Once upon a time, I would weather almost any storm to attend a baseball game. At some point I reached the age of reason and factored comfort and the ability to keep score into the equation and cut back on the number of inclement games I’d attend.

Even though I don’t keep a scorecard at a football game, I haven’t had reason to attend an NFL game outdoors for years. The last half dozen games I’ve attended were in the comfort of the RCA Dome in Indy. I may be a fair-weather fan after all. As I]ve gotten older I’ve made the decision to not brave the cold of Chicago Aprils or Mays for just that reason and it’s why I will catch games in Milwaukee at AmFam Field.

As fans of other teams and sports, I wonder what are the extreme weather conditions that prevent you from attending a game, cost not being a concern. Rumor has it that season ticketholders might be passing on tomorrow’s Chillfest between the Browns and Bears along the lakefront.

Earlier this week at our office holiday party, we had a raffle where every prize was donated by vendors. Ergo, nobody paid for their prizes. One of the prizes was four tickets to a White Sox game with free parking and access to the Wintrust Club. As luck would have it, the first winner was a Cubs fan who rudely, but not surprisingly scoffed at accepting the gift. It got me to thinking he was both a fool and an ingrate. While I am no more a Sox fan than he, I would have gladly taken the tickets and found 3 relatives or friends to join me. At the very least, I would have given the tickets to someone who would enjoy it.

If presented with free tickets for a team you don’t like, would you attend or grouse about your misfortune? I appreciate not attending on principle believing you’d be supporting an organization whose practices you don’t approve of.

As the name of the blog implies, I’d much rather be sitting in a ballpark than anyplace else with the caveat of decent weather. I’m glad that I was the Mets and Cardinals play years ago because it was the only game I’ve seen in NY. Last season, I famously saw the White Sox and Cards play at Busch as part of my Erick Fedde tour. If someone were to offer me gratis tickets to any baseball game, I’d have to find a practical reason for not accepting. How about you?