Rally Monkey Mom

Celebrate MLB Opening Day at Home: Ballpark Style

The start of the 2012 MLB season is just a few days away and this year, the Angels begin their World Series quest at home, in Anaheim, this Friday night. I don’t think there has ever been a more anticipated Angels season than this one. And the game is sure to be a sellout as fans pack into Angel Stadium to get their first regular season glimpse of Albert Pujols and Company. I will be there with my family and honestly, I cannot wait!

Don’t have tickets to the big game? Not to worry, because you don’t have to be at The Big A to join in the Opening Day fun. Last year, the Angels began the season on the road, but that didn’t stop us at the Russo house from cheering on our Halos. We just celebrated at home—ballpark style.

I started with picking up some things from my local Party City. There were plenty of Angel-themed paper goods, balloons and decorations available. With a little help from my girls and our Rally Monkeys, we transformed our dining area into an “Angels Zone”.

Then it was time to focus on the food. This can be whatever you prefer to eat while watching a ballgame, as ballpark food can be just about anything these days. We decided to keep it “old school” and feast on the stadium standards. John fired up the BBQ and grilled hot dogs that we paired with some wings. I recreated one of my favorite ballpark food items, the salted pretzel with cheese, by using frozen pretzels from Ralphs. Add in your favorite brew and you are good to go.

Of course, I didn’t forget the snack treats, as I think these are the highlight of a trip to the Big A for my girls. I had plenty of Cracker Jacks, peanuts, and Red Vines on hand. I even found customized Angels M&M’s at Party City. Perfect for the chocoholic in me.

But I couldn’t have an Angels ballpark dinner without my very favorite item—the helmet sundae! I found the 4-pack of Angels mini batting helmets from championsondisplay.com for $8.49 (free shipping right now!). These reusable helmets were great not only for the ice cream sundaes, but for holding peanuts, M&M’s and other treats.

We all dressed in our Angels gear and parked ourselves in front of our TV and enjoyed the game. This was a very simple meal to pull together, and can be done at any point during the baseball season, not just for Opening Day. Customize it however you’d like. Invite your neighbors and friends and make it a bigger event. It’s also the perfect birthday party theme for the little slugger in your life.

So whether you are at Angel Stadium this Friday night or not, be sure to enjoy the game. Get your kids involved and make some fun family memories. This is going to be a great season.

Go Angels!!

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