Barb Hollinger, one of our long time employees at the Studio, has retired. She has been invaluable to the business and it is sad and nostalgic to see her go. We thought about the best way to send her off in style and, since she is a huge baseball fan, what could be better than an evening at Nationals Park to take in a Washington Nationals baseball game.
I have been a baseball fan since I was five years old when the radio station (KCOL) that my father built in Fort Collins, Colorado, announced the Brooklyn Dodger baseball games. I would sit in rapt attention listening to the simulated play by play with canned cheering and booing and fake ball hitting sounds, as the “announcer” followed the ticker tape, turned on the various sounds, as appropriate, and pretended he was at the game.
Then we moved to Pueblo, Colorado, when I was in elementary school and junior high. My father had another radio station that announced the Pueblo Dodgers (AAA or minor league) games live. He got season tickets and we went to almost every home game and sat right behind the dugout so I became friends with a lot of the players who eventually went on to play in the majors.
I continued to enjoy baseball, following the major leagues and had a huge collection of baseball cards, which my mother threw away when I went off to college, thinking I had no interest any more. (I’m still mourning the loss.)
My husband and I went to graduate school in Boston and became great Red Sox fans; then we moved to the DC area where we became fans of the old Senators. When they left the area, I mourned the loss of baseball season and just couldn’t get into the Baltimore Orioles. (Sorry Baltimore fans!)
Now for 10 years we have had the Washington Nationals and I have been in heaven.
If I’m not at the game, I am listening on the radio or watching on TV. I have an app on my phone that allows me to see the games when I am traveling.
So it was with great excitement that 12 of our Studio staffers went to the game last Thursday and it happened to be Ryan Zimmerman Bobblehead Night. Never mind that it had been raining for three days.
The weather was supposed to clear by game time. We arrived early so we could collect our bobbleheads and then proceeded to wait two hours as it continued to rain.
Finally, they started the game and we sat in the drizzle and rain during the game. Unfortunately, we lost to the Cubs but it was a good game and we had fun despite the rain and the loss.
And, we have our Ryan Zimmerman bobbleheads!
The perfect send-off for Barb, looks like everyone had a great time! Guess Jinny’s fascination with ham radio was in her blood.
You just couldn’t get into the Orioles because you didn’t have a little Italian grandfather who through a towel at the 12″ TV every time they lost. In the 50’s, he had ample opportunity! Gus Triandos was a favorite and, of course, the Yankees were sworn enemies.
What fun. What’s a little rain. We will take it here in Victoria, Australia.
July 6 Wow I just read this and realized you had lived in Pueblo and Fort Collins. I grew up in Pueblo and used to go to the Pueblo Dodgers baseball games with my aunt and uncle. Graduated from Central and then graduated from CSU. It is a small world. Have own and have used a lot of your books etc over the years. I hope to work on the Craftsy quilt this summer. Last time I was in DC I visited your shop. Since I live in SD, it will be a while before I get there again. Thanks. Ginne B