Friday, July 23, 2010

FREE FALLING. [7-22-10]

Mets v Dodgers
7-22-10
Dodger Stadium

It was almost love at first sight, me and Dodger Stadium. It was just as gorgeous as all of the photographs. The sky was bluer than blue, the palm trees silhouetted in the distance, the air crisp and clean. History hung heavy in the place. There were families and teenagers and a sprinkling of Mets fans. I sat in seats two rows behind the fancy-shmancy seats right behind home plate, my seats just as good except that I didn’t have a free buffet in the club downstairs. I sat there and felt enormously lucky. It has been an amazing trip.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

THIS ONE GOES TO 14. [7-21-10]

Mets v Dbacks
7-21-10
Chase Field

However bad you think it might have been, sitting in Chase Field tonight, let me assure you it was worse. It was worse because there was, again, negative offense; because Jason Bay achieved the Golden Sombrero, because the guys behind us said things like Luis Castillo was the Mets’ version of Eric Byrnes, because the dad in the front row behind the dugout wearing the Affliction shirt waved at the cameras and taught his son to wave at the cameras at every single goddamn opportunity. There was that goddamn snake noise, there was an acrobatic mascot with a mask that looked like a homeless Disney fox running around the field, there was a large scary Randy Johnson running around the other side of the field.

The Mets lost. In extra innings. To the Diamondbacks.

And it was not surprising.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

BATTING PRACTICE, CHASE FIELD, 7-20-10

GET BACK. [7-20-10]

Mets v Dbacks
7-20-10
Chase Field

After the game ended, we went in search of food. We walked out of the restaurant around 10:15 pm, waved goodbye to our companions, and headed for the light rail station. The area around the ballpark was deserted; it was a Tuesday night, after all. The game had lasted a brisk two hours and twenty-three minutes, and it wasn’t a sellout; everyone had already headed for home. I wasn’t exactly worried but I also wasn’t pulling out my phone or camera as we waited for the train.

Luckily, it pulled up in less than five minutes, and we climbed on board. The denizens of the train were a rough bunch, and we tried to find the most neutral seats possible for the 20 minute ride back to our hotel by the airport. We thought we had chosen judiciously until a scruffy, over-tanned dude climbed into the seats across from us and took a good look.
“Leaving the game early? Can’t say as I blame you.”
Our mistake was that we didn’t just nod and smile and take out a book or something and do what you do on the subway in New York when someone starts to be chatty with you.
“No,” TBF said, “The game is over. It was done around 9.”
“No way! Wow, how about that. Good game, huh?”
“Not really.”
“What was the final score?”
“2-3.”
“Oh, so it was one of those games, huh?”
“Not really.”

See, that was our mistake. In the interest of being informative and helpful, because we were no longer in New York City, we might as well have hung up a neon sign that said TALK TO THE PEOPLE NOT FROM HERE.

Monday, July 19, 2010

METS BP AT AT&T PARK, 7-18-10.

The park was empty, the light was beautiful, and I love taking photos of BP on the road, where I have the kind of great access I can’t get at home. Be sure to also see the full post about yesterday’s game.

[More after the jump]

THE ARGUMENT. [7-18-10]

Mets v Giants
7-18-10
AT&T Park

This was going to be a fairly boring post. It was going to consist of multiple lovely photographs of the various members of the New York Mets standing at home plate and swinging, and of Johan Santana throwing pitches. If I was lucky, I would have one or two baserunners crossing home plate, and hopefully at the end, some celebration shots on the field.

Instead, the game turned into an extra innings drama that was for once not entirely caused by one Francisco Rodriguez. (Please note that ‘entirely’ there.) Between Frankie, Jerry Manuel, and Phil Cuzzi at home plate, it was a freaking soap opera being played out within my hearing distance. I took the photo above because I was practicing taking shots from my seats today. It would prove to be oddly prescient by the game’s end, but not in a good way.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

THE COLDEST SUMMER I EVER SPENT. [7-17-10]

Mets v Giants
7-17-10
AT&T Park

It was Tim Lincecum Bobblehead Day. There is some kind of San Francisco bobblehead mania this year, which meant that we turned up at AT&T Park around 2pm to find the lines already extending far off into the distance. Even if we didn’t want a bobblehead (fat chance), we had to wait on line so we could get in the park early, so we could see the actual park. It was hot. It was sunny. We couldn’t open our water because then we couldn’t bring it in. Luckily, the Giants sent vendors out to work the lines. You could buy water, ice cream, commemorative Jon Miller Hall of Fame programs, and fuzzy panda hats. People tried to jump the line. People showed up and then had 8 friends arrive 90 minutes later.  For the most part, folks were in good spirits, and were polite and pleasant. We were even a little bit disappointed we didn’t get any good-natured heckling.

Friday, July 16, 2010

IT NEVER RAINS IN…

This was how I watched Carlos Beltran’s first at bat this season:

Ensconced at Angel Stadium just behind the visitor’s dugout. The Mariners were in town, and although we were quietly rooting for the M’s to win, alas, it was not to be.

You can read more about Angel Stadium over at All Down The Line. A few choice game shots follow after the jump, just because I can.

Tomorrow we are at PETCO Park; tour in the afternoon, Padres v Diamondbacks (Dan Haren v Jon Garland).

Thursday, July 15, 2010

ROADTRIP!

The bags are packed, the apartment cleaned for the housesitter, and we’re off to the West Coast! We’ll be visiting LAA, SD, SF, AZ, and LAD over the next 11 days. I am SO EXCITED to see Carlos Beltran back in the lineup; the BELTRAN 15 shirt has been carefully packed for the journey (along with SANTANA 57, PELFREY 34, and the old reliable REYES 7 jersey).

There will be copious updates here, on All Down The Line and on Twitter, and the stuff that falls between the baseball lines on this site and this Twitter.

(Remember when you used to have to leave itineraries and phone numbers? Whew!)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

THANK YOU, BRIAN MC CANN.

...words I NEVER thought I would hear myself say.

There was a point last night where I said “that’s the game” and walked out of the room…only to be called back later when we had actual base runners and then Brian McCann made contact. And even then I still thought it was possible for the NL to blow it (although, as was pointed out to me, Heath Bell had already been in the game [sorry, still bitter at a certain former Dodgers closer] so he couldn’t blow it).