The wait is over, baseball fans—America’s pastime is back!
Although this year’s baseball games will be a different experience, where all the action will unfold while people are at home and not the ballparks, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a memorable time. The crack of the bat, the pop of the ball hitting the mitt, the game’s nuances, all of it can still be enjoyed.
And that includes the game’s most popular snack: peanuts!
With a little creativity, baseball fans can generate their own stadium-like atmosphere from home, making new traditions mixed with classics that make the game so wonderful. If you feel overwhelmed, keep this in mind: Baseball and peanuts are a classic combo that can be enjoyed in the living room just as easily as the stands.
Once you have that covered, you’re practically set.
Here are a few other possibilities that will help bring the game home.
1. Wear your favorite ballpark attire
Wearing your favorite jersey—or any of the flare that shows your team spirit—is a great way to ring in that ballpark feeling. If there are a few rivalries among family and friends, this is also the perfect time to remind them where you stand.
2. Don’t forget the roasted peanuts!
“Peanuts, here! Peanuts!”
No setup would be complete without paying homage to the perfect baseball concession, right? If you have guests, fill up a carrying tray with all the roasted goodness and show off your best ballpark vendor skills. Behind-the-back tosses are highly encouraged!
Need extras? To help get back into the swing of the season, the National Peanut Board is Spreading Good by bringing baseball fans a taste of being at the ballpark with free peanut giveaways—check out the details on Twitter.
3. Set up your home stadium
Bring the television outside, set up a few rows of chairs—foldouts would be the classic go-to here—and take in the ballgame with six-feet of separation between you and the rest of the crowd. Toss peanut shells on the ground while embracing the nine innings of snacking and cheering.
In case you’re wondering: Yes, it’s 100 percent OK to encourage your guests to do the wave.
4. Play baseball trivia
You won’t have the scoreboard testing your baseball I.Q. in between innings, but that doesn’t mean your only option during commercial breaks (when you’re not getting another bag of peanuts) is scrolling through social media. Instead, challenge your friends and family to a little at-home trivia.
Create a few rounds of questions—one for each inning would be ideal—and test everyone’s mastery of all things baseball. Movies. Player names and numbers. Perhaps try these to start: When were peanuts first sold at a game? What ballparks consume the most in-shell peanuts each season? What year did the famous lyrics to “Take me out to the ball game” get written?
And speaking of the middle of the seventh…
5. Sing ‘Take me out to the ball game’ during the 7th-inning stretch
You’ve waited long enough—it’s time to stretch and sway and sing the classic jingle. This is also the perfect time to dust off the peanut shells that have landed on your lap.
Now, a-one, and a-two, and a-three!
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out,
At the old ball game.