Batting Practice -- Coors Field

Of all the events on the schedule for the week, the one that I wanted to do more than any other was participate in open batting practice at Coors Field. Through one of my sources, I had heard that the event was to be today (Tuesday). What I didn't know was whether you needed a credential or not. Much of the Convention experience is not about issues or substance at all but rather about one's relative place in the Party. There are no "tickets" but instead "credentials." Credentials are far more important sounding as they vouch that you are worthy of attending something rather than a ticket which simply means you bought it. And it's not about basic cred, but different levels of cred. Of course, you can still buy cred just like you could buy a ticket. However, the status that you acquire are the inverse of each other. If you are a season ticket holder for a sports team, you have the highest cred. If you scalp tickets to the superbowl or buy from a broker, you are an interloper. No cred. Here, if you donate lots of money to the Party or to a candidate, you have major cred. A party footsoldier (working the states, the precincts, stuffing envelopes) gets no cred (like the guy sitting next to me on the plane).

Anyway, we headed to Coors Field with no credentials. We pulled into the parking lot which was completely uncrowded. The parking lot attendant asked us what we were there for. We told him that we were there for a DNC event. He asked whether we had any sort of credential. Even the parking lot guys had been brainwashed. After a brief hesitation during which we contemplated pulling out last night's convention credentials, we said "no." He let us into the parking lot anyway and said that they might not let us in.

The parking lot was remarkably empty and there were no crowds that we saw. As we walked toward the stadium, a guy in a Red Sox hat was walking toward us. We asked him if this was where the batting practice event was being held and he said yes. We asked whether you needed a credential to get in and he told us yes and gave us two. Boston fans aren't bad afterall.

Inside, the stadium was open to only a few people. Maybe 100 people all told. There was food and beer and wii. As we walked in we could see the line for batting practice. It wasn't too bad. As we asked how to get down to the field, we were told that there was a different credential to actually participate in batting practice. Damn!

The worst part was that there were a bunch of suits that had batting practice tickets that were clearly not going to participate. But no one was giving up their credential. That status thing again. We went down to the first row and looked as needy as we could but to no avail. Batting practice was as cool as I thought it would be. Steve Garvey was coaching each person as they entered the cage. The name of each hitter was announced over the PA system. A series of major league pitchers cycled in to throw pitches. All very cool.

But unfortunately, the only batting practice I got was hitting in the wiffle ball cage that was set up in the concourse.