On April 11th, we attended the fourth annual Dog Night event at Shea Stadium, sponsored by the North Shore Animal League America.  This was Playa's first baseball game, and our first Mets game and trip to Shea stadium. The forecast said there was a 70% chance of rain, but that didn't stop us. When's the forecast ever right anyway?   

When we got off the 7 train, the fog was low enough that you could see it hovering around the top of the stadium, but it never descended. Dog night started with a parade around the field. After lining up inside the gate, we signed a waiver saying that we would clean up after our dog should she decide to soil the outfield or the bleachers, and that we were ready for all manner of dog bites and other hazards associated with being crazy dog people.

Speaking of crazy dog people, we actually felt like we were not that (for once) and didn't quite fit in with the Mets fan AND dog freak club. Although we correctly anticipated being the only people in attendance without Mets gear, it really surprised us to find that Playa was perhaps the only dog who wasn't wearing blue and orange. OK, there was one miniature Doberman Pinscher with no Mets adornment, but he was wearing jeans, a glitter t-shirt, and a leather jacket. And come to think about it, there was also a dog wearing a Yankees jacket. Talk about looking for a fight. Crazy!!

I was pretty impressed with the organization of the event. They had water out for the pooches, they handed out poop bags, and they even gave us oversize paw-shaped foam mitts for cheering, which worked as fantastic seat cushions.

As we walked around the outside of the field, I noticed that they were filming the dog procession and displaying it on the "jumbotron" video screen. Looking ahead, I saw when we were approaching the cameraman, and got a picture of Playa having a her moment of glory, drawing a collective "awww!" from the crowd.

It turned out to be a good game. The rain never came, and there were a few good catches out in center field near us. The Mets took an early lead, and held off the Brewers while we enjoyed popcorn, beer, and hot dogs!

Playa alternated between our laps, and seemed to be...not that interested in the game. She did sniff several dogs though, (the list of admirers was long after her appearance on the big screen) and the guy in front of us let her lick his face over and over.

 

Around the 8th inning, we thought about skipping out early, as it was getting a little chilly. We decided to stay though, and I'm glad we did.

At the top of the ninth, after warm-up, the center fielder Carlos Beltran threw a ball up into the stands. Oddly enough, I'd told Carolyn that if a ball were to come near us, I would hand Playa to her to protect her, so I could try to catch it. When it happened though, there was no time to hand the dog off. I stood up, clutching Playa in my left arm, and caught the ball in my right hand. Ouch - it hurts to catch a ball with no glove!

After the game, we stopped at the Mets store and got some souvenirs - a cap for Lina, a t-shirt for me, and a little plastic case for the baseball I caught. What a magical night!!