It doesn’t happen very often, but every once in a while, I have to admit I was wrong and my mind has been changed. That’s what sitting in the sun at a Texas Rangers baseball game will do to you.

My fellow comedian friend, Gordon Douglas, and I were in Dallas to attend the Christian Comedy Association Conference recently, and we decided to take in a Rangers day game against the Kansas City Royals. On this Saturday, the Rangers came away with a 6-2 win.

Ever since the Rangers announced they had intentions to build a new ballpark, I criticized the idea. After all, Globe Life Park in Arlington is only 25 years old. How in the world do they possibly need a new ballpark already, I wondered?

There are plenty of stadiums around the country much older than the one in Texas, and you don’t hear those teams wanting to build new stadiums. I understand, some of them have become historic and may never be replaced, like Wrigley Field in Chicago (opened in 1914) and Fenway Park in Boston (opened in 1912). However, there are others, less historic, that have been around for more than 40 years: Dodgers Stadium in L.A. (57), Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (53), Angel Stadium in Anaheim (53), and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City (46 years).

I’ve been to a few games at Globe Life Park over the past 25 years, but the most recent was more than 10 years ago, so I can’t say I know it well.

Is it my favorite stadium to watch a Major League Baseball game?

I’ve been to 13 major league parks, and not all of them are still around, but of the ones that are, Globe Life Park is certainly in my top three with Kauffman Stadium and Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

However, after sitting in the blazing sun, with the temperature hovering at 93 degrees, and sweating profusely, I decided maybe a new stadium with a retractable roof is not a bad idea.

Currently under construction and set to be finished in time for the 2020 season, is Globe Life Field (not to be confused with the current Globe Life Park). The new stadium is being built adjacent to the current stadium, and will be larger but have fewer seats.

Globe Life Field will have 40,300 seats, compared to the current 49,000 seats, however, each seat will be two inches wider. The seats will be closer to the field, as the backstop will be seven feet closer to home plate than in the current ballpark. And, of course, it will have a retractable roof, to keep out the heat of the summer afternoon games, but still allow for an open-air stadium feel on cool spring evenings.

From everything I’ve seen and read, this new ballpark will be quite a gem.

WALK UP MUSIC

At all levels of college and professional baseball, each player gets to choose what music will be played when they are introduced and come to the plate; it’s called their walk-up music. Well, there’s this new very catchy song that has become quite popular among children, but is also getting a lot of play at sports events. It’s called The Shark Song. If you’re not familiar with it, look it up on the Internet, but don’t blame me if you can’t get it out of your head for a few days.

At the Rangers game, I was surprised to hear the song being played when All-Star shortstop Elvis Andrus came to bat, so I did a little research. It appears, he decided to use the song to bring a smile to the face of his son, Emilio Elvis.

“It reminds me of my son and gets me where I want to be for an at-bat,” Andrus told the Dallas Morning News. “You will get used to it. I did.”

 In another interview, Andrus admitted he’s very superstitious about his walk-up music.

“It’s my at-bats, it’s my song, I can do anything I want,” Andrus told MLB.com. “I am very superstitious, if it gets a hit every day, I am going to keep it. If I don’t get any hits, it might not be up there. Hopefully it will be the song I hit well with.”

The song is unique, it’s family friendly, and he’s using it for a good reason. I can’t think of any better way to pick your walk-up music. Good for you, Elvis Andrus!