Monthly Archives: May 2012

May20

Athletics 6, Giants 2

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Athletics 6, Giants 2

A few months ago, I bought tickets to today’s Giants-A’s Battle of the Bay (ugh, I still don’t like interleague) primarily because of the giveaway: a Brian Wilson gnome.  If the only Brian Wilson you know is the lead singer of the Beach Boys, watch this and then you might begin to understand.  But I don’t think anyone fully understands the madness of the beard.

What I really misunderstood was the demand a Brian Wilson gnome would bring.  Now, I should have been tipped off when, pre-season, the only tickets I could get for the game were way up in the third deck behind left field — not exactly prime seats.  But this morning, knowing that the gates opened at 11 AM, I figured that leaving my apartment at 10:45 would be no problem.

Here’s the thing: my apartment is only a few blocks from AT&T Park.  To get to the end of the line that had formed, I had to go the opposite direction of the park from my apartment to just under the Bay Bridge.  Google maps tells me that it was a line of about 2/3 of a mile.  Some of the people I talked to had been there since 7 am.  Eek!  I was pretty sure I wasn’t getting a gnome.

But I was wrong!  After getting to the end of the line, it shortly started moving forward.  I kept waiting for a message to get passed back that they were out of gnomes… but none ever came, and when I got to the ticket gate, the agent handed me my very own box of gnome.  Would you like one?  They’re going for $60-$75 on Ebay.

Oh, and then there was a game.  It was a pretty exciting game and I decided (again) that I am an American League gal at heart and rooted for the A’s.  Which was good, because the A’s won and I was wearing a Kurt Suzuki jersey.

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May20

Giants 3, Rockies 2

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Giants 3, Rockies 2

For 11 seasons, Michael Cuddyer played for the Minnesota Twins at nearly every position, save for catcher and shortstop.  (Yes, he even pitched one scoreless inning during a blowout loss to the Texas Rangers.)  But, as the baseball economy goes, when Cuddyer was up for free agency last off-season, the Twins couldn’t afford to keep him and he was off to tap the Rockies (for more money).

This past Monday, I saw him in his new uniform and new number (3, for Harmon Killebrew) when the Rockies came to San Francisco to play the Giants.  While Cuddyer went 0 for 4 on the night (just missing a grand slam in the third by about 10 feet), the game itself was well worth the price of admission.

Scoreless for three innings, the Rockies struck first with a solo shot by Wilin Rosario to lead off the top of the fourth.  The Giants struck back in the bottom of the 6th went Gregor Blanco went yard to right.  The scored stayed tied at one until the bottom of the 8th when Blanco singled followed by an odd “Sac, E-2” by Joaquin Arias to put runners on first and third.  After Melky (not Miguel) Cabrera sac flied to left to score Blanco, fan favorite Buster Posey singled to center to score Arias, giving the Giants both the lead and insurance run that made fruitless the Rockies run in the bottom of the 9th.

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May13

Tigers 3, Athletics 1

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Tigers 3, Athletics 1

It’s Justin Verlander Day!

I don’t think I’ve hidden the fact that Justin Verlander is my favorite player outside of the Twins.  He’s just so consistently dominating — he’ll hit 100 MPH in the 8th or 9th inning like it’s no big deal.  So when I noted that he was going to be pitching against the A’s, I e-mailed my friend Suzanne and invited her to join me at the game.  (And even if she had said no, I’d have gone anyway.)

Verlander didn’t disappoint even my exceedingly high expectations.  The A’s didn’t get a hit until the 4th inning.  They got a second hit in the 5th, which happened to be a solo homerun by Seth Smith, but other than that, Verlander was lights out for 7 innings.  (And that homerun didn’t hurt as the Tigers had already scored 2 runs, but I didn’t go to watch the Tigers offense.  Especially since my former second favorite Tiger, Brandon Inge, is now an A.)

When he didn’t come out for the 8th, I was a little confused, because normally he doesn’t let things like pitch counts get in his way — it turns out he had a callous on his hand that had cracked open and started bleeding during the 7th and the trainer decided he should be done.  I will note that the 7th inning was the only inning he didn’t get a strikeout… probably the bleeding thumb.

This season I’ve been trying to pick 10 or so diverse pictures to illustrate whichever game I was at.  In honor of Justin Verlander, this time I picked 13 pictures of JV’s delivery, taken with burst mode, so you can watch him pitch in slow motion over and over again.

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May6

Mariners 5, Twins 2

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Mariners 5, Twins 2

My last game in Seattle I went solo — my Mom hadn’t decided to come along until after I had already purchased my 9th row behind home plate seat.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best game for being a Twins fan… other than two solo homeruns by Washington native Ryan Doumit, the Twins generated no offense.  By contrast, the Mariners scored three in the first, one in the second, and a fifth run in the fourth to more or less put the game away early.

But it was a gorgeous day for baseball and my view of the game couldn’t be beat.  Afterwards, I went up to the upper deck and saw Mt. Rainier, which was in full view for the first time all weekend.  Seattle — it’s a lovely town.  If only the Twins had decided to play a bit better, the weekend would have been perfect.

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May6

Mariners 7, Twins 0

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I nearly saw history last night… Felix Hernandez one-hit the Twins en route to a 7-0 victory.  Really, as far as the game goes, it was horrific for a Twins fan (me and my mother) and exciting for a King Felix fan (Amittai).  But we did have awesome seats, right behind the Twins dugout, purchased after a mini-adventure negotiating with scalpers.  As my mom put it, it really felt like we were watching a different game than last night.

Amittai also got me to do a thing I never do, which is leave my seat during the game.  We went and walked around the upper deck to see the views of the Seattle skyline — it wasn’t clear enough to see Rainier, but the sunset just past the Space Needle was nice.

And for those who might be curious, Amittai and my mother got along just fine.

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May5

Twins 3, Mariners 2

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Twins 3, Mariners 2

Twins win! Twins win!

Given the week they’ve had (i.e. they were no hit in their last game and hadn’t scored a run since Monday), I’m extra excited at having attended a win tonight. I got up this morning and flew to Seattle where my mother was already waiting for me — after having herself quite the adventure last night. (My mom is, uh, not a seasoned traveler. But she managed not to go to the hospital, so that’s something.) We headed out to the game early to check out some batting practice and get out of the rain.

That’s right, we went to the game to get out of the rain — because Safeco Field has a retractable roof. And actually, as far as ballpark roofs go, this was by far the best one I’ve ever seen, because it’s only a roof and there are no high walls. It doesn’t seal up the ballpark and the fresh air still comes in from outside.  (By the middle of the game, I might have been a little bit wishing that the air was less freezing fresh.)  Two thumbs up from me — plus the oyster po’boy was pretty delicious.

And as an added bonus, we were treated to a pre-game concert by Mike McCready, lead guitarist of Pearl Jam, who played the national anthem Jimi Hendrix style… and I recorded it for the Internet to enjoy, missing the first phrase:

And then there was the very excellent  game that The Twins Won!!  In particular, the 7th inning when they scored three runs on a Parmelee double, two walks, a fielding error, a fielder’s choice, and a Joe Mauer single.  It wasn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, but it got the job done as Carl Pavano and the Bullpen (new band playing covers at the local bar?) held the Mariners to only two runs.  Matt Capps even came and pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning with two strikeouts.  It’s a Star Wars Day miracle!  (May the fourth be with you…)  Maybe they can do it again tomorrow when I attend a game with my mother and Amittai?

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