(Sorry, this is a bit late.)
I mentioned not feeling well going to the game last Sunday. I spent the week miserable with a cold. I couldn’t even take a day off to recover,
since my backup went on vacation to go to the Canelo-Khan fight Vegas with his
girlfriend. (Though it’s nice to know
that there’s one thing at work I do that is actually daily business-critical
that not just any untrained yahoo can do.)
I don’t think going to the game made my condition worse, but it didn’t
help. (I was able to thank the officer
who’d bought the tickets for the game and told him that he was mentioned
there. He was pleased with the
recognition.) Thankfully by Saturday,
the Theraflu-ish stuff I belatedly started taking finished the cold off (and
after I’ve likely infected a dozen people at work).
I was feeling so good, when I got up, I went right over to Hastings for Free Comic
Book Day just when they opened.
Unfortunately, so had a couple of hundred other people, but I got what I
was looking for (and a DVD and a gift for someone to give the store some
business). This doesn’t have anything to
do with baseball, but bear with me, this doesn’t merit a separate post, but
needs mentioning. I simply ask you to
recall my review of Batman vs Superman, and then take a look at this from
the Grumpy Cat free comic.
Even Grumpy Cat is piling on. And this right after How It Should Have Ended
does their magnum opus skewering of the film (oh, watch this Superman episode they
did nine years ago first, if you haven’t seen it). Meanwhile, Marvel releases their superhero vs
superhero movie, Captain America: Civil
War this weekend to rave critical and fan reviews. DC, just stick with your awesome CW shows and
think about expanding on them (heck, rename the network The DC and do five
superhero shows a week, I’m okay with that) and stop embarrassing yourself with
your movies.
Back to baseball. The
Aggies lost an extra-inning heart-breaker Friday night, 10-9 in 10 innings. Given that they started down 5-0, it was a
good effort. DJ had a pair of home runs
and there was even a pineapple giveaway for the fans. They had the lead in the 9th, but Galindo
had his first blown save off a home run, no less.
The weather for today’s game was wonderful. I dressed way too warmly and ended up not
needing a jacket. The predicted 40 mph
winds for the weekend never really materialized and the ambient temperature was
pleasantly warm. The parking lot was
also pleasantly full with three RV’s tailgating. It was Greek day and a fraternity was there handing
out free pizza and playing games at the front gate. Our attendance was a robust 753 souls, a
great crowd. Being Greek Day, it was the
Girl Show when it comes to pretty young women at the ballpark. This time though, there plenty of young men
there as well.
The frat boys actually provided the best entertainment. A bunch them occupied the section next to the
visitor’s dugout. These seats were
chosen for a reason. As the Seattle dugout started
off the game fairly loudly, they were quickly shouted down by the frats. As the Seattle
players returned after bad at-bats, they got the full business,
ruthlessly. I was on the other side of
the stadium and didn’t hear what they were saying, but it must have been
Bleacher Creature-esqe as the players were retreating head down to the back of
the dugout. I bear these opposing schools no animosity, so
I wouldn’t do this, but I was loving every minute of watching somebody else doing
it.
There were lots of kids out for the game. There some by the radio booth crowd mike that
everyone got to listen to for the whole game.
I think many were there for the MLB’s Pitch, Hit, and Run competition
that took place after the game. I’d love
to break that event down for you like a kid NFL combine, rattling off height,
weight, sprint times, and Wonderlic test results, but I was hungry after the
game and left immediately afterward. (By
the way, Scholotzsky’s new pretzel bread Ultimate Cheese sandwich is
awesome.) I’m sure it was fun to
watch. I got my allotment to cute kid
action in the 6th. There were
about ten kids hanging out by the entrance ramp. The next foul ball that went out of the
stadium sent the whole gaggle of them screaming after it. It was hysterical.
There were plenty of characters in the crowd. There was a little girl with a recovered
baseball and a softball. That’s an
interesting souvenir for a baseball game.
There was a guy with a signed bat, and a kid with a bunch of signatures
on a jersey. I think I saw a couple of
softball players. The volleyball player
that had been on crutches was just using one crutch this time to get around
now. I was sorry that her teammate
wasn’t there. She’s very pretty and
seems like she’s about 7 ft tall.
She’s been hard to miss, whenever she shows up. The football player from last weekend and his
girlfriend were there. I also noticed
that the Redhawks have an attractive female trainer. The inter-personal dynamics in their
clubhouse must be interesting.
There was a girl in an Oriental bamboo hat. The traitorous, double agent fashionable girl
was not there. I fully expected to see
her wearing a Redhawks jersey this time.
In the 9th, a girl brought in a cute little dog. I still wonder about the rules for that, but
I say, bring in the dogs. There was a fan
with a pineapple, our new mascot. The
dangerous killer hawk returned, ominously circling the field. The PA even brought in a DJ to play music
between innings (sorry, I didn’t write down his name). He did a good job with the limited canvas to
work with.
Okay, the real fan news here is that I saw the hottest chick
ever at the ballpark. She was dressed in
tight-fitting workout clothes, shades, and her long highlighted blonde hair
pulled back in a long practical, but elegant ponytail. To borrow a line from a William Gibson story,
if you’re trying to impress a crowd, you have to be really gorgeous to aspire
to show up somewhere that casual-looking.
It wasn’t that she had any special features; it was just that every
feature that she had was perfect.
The game certainly started off well for the Aggies. After a 1-2-3 top of the first, #3 Austin
Botello came up with a man on. A big
gust of wind suddenly kicked up. It was
an Aggie wind as what looked like a pop up initially, sailed right over the
right field fence. Aggies up 2-0. #7 Brock Carpenter, last night’s hero for Seattle , lead off the
next inning with a home run, but the Aggies answered with a run in the second
and two more in the 4th. 5-1
Aggies.
In the 4th, after hitting a home run and a
triple, Botello drove in another run on a single. Unfortunately, he was thrown out trying to
stretch it into a double, looking to finish the day with a reverse natural
cycle. Carpenter on the Redhawks was
also working on a cycle during the game.
I honestly don’t understand the mystical importance of hitting for the
cycle. I just don’t. I’d take four hits on the day any way they
came, preferably like Josh Hamilton hitting those four home runs at Camden
Yards in 2012. That was an achievement. (Actually, he went 5 for 5 that night.)
#34 Nick Meservey of Seattle
came into the game as one of the best pitchers in the conference, but just
didn’t have it today as three of his four walks came into score. #38 Kyle Bradish had been very effective
pitching for the Aggies in the meantime.
However, after his warm up pitches in the 5th, I noticed him
rotating his arm, which could pretty much only mean he was in some
discomfort. The hit batsman, the wild
pitch, the two-run homer, and finally the walk bore out my theory. By the end of the inning, it was 6 to 4
Aggies. Two Aggie relievers were used in
the 6th as the Redhawks mounted another comeback, but the damage was
limited to one run. With the score now
6-5 Aggies, #33 Joe Koerper led off the bottom of the 6th with a
deep home run to center. That may have
been the back-breaker for Seattle . Koerper arrived at home plate and was first
met by Pona the rally pineapple in the receiving line, whom he promptly
kissed.
In the 8th, #30 Tyler Erwin came in and locked down the
inning. As he came off the field, #12
pitcher Chris Kucko was the first to greet him with screaming and a
beating. The two staged a “rally” fight
as it were. I’d seen them do this on TV
during the game with the Lobos earlier in the week. The announcers were concerned the two might
injure each other. #27 Joe Galindo was
brought out for 9th. He would
again face Carpenter, who had homered off him the day before, but this time it
ended in a strikeout. While the tying
run came to the plate, Galindo struck him out looking to end the game. Aggies win 8-5.
It was a very clean game by both teams without any
errors. Neither club beat themselves,
though seven of the 12 batters who didn’t hit their way on did come around to
score for both teams. The Aggies have
really tightened up their defense from earlier in the season. I think credit goes to coach Brian Green for
that. The game went 3 hours and 14
minutes, but the steady scoring, close score, and a large, happy crowd did not
allow the game to drag.
Your players of the game are #3 Austin Botello, going 3 for
4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run, and #25 Chase Ridder for Seattle (what a great
name), on a similar line, who went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI’s and a home run. #5 Dalton Hurd had the best defensive play on
the field with a great diving catch in the 7th. However, the best play of the game was in the
stands. In the 6th, a foul
ball went straight back and hit the canopy and dropped into the crowd. A young man who might have been a high school
player, nonchalantly picked it out of mid-air, and casually tossed the ball to
someone nearby. That got a round of
applause from me at least. Your stat of
the game is that the Aggies scored in six of their eight innings. Even at one and two runs at a time, that is
unbearable offensive pressure to put on your opponents.
I end up finishing off my day watching the Canelo-Khan fight, but that will have to keep for another post. Free comics, a great game, and a great fight,
what a great day!
No comments:
Post a Comment