Where else but in Mexico can you park two blocks from the ballpark, buy a couple of marbles next to the dugout, sit down for a personal-size pizza, have a beer, pastries, lollipops, and tic-tacs, and stay entertained for over three hours on a warm and windy afternoon, all for around $15 USD.
The Mexican baseball season begins every March, with the Oaxaca team (the Guerreros, being one of 16 in this two-division league) playing their games at the Lic. Eduardo Vasconcelos Stadium, steps from downtown. When my wife and I attended our first game, we were very impressed, not without noting some interesting and fun differences compared to going to the Skydome (now known as The Rogers Centre) to watch the Toronto Blue Jays. I preface my comments by stating that the league is equivalent to Triple A, which means that the quality of the game is extremely good, with potential players and former Major Leaguers on the teams… in 2005 the Guerreros had Félix José, former slugger for Quality for the Cardinals in the early ’90s.
I went to the park to buy tickets a couple of days before the scheduled game, wanting to make sure I got premium seats, only to be told that tickets go on sale at 4pm on game day. To my surprise, the box office opened shortly before the hour. My wife ordered a couple of “the best”. When she got back to the car, I noticed that the 55 peso tickets didn’t seem to be in sequence, so I sent her back to ask and change seats if necessary. He was right…one seat was one row above the other. Who knew that when you ask to buy a pair of tickets, you have to stipulate that you want them next to each other? The attendant gave my wife a hard time but eventually relented and swapped seats.
We got back to the park for the 7:30 opening launch, easily found a parking spot on the street…no $20 charge to park in a lot. But where exactly were our seats? We asked no less than four stadium employees, without anyone being able to point us to our seats, until finally someone took the trouble to orient us properly. WOW. Not just at pitch level next to the visitor’s bench (Mexico City), but also covered in the unlikely event of a drizzle, and next to the bull pen.
The game followed the typical American League format, with the designated hitter (Félix José for the Warriors) and announcer doing the same job as his Major League counterpart, not without prepending each upcoming hitter’s name and position with a advertisement for one of the many sponsors whose presence is front and center, both on the player kits and on the pitch walls. The scoreboard provided no surprises, but it took a while to figure out some of the player positions just by looking at the letter designations… no problem with SS, 1B, 2B, and 3B. But what about JI, CF and JD? I thought I had my head around the center fielder, but the other two baffled me. The announcer then introduced Right Fielder, the Right Fielder (JD), which literally translates to “Right Gardener.” After a moment, he made sense, since he takes care of the right-field turf…but why doesn’t the center fielder position similarly suit the Mexican style of designation? Everything fell into place in no time, each player had a number on his jersey, but VOLKSWAGEN was the only name on his back.
The ten cheerleaders were a welcome surprise, doing an admirable job, albeit not choreographing and timing as well as in the NFL or NBA. Yet what a delight to see these young women in the ballpark with a bit of meat on their bodies, instead of the anorexic look we’ve become accustomed to seeing and ruefully accepting north of the border. The music on the audio system was a unique mix of what one finds at MLB and NHL games with the standard “CHARGE” preambles and the like, traditional Oaxacan tunes including the Pinotepa, and familiar American and Canadian numbers. from artists like MC Hammer and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The fifth-inning cleanup crew did their job, albeit without the Lone Ranger theme song to cheer them up; there was the traditional field contest for children; and the street vendors persuaded us to buy raffle tickets.
While I must confess that while baseball is the most boring of the major spectator sports in North America (the list in descending order is basketball, hockey, football, soccer, and baseball), since the gradual change in stadiums in Major League Baseball to Allow Alcoholic Beverages I have come to enjoy going outside to the game every once in a while to chat with a friend or business associate, soak up the sun, and get some fresh air (when the retractable dome in Toronto has closed). left open) and have a beer and my share of deliciously tasty hot dogs, donuts and ice cream bars. Oaxacan-style bingeing turned out to be just as orgasmic, though not being able to drink a mezcalito or three puts a damper on libido. There was the tempting taco stand a few steps from our seats, plus the usual vendors making their way between the stands. The array of dishes includes, naturally, Corona soda, hot tacos in plastic and foil-wrapped plates, personal-size boxed hot Domino’s Hawaiian pizza with as many ketchup packets as you like, a wide variety of cellophane-wrapped nuts, colorful seeds and nuts. presented on a display card, esquites (large piping hot corn kernels in a styrofoam cup topped with mayonnaise, chili powder, lime and shredded cheese), as well as the typical street stall items including chewing gum, chocolates , hard candies and cigarettes.
Perhaps the biggest similarity to going to an MLB game was that the home team lost… just like Toronto after the two aberrations in the early 90s. While you wouldn’t expect going to a Warriors game to be On a priority list for tourists spending just a week in the city, both for residents and travelers vacationing here for longer stays, baseball in Oaxaca offers an entertaining and relaxing way to spend a few hours. The regular season runs through the end of July, with all four playoff series beginning thereafter and running through early September. You can come to the stadium to learn more about promotions, including jersey and cap days, and Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
