Dos and Don'ts of sports
Taking your kids to a baseball game: A guide from a single parent
Apr 3, 2018, 6:38 am
Here are the dos and don'ts of taking children to the game. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
I took my daughter to the Astros game recently. Usually during the summer, I like to take the afternoon off and go to day games. First, they are cheaper, and second, it’s just less stressful when there are less people in the ballpark.
We met up with a friend who has two kids, and the two adults to three kids ratio was difficult to manage. Parents with more than two kids are heroes. But an evening game can be fun with all of the excitement especially with the home team being really good now.
Having done the difficult leg work, I’ve come up with a list of dos and don’ts for taking your kids to sporting events:
Dos:
- Do set expectations early about what you will and will not be purchasing at the game. For example: “I will be buying you cotton candy and a Sprite, because it’s Friday night and I’m a cool mom, but I will not be buying a $13 Astros-branded fidget spinner because, while I am cool, I know you will lose it immediately.”
Do limit yourself to two beers. For some reason baseball game beers seem to affect some of us more than regular home beers.
Do purchase cheap seats and then move down and sit in the 100 section. This should be a no-brainer, and I promise you the team does not care.
Do keep your kids engaged by actually talking to them through the game. I like to explain to mine what everything on the scoreboard means and who each of the players are.
Don’ts:
Don't take the train to the game. Many of you won’t have this problem as you probably live far enough away that it’s just impractical. I am a five-minute walk from Wheeler Station, so we often take the train. But when it’s 100 degrees outside with 80 percent humidity this is a poor decision. Also, you’ll be with the night train people when the game is over - less than ideal!!
Don't let your child run up and down the aisles during at bats. I cannot stress this enough. I wrote about this baffling trend a couple of weeks ago on Houston Sports and Stuff and it’s like Astros fans have been trolling me ever since.
Don't let people make you feel like a bad fan for leaving a game early. The second inning of a recent baseball game was approximately 15 hours long. At 9:30 pm it was only the fourth inning of a baseball game that ended with the Astros and Twins not scoring after the fifth. I had an ornery 5-year-old who had spilled two Sprites and been awake for 13 straight hours.
Follow these simple rules, and you’ll have an amazing time at the game and keep yourself generally sane.
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.