Thursday night was Game 1 of the League Championship series at Dogwood Stadium. Rookie, Nora, and the neighborhood dog pack were so excited to get over to the stadium, purchase their tickets, and support their favorite Dogwood baseball players. But when they arrived to the front gate area of Dogwood Stadium, an unfamiliar sight was seen – the game was sold out. No more tickets, no way this was happening, not for the big game. Nora and Rookie and Dozier and Scout and Radar stood stunned and disappointed and wondering what to do next.
“I’m not leaving empty handed,” barked Rookie as he headed over to a T-shirt vendor in the front gate area. Nora, Dozier, Radar, and Scout followed and each of the pals purchased a championship T-shirt. As the neighborhood pals were walking out of the front gate madness, Radar spotted their friend, Rocky, next to a giant TV and attending to a smoking, sweet smelling grill. “Hey Rocky, aren’t you going into the game?” asked Radar to his pal. “Nope, too much craziness in there for me, I’m hosting a tailgating party for anyone who wants to join me,” replied Rocky. And with that, the neighborhood pals saddled up and jumped into Rocky’s party with all four paws.
Rookie, after seeing the setup Rocky had, sprinted over to his buddy and gave him a very enthusiastic hug. “Rocky, you saved the night. Nora and the fellas and I were going to go home with a bad taste in our mouths.” Rocky laughed and flipped a hamburger on the grill. “Well,” yelped Rocky, “now you can have the taste of burgers and chips and hot dogs in your mouths.” The neighborhood dogs found seats and just in time for the first pitch of the game. The mood had shifted from sadness to joy, and it was game time!
And right on cue, the first inning, Dogwood got on the board with a dramatic home run. The dog friends stood up, high-fived each other’s paws, and celebrated with barks and yelps so loud that parking lot lights almost burst. The burgers were delicious. The company was incredible. The night was saved and the Dogwood baseball community was in full effect.
Heading into the 3rd inning of the game, Nora’s friend Buddy the Golden Retriever stopped by the tailgating spot. Buddy was running late to the game, having worked late at Dogwood Hospital’s cancer unit. Buddy was gifted 10 tickets to Game 1 and he arrived with an offer for his neighborhood pals to join him. “Come on guys, box seats on the first base line, what do you all think???”
When he spotted the tailgating party and how much fun his buddies were having, he put the tickets in his pocket, grabbed a burger, a seat, and officially joined the tailgating party. Nora and Rookie grabbed a spongy baseball and played catch in the parking lot. Scout and Dozier watched intently as Dogwood had added a few more runs. Radar was too busy eating and enjoying the beautiful night air to care about the score.
After several packages of hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and case of water, the neighborhood Dogwood dogs were treated to another bonus – a Game 1 victory for Dogwood. The beautiful night sky was filled with glistening stars and the Dogwood pals vowed to meet in this very spot on Sunday for Game 2. “Nora and I will bring the burgers,” barked Rookie. “I’ll bring the water,” added Dozier. And one by one, all of the neighborhood dog pals agreed to chip in for the next tailgating party. Would the game have been better inside Dogwood Stadium for Nora, Rookie and their friends? Maybe, but Rocky’s tailgating party was sure fun and exciting and oh so filling in more ways than one.
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