Star Wars Night at the San Jose Giants

Star Wars Night at the San Jose Giants was an interesting event.  We arrived early and suited up in a landscaping shed.  Not glamorous, to be sure, but plenty of room for all of us to move around even with our oversized armor "bins."  The Mandalorian Mercs joined us on this troop so we had at least twenty costumers crammed in the shed.

Our handler from the Giants arrived and brought written instruction of what we needed to do throughout the game.

I love written instructions.  A poorly planned and organized event is frustrating for everyone.  Together with the Mercs we assigned names to every activity we needed to cover throughout the game.  Everyone would get equal time on the field, but it would also give all of us time for breaks and food.

We love it when folks feed us.  It isn't required.  However, trooping is exhausting, sweaty work.  Some food and water is greatly appreciated.

We stripped out of our street clothes and suited up in time to greet the crowds at the gates.  The video attached above comes from a GoPro inside the helmet of one of our troopers.  Most of it is pre-game footage.

As with most ball games, the majority of our responsibilities happened before the game.  We spent a great deal of time interacting with fans and taking photos.  Once most everyone was inside and happily getting their souvenirs and snacks, we were given a short break for water.

Water breaks are awesome.

I've noticed the ball teams have a higher level of understanding of how to treat costumed characters.  I think this comes from having team mascots.  Such a huge help to be able to head back to our changing area, remove our buckets and get something to drink.  Seems so basic but I've done many other troops where the basic need for a water break has gone overlooked.  It is one of the reasons I've pushed so hard for handlers at every troop.

We headed back out again for on-field activities.  It is such a thrill to be on the field whether it is a major league or minor league team.  It is a feeling like: "Wow.  I'm not supposed to be here.  But, I am.  I'm not sure I ever would have been here if I hadn't decided to dress up in spandex and plastic."
My mind wanders to all sorts of thoughts.

But, I am always grateful for the opportunities that have come my way thanks to the 501st.

All of us ended up staying until the end of the game, and then sat around for at least another hour sharing a meal together.  Our handler from the Giants waited on us hand and foot.  It was unbelievable.  He kept getting us food and drinks and was so gracious to us.  This sort of courteous treatment ensures we will back again.  Thank you.  A class act from the San Jose Giants.

Star Wars Night at the Oakland A's. Then and Now.

It's gotten to the point now I'm doing many of these events for a second time.  A year ago, I did my first Star Wars Night with the Oakland A's and I just did the event again.

The first time I did the event I was nervous and excited and arrived much earlier than necessary.  I was concerned about traffic and built in extra time.  The second time, I arrived with five minutes to spare.

The first time, I was stuck greeting fans coming in from the BART station and never made it down to the field.  I still had fun, but of course, I was curious what it would be like to actually see the field.

This year, I ended up on the group of characters chosen to go out on the field.  Whoa.  I was giddy with excitement.  I've done so many troops this year, (almost 40), that it takes a lot these days to overwhelm me.  But, I have to admit I had a fan girl moment when we first stepped out onto the field.  It was an extraordinary feeling.  The field was larger than I thought it would be, (bigger than it looks from the stands.)  I was in my Imperial officer costume, so I could easily see everything.  The sights, sounds and smells seemed unusually vivid.  I was trying to look everywhere at once and keep an eye on everyone else.  As a soft costumed character, I had a responsibility to keep an eye on anyone wearing a helmet.  (They "can't see a thing" with those buckets on.)

We'd barely set foot on the field before there were balls underfoot.  I gently kicked them to the side with my boot to get them out of the way and make sure none of the troopers went down slipping on an errant ball.  They wouldn't be able to see these hazards with their field of vision.  We were asked to walk around the perimeter of the field, greeting fans in the stands.  The fans were so pumped up, and they just wanted to touch us and give us high fives.  Always a strange sensation to see how people react to you in costume.  You get this sort of "rock star" reaction sometimes, but it is not you.  It is the costume.

We ended up posing for a number of photos for the press, and then acting as an honor escort for the "first pitch" and the second "first pitch."  The second one was more memorable because it was thrown  by a little kid in a Chewbacca costume.  The ball went about three feet and then hit the dirt.  The crowds thought it was adorable, and went crazy.

A small subset of the group was then picked to stalk the referees.  I was in this group, so we hung back and waited until they came out and then basically stood around staring at them as they did their pre-game meeting and making them very nervous.  (This was simply a fun prank with the employees there messing with each other.  It was funny.)

We were then done for the day, and asked if we wanted to take a short cut back to our changing area.  It involved taking stairs.  Of course, I could've done a marathon since I was in a soft costume, but I had a Vader and two stormtroopers with me.  They were all confident they could do it.  And, impressively, all three of them made it up the stairs with little difficulty.  Well done.

Our handler tried to take us on the least crowded route back to the green room, but the corridors were still thronged with people and we couldn't get there without going through some public areas.  Everywhere we went, people had that same sort of "rock star" reaction.  The site of Vader and his troopers has a powerful effect on people.  I was in handler mode, trying to keep the moving, and politely telling people we couldn't stop for photos.  We'd never make it back if we stopped for photos every two or three feet.

There were some duties for the other teams throughout the game related to contests and giveaways, but my team was done.  I changed out and headed home after a few innings to get ahead of the traffic.  We could have changed back into costume for the fireworks, but very few of us were willing to brave the traffic of staying to the end of the game.

It was a good night.  A very good night.