Picnic at the Park

Yesterday was another absolutely beautiful day here in Palo Alto - 60 degrees and sunny with a light breeze.  The perfect weekend weather happened to coincide precisely with the start of college baseball season - on Saturday afternoon, #2 Stanford hosted #10 Vanderbilt in the second game of a three-game set.  Whether or not you're a fan of college baseball, you'll love spending a few hours in the sun at Stanford's Klein Field.  Bring a few drinks and snacks and you're in for a relaxing day, and get to watch some top-quality college baseball in the process.

As much as I've grown to love Stanford sports, sometimes I miss the small-school feel that I had as an undergraduate.  Cardinal football games don't compare to the NFL or even the SEC, but they do feature big crowds, commercial endorsements and television coverage.  Even Stanford basketball games at Maples Pavilion are relatively big budget compared to what I had become accustomed to while following the Ivy League.  College baseball games, however, remain relatively free of the sensory overload that dominates other BCS-conference sports.

A baseball game at Stanford's Klein Field is closer to a peaceful picnic than a rowdy sporting event.  I brought snacks into the park and enjoyed a couple hours of the best baseball the NCAA has to offer from seats in between home plate and the third base dugout.  If you'd prefer to trade in your seat for a spot on the grass, you can sit down the right or left field lines next to the bullpens and watch the game from the comfort of your beach blanket.  The game is relatively free of energetic crowd noise (this is college baseball, after all) and has minimal PA announcements, so for the most part you get to sit in a peaceful setting and listen to the harmonious pings of NCAA baseball's metal bats.

Fans enjoy Stanford vs. Vanderbilt from the lawn down the right field line,

Last season I only made it to one Stanford baseball game, but this year I'll be sure to make Saturday afternoon's game one of many (or at least a few).  With the Cardinal squad projected to go deep in the College World Series this year, the school's athletic department is making a push to drive more students to baseball games - for the first time, the Red Zone student section featured at Cardinal football games has been moved over to Klein Field, so students can watch baseball games from a guaranteed great seat.  Even if you're not that interested in the game itself, anyone who likes sun, beautiful weather and a serene-yet-fun atmosphere would be smart to check out at least one Stanford baseball game this year.