Baseball game in Salem is a hit with students

“The announcement came out of left field.” “Your answer is way off base.” “You need to step up to the plate.” “Three strikes, you’re out!”

These and other baseball-related idioms moved from figurative language to literal for students attending the Salem Red Sox baseball game Friday night. Not only did LCI students have a chance to learn some of the language of baseball that carries over to American speech, but they were also able to check their understanding of language through conversations going on around them.

Even though it was the first baseball game the students had attended, they soon got into the swing of the game. One student who had seen several baseball movies had a good understanding of the basic rules. By the end of the ninth inning, the other students had a good idea of the basics as well.

In addition to the rules part of the game, students experienced the cultural aspects like standing to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” for the seventh-inning stretch, trying some Cracker Jack, and joining in the eighth-inning singing of “Sweet Caroline.”

Although our cheers and support couldn’t lift the Salem Red Sox to a win over the Wilmington Blue Rocks, we did have a treat following the game. The ballpark lights were turned off and there was an extended fireworks display. One of the students said it reminded of his home in Oman where they marked the end of Ramadan with a fireworks display.

— By Bonnie Sumner

Students root, root, root for the home team

The Washington Nationals take on the Philadelphia Philles at Nationals Park in Southeast Washington.

The following was submitted by LCI student Alejandro Ortiz:

On April 18, I had the pleasure to share a baseball game with the Virginia Tech students and some professors. Maybe a baseball game is a mundane activity for more than one American; nevertheless, it was an appealing proposal for a foreign student such as me.

As an Argentinean, I am used to attending soccer games, but baseball games ... maybe in some Hollywood movie!

First, the most attractive thing for me was how people from different ages were sharing the show. Moreover, it was really interesting to see how each was wearing something to be identified with his or her team. Even the fact that both team fanatics were sitting together with other team fans peacefully was astounding.

Surprisingly, I realized that most people go to the game to socialize more than to see the game. That is undoubtedly good!

To cut a long story short, it was a nice step to experience the American culture and understand the way they live.

Professors Guennadi Bratichko, Lily Jaffie-Shupe, and Christine Bobal show their support for the Nationals.

Amani Alghuraydh, Turki Alhenaki, and Maram Sulaiman contributed to this story:

The baseball game plays a vital role in the sports world. In a baseball game, each team consists of at least nine players. There are many teams in the USA.

First, we went to a baseball game. We were excited because this was our first time to see the game. There were a lot of fans. The game was between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. There were almost 25,000 fans at the game.

Finally, all the fans were sad because the time lost game. Next we left the stadium at 4 p.m. We went to a restaurant. Then we walked to the Metro, and it was crowded. I think we got a new experience. We will go again.