The Old Ball Game

People always search for there own piece of heaven or sanity, whether it's in a book, movie, or a vacation. For some of us, that sounds enticing and may even provoke you to plan your weekend immediately. Well, for us sports fans, we have our own little heaven in the summer. It consists of anthems, chanting fans, and ball park franks. America's pastime may be overshadowed by the appeal of football but it still is truly sports heaven. 

The ballpark is a sports sanctuary where many amazing moments have occurred in history. I happened to stumble across a little piece of heaven when I ventured out to see the Charlotte Knights take on the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees for an afternoon classic. Although it may not have the popularity of the MLB, the thrills and excitement are all the same. As I entered the stadium filled with hometown fans, school children, and scouts, I could feel the energy in the atmosphere. On a promotion day for one dollar hotdogs, the lines poured into the concession stands before the start of the game. As always, the game kicked off with the singing of the national anthem which was followed by the opening pitch from the Knights. Within the first two innings the Knight were down by eight runs off the bat, but the real solace was simply the stadiums environment.

After a couple of innings of play and most of the fans settled into their seats, the stadium began to come alive. On the corner of the stadium the chants from the spirited youth were, "Let go Knights!". Also, the home town, stand out fan was in attendance and was as feisty as ever with his "Uh-Huh" t-shirt, hat, and signs. This definitely created much needed entertainment for fans as well as a much needed boost for the home team. With a few more innings of play completed and more antics from the fans and mascot, the Knights began their comeback. During the seventh inning stretch fans participated in the traditional singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and with the Knights down by a few runs, a huge inning was a must. 

With a much appreciated effort and fight, the Knights gave it their all but fell short 8-5 to the Yankees. They may have lost the game but the one thing they didn't lose were the fans. This is why this sport will forever be America's pastime. In a time where people are pinching there pennies and looking for cheap entertainment, what's better than an $8 ticket, $1 hotdogs, and baseball. This should be an event that families should mark on their calenders. With that being said, I enjoyed my day at the old ball game!

Kanye Revisited

Holiday weekends are the absolute best, especially when you have nothing to do. While relaxing this morning, I listened to Kanye West's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Many people may not like Kanye but you have to respect him and his many talents. This may be his greatest album by far as it takes you to an entirely different level. It's difficult to find an album today that you can listen to from start to finish but Kanye accomplished this with his musical vision.

The album begins with the intro song titled "Dark Fantasy" where he is assisted with the animated voiceover of Nikki Minaj. This track takes you on a ride through some of West's more lyrical side to lead you right into the guitar driven "Gorgeous" where West is accompanied by fellow G.O.O.D. artist, Kid Cudi, and Raekwon. This is definitely a track where you can feel the pain and realism of life. Then you transition into the album's lead single "Power" which speaks for itself as one of the stronger tracks where West flexes his production muscles. Following the lead single is the star driven "All of the Lights" which features Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Elton John, and Alicia Keys to name just a few. Along with the tracks instrumental intro, this is exactly the type of music hip-hop fans need. The other singles, "Monster" and "Runaway", rounds off a nice balance and feel for what fans will get in Kanye's latest effort. The true gem of the album is "Blame Game" which is a tale of two lovers relationship issues and he cleary showcases how he has graduated to another level in his astounding career.

Through the many lyrics and sounds, Kanye showcases his talents in such a way that you can almost see the music as well as hear it. This is what music needs more of, true recording artists because this effort by Kanye is a masterpiece. This is a must get for any hip-hop fan and music lover; a perfect 10/10.

Thanks for reading!