Midsummer Sports Report 2021 Part 6

Part 5

7-5-21

I hadn’t seen dad this weekend and asked if he wanted lunch on Monday.  He’d also mentioned he’d bought an apple pie and some ice cream for the weekend and wanted to share it.  When I was watching NASCAR with Ron on Sunday there was a McDonald’s commercial showcasing their Big Mac.  “I haven’t had a Big Mac in a while.  That looks pretty good,” said Ron.  “Yeah, that burger in the commercial is about twice the size of the real thing.  You know that, right?”  Apparently, I was immune to this commercial.  My dad saw the commercial, too.  He was interested in getting one.  I attempted to talk him out of it, when he remembered that he’d seen another commercial for a What-a-burger Patty Melt.  He thankfully picked that instead. 

 

We went with dad’s friend, Joe, and ate there.  I’d told dad there were onions on the Patty Melt, but he apparently wasn’t listening.  He ate 2/3 and tossed the rest.  He didn’t like the onions.  Joe thought we were at McDonalds and ordered an extra patty for his.  This created a monster burger, which he could only finish half of.  I had a regular burger.  It was fine, but more food than I really needed after the last two day’s meals.  It didn’t entirely sit well later.  I think I spent over $75 on fast food over the weekend.  All I got was two bellyaches and dad telling me that I looked thin. 

 

I did go back to dad’s apartment for the apple pie and ice cream.  As dad had immediately turned on the news on TV, I choked it down as quickly possible and left.  It was hard to enjoy pie with propaganda being shoved down your throat with it.  In spite of my stuffed stomach, I went to the mall to find the excellent popcorn vendor that had appeared there last time I was there.  She was gone.  Serves me right, I guess.  Also gone was one of the high end sports shoe stores and most of the other stores were having clearance sales.  A new restaurant is set to open in the old, beloved Chick-fil-a slot.  Doesn’t matter what it is; it won’t be as good.     

 

Back at home, I was sort of watching Comet’s X-Files marathon featuring A.D. Skinner.  I kind of questioned the theme, but watching some of the episodes, yeah, he’s had some good moments.  Unfortunately, they were repeating some episodes that they’d played the last time they did an X-Files marathon.  The weather came heavily into play for tonight’s sports.  For starters, the Chihuahuas game in Albuquerque was delayed a half hour for rain in the area.  I did start listening to it when the game came, though I wasn’t hugely paying attention to it.    

     

For sports on TV, we had the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I haven’t been following hockey this season.  This series is pretty much over with the Tampa Bay Lightning up 3-0 on the Montreal Canadiens.  I was rooting for the Lightning basically because I wanted to see somebody win a championship tonight.  I questioned if I’d be able to watch any further games of the series. 

 

My reception was okay for the most of the game.  In the first period, in spite of like an 11-1 shots on goal advantage by Tampa Bay, the Canadiens took a 1-0 lead.  Tampa Bay got the equalizer late in period two.  Six men were sent to the penalty box for fighting before they were half way through period three. 

 

Okay at this point, everything happened at the same time.  While it didn’t storm here or even rain, the weather elsewhere started effecting my reception.  KROD with the Chihuahuas powered down after dark and lightning in the area was heavily interfering with listening.  The TV reception on the hockey station started dropping to the point where I couldn’t continuously watch, so I flipped over to watch more of the X-Files marathon.  I just checked back with the game during commercials.

First on the X-Files, the episode started with Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) having sex with a blonde woman.  She looked familiar.  I double checked during the credits, but I was pretty sure who it was, and it was Amanda Tapping.  This puts a whole new context to Stargate SG-1 scenes between Colonel Steven Caldwell and Colonel Sam Carter.  At the hockey game, Montreal scored to make it 2-1, but Tampa Bay tied it a couple of minutes later.  There were fans in the arena at Tampa Bay watching the game, and there were Montreal fans outside their arena watching.  (They were at maybe half capacity inside.)   

 

However, what was going on in Albuquerque with the baseball game was amazing.  Because of the poor reception, I could barely make out what was going on, but the announcer started getting really agitated.  (Tim Hagerty has been off for this series.  I haven’t been able to get the fill-in’s name.)  It was the top of the fifth and the Isotopes were up 3-0. 

 

During the inning, there was lightning over field.  Normally, the umpires would stop the game immediately.  They didn’t.  The Chihuahuas coaches interceded and wanted an explanation.  The next batter stayed in the dugout.  The umpire called him out for not getting to the batter’s box and told them to play on.  The Chihuahuas loaded the bases and the pitcher, of all people, hit a bases-clearing double to tie the score.  Rain was falling by this point.  Finally, there was another lightning strike.  The announcer called it, “The biggest lightning strike I’ve seen in my life.”  The field was immediately cleared. 

 

After a delay, the game was suspended 3-3.  The Isotopes would win the next day, 14-3.  (The Chihuahuas should have just lost it yesterday.  And the regularly scheduled game for today had to be stopped before it became official, so there’s another suspended game.)  There had already been one rain-shortened game this series.  I think the umps were trying to get through the half inning to make the game official and call it.  Instead, they ended up with a tie game and having to play it out tomorrow.  Ironically, that half hour they waited to start might have allowed them enough time to make it official.  

 

Meanwhile in hockey, with a minute left in regulation, a Lightning player took a stick to the face and bled all over the ice.  Tampa Bay had a five minute power play that extended into the overtime.  They couldn’t convert and Montreal won 3-2.  Because of the reception, I didn’t see the game winner live or even on replay.

 

During all of the excitement, I totally forgot all about tonight’s Rangers game that I could have listened to on the radio.  I probably would have only gotten to hear a couple of innings and with heavy static from the lightning, but I was unhappy about forgetting.  Oh, well.  That’s how this Fourth of July weekend ends.