Hey kids, are you jealous?
While you were in school Tuesday morning staring at the clock and feigning interest in your least favorite subject, third-grader Mariana Leon was sitting in the sun watching the Sidewinders on the third base line at Tucson Electric Park.
Her sister, Adriana, a second-grader at Tolson Elementary School, was there, too. So was Delia Osmala Avila, their friend.
And they were eating snow cones that must have been the size of their heads! Rainbow-colored ones, sitting in yellow plastic cups shaped like daisies.
"All I have to do at school is write and read and do math," Mariana said. "And all I do here is watch baseball."
They were part of the 10 a.m. crowd of 4,591 fans — most of them children attending in conjunction with DARE and GREAT, organizations that discourage drug use and gang participation.
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Tucson Electric Park had the din of an oversized McDonald's play yard. Children howled with pleasure at foul balls, close plays and T-shirts thrown to the crowd between innings.
The line for the gift shop was out the door, and schools picked up their lunch of milk and a hot dog at designated times.
Oh yeah, the Sidewinders lost to the Fresno Grizzlies 5-3.
Three fourth-graders from Henry Elementary School, Baylee Beardshear, David Johnson and Tim Chan, spent most of the game on the grass berm beyond the outfield — when they were not getting kettle corn or walking to the gift shop.
"We've been rolling down the hill," Baylee said, "and watching the game."
Kids walking around the stadium were able to look at booths detailing the effects of drug use and gang participation.
On the third base line, members of the Arizona National Guard's Drug Demand Reduction task force painted kids' faces camouflage and with faux eye black. The Sidewinders wore DARE and GREAT hats in the first inning and threw them into the crowd as they left the field.
Brandon Cooper and Cameron Griffin, eighth-graders at La Cima Middle School, spent their day walking around the park, eating nachos and talking to friends.
They already were starting to dread seventh period, the only class they had to attend once they returned to school. Brandon had art class; Cameron had language arts.
But in true eighth-grader fashion, they played it cool.
"We'll be fine," Cameron said.
After a day at the park, how could they not be?
Inside pitch
● Sidewinders starting pitcher Kevin Jarvis gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings Tuesday. He allowed six runs and 11 hits in six innings on opening night.
● Canyon del Oro High School alum Scott Hairston went hitless for the first time this season.
● Right fielder Carlos Quentin likely will return tonight after missing his third straight game Tuesday because of a strained side muscle.
Fresno ab r h bi Sidewinders ab r h bi
Frandsen 2b 4 1 2 1 Callaspo 2b 4 0 0 0
Shabala 3b 4 1 1 0 Drew ss 4 1 1 1
Valdez p 0 0 0 0 Hairston lf 4 0 0 0
Linden lf 4 0 1 1 Bruney p 0 0 0 0
Nunez rf 4 0 1 0 Carter 1b 4 0 2 0
Ortmeier cf 4 1 2 2 Gil cf 4 1 0 0
Santos 1b 4 0 1 0 Erickson rf 4 0 1 0
DeLaRosa ss 3 0 0 1 Perez 3b 3 1 2 1
Haad c 3 0 0 0 Brito c 3 0 0 0
Hansen ph/c 0 1 0 0 Jarvis p 2 0 1 1
Hennessey p 2 0 0 0 Sadler ph 1 0 0 0
Alfonzo c 1 1 1 0 Bajenaru p 0 0 0 0
Labarbera 3b 0 0 0 0
Totals 33 5 9 5 Totals 33 3 7 3
Fresno 010 001 021 — 5
Sidewinders 001 001 100 — 3
E: Nunez, Gil. LOB: Fresno 8, Sidewinders 3. 2B: Frandsen, Perez, Carter. HR: Drew (3). SB: Hansen, Ortmeier, Perez, Erickson.
Fresno IP H R ER BB SO
Hennessey 6 4 2 2 0 4
Tejera W, 1-0 1 1/2 3 1 0 0 2
Wilson 1/3 0 0 0 0 0
Valdez 1 0 0 0 0 0
Sidewinders
Jarvis 7 5 2 2 0 5
Bajenaru L, 0-1 1 1/3 4 3 3 3 1
Bruney 1/2 0 0 0 1 1
WP: Banjenaru. Time: 2:49. A: 4,591.
Grizzlies 5
Sidewinders 3
