice. They were all dressed in Dodger Blue, and I had some pleasant conversations with several people while I was out there. There was only one guy that put a damper on things. Apparently I had bumped him while I was pursuing a ball in the area. He told me to take it easy. My thoughts were “Everyone here wants a ball, you have got to expect a some bumping when a ball comes nearby.” But although I told him I was sorry, I don’t think he forgave me, because the next time a ball came close to us I felt an elbow in my chest blocking me from moving to the ball. Sure enough it was the same guy. After the ball landed in the crowd I noticed that he didn’t have a glove, and he wasn’t even going after the ball. He just didn’t want me to get it. The guy is in the picture below. I won’t tell you who it is, but you might be able to figure it out on your own.

Near the end of BP I finally made my way up to the front row.

Unfortunately no balls came my way and I left batting practice empty handed. But that was okay; I really wanted to see the game. The Dodgers were up 2-0 on the Cubs and had a chance to close out the series. It was the first home game for the Dodgers, so it was cool to see all the hype before the game. They made introductions of all the players and brought out the huge American flag.
The game was great. The Dodgers scored two runs in the first inning, and Hiroki Kuroda shut down the Cubs for six plus innings. For some reason I decided to take score during the game. It might have been the first time I ever did that.

The stadium was packed.

Almost everyone I saw were Dodger fans. However, there was a lone Cub fan sitting in front of me. He tried to be obnoxious but it was hard to do since the Cubs only scored once.
Scott and I decided to watch from behind home plate as Jonathan Broxton finished out the game.
Then the celebration began. Someone from the top deck decided to throw beer around in celebration. A little bit got on to Scott and I. But the Dodgers made up for that by placing a picture of both Scott and me on the scoreboards! It was nice of them to commemorate our first playoff game that way.