Buy boxes of Cracker Jacks and carefully open to insert your invitation and a baseball trinket.  Put in a box, oversized envelope or attach a mailing label to the outside of the boxes and take the the post office to postage and mailing. Again, if you have enough time, mail a sample copy to yourself first so you can judge how long it takes for invitation to arrive and in what condition.

Drape your den with shirts, throws, jackets, programs, hats and other baseball finds.

Encourage fan rivalry by decorating with colors and insignias to match the teams playing.

Hang a sign over your door or on your lawn with your stadium's name (O'Brien's Outfield, Marvin's Mounds, Palmers Park, etc.) to let your guests know they've arrived at sports central.

 Cover chair backs with team shirts and jackets to further set the scene.

The party host(s) should dress in umpire attire to add to the atmosphere.

String baseball pennants  from doorways and around the room.

No helium, just hot air, is needed for this beautiful baseball centerpiece

If you're short on time, buy a complete decorating set

Suspend a piñata for added ambience and so frustrated fans can free their feelings at the end of the game.

 Dangle baseball cutouts from your ceiling or chandelier.

 Set the scene with this 8' x 14' baseball stadium backdrop for your viewing or buffet area.

Here's a fun and frugal idea!  Let inexpensive, oversized plain t-shirts (if your budget is bigger, select baseball style shirts) do triple-duty as decor, place cards and a post-game memento by using a publishing or word processing program on your computer and heat-transfer paper to create personalized team shirts for your guests.  Type in each guest's first initial and last name and assign them a number to correspond to their favorite team player.  Use clip art programs, stickers or iron-on patches to designate their favorite team on the sleeve.

Blanket your buffet with a stadium throw, baseball-themed tablecovering or create your own with artificial turf or a grassy green tablecovering which you've trimmed with white tape to create a baseball diamond.

 Pile up paper plates and cups  with a baseball or major league design.

Or order serving ware in your team colors--some great specials on solids.

Concession stand snacks will look even more tempting from baseball mitt-shaped containers.

Blow a sports whistle to announce that your  concession cafe is open.

Encourage patriotism and a sense of being at the game by encouraging guests to stand up and sing along to the National Anthem and saluting the American flag .

Kick off the game with a rousing singalong rendition of Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

When your team's standing is up and down, match the action with a baseball-styled yo-yo .

Test their skills by tossing a regulation baseball through a hula hoop or old tire or against an old mattress propped against a wall or tree with a bullseye painted on it. 

 Encourage team spirit by "branding" guests with their favorite team tattoos.

Log on to ESPN.com so fans can catch up with stats and also to play the trivia games found on those sites during that seventh inning stretch.

Dugout drama can still be tense by trying to score with baseball maze puzzles.

Rent or buy a few videos with a baseball theme such as League of Their Own, Bull Durham, The Natural, the new one, The Rookie,  or others from "favorite lists" found on this page. This activity is for guests who don't care about the diamond doings but still want to stay in the spirit of your celebration.

For pre-game fun, let your guests or the kids put together team-colored pennants from felt triangles, stick-on letters or fabric glue, tape or staples and sticks.