My baseball bucket list

This is turning into the year of the baseball bucket list. Back in March, we hit up spring training. 4 games at 4 stadiums. And, thus, 4 mini bats.

And tonight, the All Star Game! Kansas City doesn't usually get the big sporting events. We're too far north and lacking a dome, so we can't get the Super Bowl. We don't have a big enough arena to get the Final Four. We haven't made the baseball playoffs since, well, we don't talk about that... Because we're one of those overlooked, small market cities that never contends and never matters, we haven't hosted an All Star Game since before I was born. So maybe an ASG doesn't seem like that big a deal to a New Yorker or someone from Los Angeles. But to a lifelong Kansan, it's something we never thought we could just drive to after work.

But this year, KC got the All Star Game. And I got to go. (Courtesy of my friend A, who is pretty much the source of all fun opportunities and trips and good things that come my way. Everyone should have a friend like this. Or at least be like my game date and have a friend who has a friend like this.)

So now I have been to an All Star Game and I have the free t-shirt and not-so-free mini bat to show for it.

We should all take a minute to marvel that I have somehow added 6 bats to my mini bat collection (don't forget the pine tar mini bat incident from Cinco de Mayo) since March without attending a single regular season game. Odd.

Anyway, I have crossed Spring Training off the bucket list. Now I can cross off the All Star Game. The only thing left? The play-offs. But if you've looked at the standings and watched any Royals games this season, I think you'd tell me I'd better not expect the bucket list hat trick to be completed this year. That's all right. Two out of three ain't bad.