Alive
Game 11: April 16, 2005
Devil Rays (4-7), 2
Red Sox (6-5), 6
L: Dewon Brazelton (0-3)
W: Matt Clement (1-0)
Clement finally went long enough in a game to be part of the decision, going 7 innings, walking 2, striking out 6, and and allowing only 1 earned run. All that natural movement that Clement has was harnessed in this game. I looked up at the pitcher info board and at one point in the early innings his strike percentage was 80%, a fact that shows the he was locating well and also that the Tampa Bay team is fairly free swinging.
I’m sure we’ll be hearing from David McCarty at some point this Friday about the awesome play he made with Mike Timlin on Carl Crawford in the 9th to get the 2nd out of the inning. With any luck, he’ll be distracted by some other topic before then.
Again with the observations thing:
- The first pitch kid had a red and blue rocker wig and painted face.
- I go to a game and another grand slam is hit, this time by Manny Ramirez. A guy near me is visiting town from Portland and is neither a Red Sox or baseball fan. It’s the first granny he’s seen in person. I tell him it happens all the time to crush his special moment. Ramirez now leads all active players in grand slams with 18.
- There were scattered chants of “steroids” for Alex Sanchez. But it’s difficult to get worked up over Sanchez, even after the 1st inning triple. For his career, he’s .293 BA, .327 OBP, and .366 slugging.
- Listening to a drunk person calculate slugging percentage with his equally drunken companion can be torture. I’m certain this may violate some clause of the Geneva Conventions. Friends don’t let friends explain statistics drunk.
- Look for an upcoming documentary entitled Dig Fenway. If you were in Fenway on Opening Day, you might be shown milling around the concourse near Gate B, where a few of the pictures below were taken.
- Baseball fans taking the Green Line postgame along with the Saturday night social scene does not a plesant juxtaposition make. The combination of annoyed, dressed-up folks wanting to get drunk and Red Sox fans who already are sounds like it might be fun in theory. Perhaps the two groups would suddenly stop and dance an elaborate waltz like in The Fisher King. But more likely they’d do what they did last night and roll eyes at each other.
- Saturday night crowds seem more diverse, consisting of younger groups of friends who are out to watch some baseball and have a good time (not necessarily in that order) and families with young children. In contrast, the Friday night crew around me were more the after-work set who were out with coworkers rather than friends. On Saturday nights, I’ll expect to see many more dirty looks (“stink eye” we say in Hawai‘i) from parents with their kids to raucous fans.
- Why was there a “Yankees suck” chant in the 6th inning? How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? The world will never know.
- An idiot stole one of the new signs about fan interference from the right field box seats. He was showing it off in the T station. Sign stealer guy: you, sir, are a moron. If you’re going to steal something, take a memento that says “2004 World Champions.” At least I got that huge banner that covered the Green Monster. I had to rent a UHaul and hire a team of five ninja to get it, but now I can cover a home (should I ever buy one) with the banner when it requires fumigation.
![Digfenwaysign Digfenwaysign](/2005images/digfenwaysign.jpg)
![Retired_numbers Retired_numbers](/2005images/retired_numbers.jpg)
![Homechamps Homechamps](/2005images/homechamps.jpg)
![Jimmyfund Jimmyfund](/2005images/jimmyfund.jpg)
Comments
Oh man, having to listen to McCarty go on about his prowess on the field and that catch should be good times....McCarty, you da man!
PTH ∙ 17 April 2005 ∙ 11:21 PM
We went to the same game and didn't know that the other was going??? We could have met!
The "yankees suck" was for an asshole in Section 3 who stood up and waved his yankee hat around.
He was escorted out.
However, this chant, as we know, can and does come out at the most random times...which is fine by me. Just a little reminder for those who forget and for those who are told by the internet and "respected" journalists to not show hatred toward your RIVAL.
My only game before the Hall Of Fame game is May 7th. If you aren't going May 7th, I'll see you in Cooperstown.
jere ∙ 18 April 2005 ∙ 12:15 AM
Jere, I didn't realize some of the Sox Pax dates I had coincided with your 10th hominid pack tickets. I'll be doing another baseball weekend in May for the Mariners series, going on both the 6th and 7th. You, Pat, and I should definitely take a walk through Shortcut Gardens then.
I don't mind the chant when the Red Sox are playing the Yankees, but I also hated when it spontaneously errupted during games against other teams. I didn't know the chant was directed at a specific individual, I thought it was just another case of fans gone bad and/or bored. Perhaps he was the father of the Yankee fan kids in my section. What a dysfunctional family they have. As I think about it, I should have started the chant for the Yankee hatchlings, as they were singing a song about fuzzy llamas that was annoying me. Is this a Wiggles thing?
Empyreal ∙ 18 April 2005 ∙ 6:16 AM
I have no idea where you are getting your information from Empy. Were you really at this game? Were you sober? The first pitch kid was not wearing the wig. The first pitch kid was the one that invented the device to help his kid sister's coordination that was the result of some disease (it got drowned out what she was suffering from). Kid threw a great pitch. The kid with the wig was the "Play Ball!!!" kid. I'm mean really Empy. How drunk were you? ;)
A Yankees suck chant was started near me, but it was these two teenage idiots that probably think it's the "cool" thing to do or just don't know any better.
Where were you seated? I was in Section 27.
Edmund Dantes ∙ 18 April 2005 ∙ 6:05 PM
I'm going all Dirt Dog and getting my facts wrong. Please don't start an "Empy has lost ALL credibility" thread on rsn.net
Thanks for clearing up the first pitch kid/play ball kid distinction, Ed. I imagine I was blinded by my tears of jealousy that these lucky youngsters got to partake of the onfield festivities.
Because, if you had read this, you'd know I can't drink, no matter how much I'd like to. Rather, I could, I would just need an ambulance on hand.
I was in Section 6, Box 92. We were the party poopers not doing the wave, mainly because our necks were craned to see the action on the field and our spinal columns had fused in an uncomfortable position.
Empyreal ∙ 18 April 2005 ∙ 6:20 PM
What does McCarty's problem have to do with you? Bah... it's a poor excuse for not drinking. So you might end up in the hospital (or dead). We all take that risk everytime we take up a glass to celebrate putting our pants on, tieing our shows, not putting out our eyes with the toothbrush, etc. You know some of life's more complicated tasks. :D
(Well at least I do, but I may be a borderline alcoholic)
(I'm joking of course.)
Edmund Dantes ∙ 18 April 2005 ∙ 6:36 PM