Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Coming Attraction: Mother's Day at Dodger Stadium

Kim Carroll, wife of L.A. Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll, cuddles with her twins in the stadium's family room.

I've always thought of baseball as a dad kind of thing. After all, it was my dad who took me to my first baseball game and my first Yankees game -- his favorite team, thanks to Oklahoma-born Mickey Mantle.

But it's the Los Angeles Dodgers, my daughter's hometown team and one she cheers on heartily, that are celebrating Mother's Day in a special way this year. On Sunday, May 9, they're devoting their popular My Town section to moms.

And speaking of moms, I also had the opportunity to chat with Kim Carroll, wife of Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll and mom of 2-year-old fraternal twins Cole and Mackenzie.

Kim and her kids will be at the day game on Sunday (after the twins take their nap, she said), when fans who buy seats in the special Dodgertown, Mothers section will receive pink Dodgertown, Mothers T-shirts (right). There also will be a special all-you-can-eat menu of grilled chicken sandwiches with marinated artichokes and fruit, as well as that L.A. baseball staple, the Dodger Dog.

And $2 from every ticket sold will be donated to ThinkCure! to help fight breast cancer.

I caught up with Kim last week in the adorably decorated family room of Dodger Stadium. It was an evening game, and she had her son and daughter outfitted in pajamas just in case they fell asleep while Dad Jamey was slugging it out on the field.

She and her family recently moved to L.A. after Jamey joined the Dodgers from the Cleveland Indians.

"We're really enjoying ourselves, and everybody's been super warm and welcoming, so it's been a great experience so far," Kim, who's originally from Florida, said about their new city.

Mother's Day is doubly special for the Carrolls since they have twins, but Kim said the holiday used to be a tough one.

"We had a very difficult time having children," Kim said, "so Mother's Day ... it used to be kind of a painful holiday, and it was so exciting when we finally were able to have kids. So that first Mother's Day was just really special."

"And it wasn't anything that happened," she added. "It was just more or less that we felt so blessed that we were able to finally have children."

And though her children are twins, Kim said they each definitely have their own personalities. "He's 100% boy, and she's 100% girl, so it's definitely interesting to see the gender differences when they're growing up at the exact same age."

She also mentioned that this is the first year the 2-year-old duo are really starting to understand that their dad is a big-time baseball player.

"Every time that my little boy, Cole, sees somebody wearing something Dodgers -- which, obviously in L.A., is everywhere we go -- he says, 'Dodgers! Dodgers! Dodgers!'" Kim said. "And they're enjoying watching the games."

"I think it's still a little weird to see their dad on TV," she added, "but overall they're Dodger fans now."

Go Dodgers and Happy (early) Mother's Day!

Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodgertown, Mothers
Sunday, May 9 | 1:10 p.m.
Tickets: Individual ($45); Day of Game ($50)

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails