in review / By Maxwell Schnurer

Crabs vs. Steelheads

(July 10, 2008)  July 2, Crabs Stadium

The Humboldt Crabs bested the Humboldt Steelheads in both games of a doubleheader Wednesday night. Despite the losses, the Steelheads are shaping up to be a strong baseball team – made up of local college students, the team is full of scrap and quickness.

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There were more than 1,000 appreciative fans glad for the Steelheads’ last-minute substitution for the Marin Merchants. This is also an excellent year for the Crabs’ roster and the teams played good fast baseball. Of course, in Crabs Stadium the baseball game is only part of the experience. There is also the oozing melee of youth, parades of the fashion-savvy voguing on top of crushed peanut shells, the old friends and of course the Crab Grass Band. When I brag to out-of-area people about the Crabs, I usually start with the band.

The band has four flutes, a tuba, great percussion, horns galore, and they play awesome tunes. From Steve Miller to Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” to the closing Black Sabbath number, the Crab Grass Band always adds flavor to the games.

After the last Steelheads/Crabs extra-innings showdown, I decided to cheer for the Steelheads. My reasoning was that the Steelheads actually live here; they have roots and a commitment to this place. I still support the Crabs, just not when they play the Steelheads. Upon hearing that the local players had stepped up to make sure baseball went down on Wednesday night, I was motivated to buy a Steelheads cap and started hollering for them.

I usually sit in the “loud section,” between the band and the beer. And I like to cheer. Live sports are all about participation and interaction in ways that can seldom happen when a television is involved.

I come by my volume honestly — my mother is a skilled heckler who loves baseball with a passion. We’ve been to a few major league games together, and I studied her ability to add wry commentary at full volume and join into every collective cheer. We have very different memories of a Mother’s Day game at Yankee Stadium where I believe she was reprimanded by the usher for her pointed commentary, something I’m quite proud of — she, unsurprisingly, denies this ever took place.

A few tips for those of you who yearn to join the cheering masses:

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