Medium weirdness while watching a baseball game...

I love baseball.

One of the things I love about baseball is how willing the game is to do promotions that don't, strictly, have anything to do with baseball.

Where, you might ask, did this come from?

Well, first of all, I do love baseball. I was raised to be a baseball fan, and a Los Angeles Dodgers fan specifically. And the Dodgers are doing well this year. So far, at least. As much as I love them, the Dodgers have always sort of had a talent for managing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. When they're good, they're very, very good, but when they're bad, they're...really, really bad.

But, I didn't come here to talk about the Dodgers today. Because I can't find a Dodgers game to watch at the moment, I'm watching the San Francisco Giants play the Tampa Bay Rays (which used to be called the Devil Rays). Being a Dodgers fan, I don't really like the Giants much, although I've gotten a little more tolerant since Fresno became the home of the Giants' Triple A team, the Grizzlies. Still. I wanted to watch a game, and this is the only one I can find.

During the game, they've been promoting an upcoming special day when the Giants return to San Francisco, a day when they are going to be honoring the Grateful Dead.

Yeah. I know. Made me stop and pay attention, too. I mean, it makes sense. Bay Area team, Bay Area band. But still. The idea just kind of tickles me. And, really, that isn't any odder than ballparks having Stitch and Pitch promotions, where they actively try to get the knitters out to a game, don't hassle us about bringing in our pointy sticks, erm, knitting needles. And it's no stranger than the time I went to a California Angels game (before they became the Anaheim Angels, and then - dear God help us all - the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, all without ever moving stadium) and Alice Cooper sang the national anthem. It made sense; he was promoting an upcoming concert at the stadium.

Baseball has always been an eccentric game, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.

Now, I'm going to watch the game.