Wednesday, July 09, 2008

THINGS I LIKE.

• Watching Johan Santana in the stretch, taut like an statue of a Roman archer
• Having multiple reasons to break out my CHAVEZ 10 shirt
• Watching Carlos Beltran glide underneath a ball everyone is screaming at like it’s a home run… and he catches it without breaking a sweat or doing Web-Gem-worthy acrobatics
• Watching Carlos Delgado HIT THE BALL. Remember that first playoff game in 06, back when Citifield was nothing more than big concrete towers? And there was a car burning out in the parking lot? Carlos hit one to the car, I’d swear it to this day. It went past the batter’s eye and probably landed in the fire truck there to put out the car fire. He’s hitting like that again. (how do cars catch on fire with such alarming frequency at Shea, anyway?)
• Smiling faces in the dugout. Friday-level smiles. Three-day-weekend smiles. Not rainy-Monday-morning-and-that-damn-presentation-is-due smiles. Jose Reyes high-beam smiles. Carlos Delgado Cheshire Cat smiles.
• The parade of changing facial hair (Pelfrey Church Schneider Beltran etc.) I guess it’s the only real sense of visible fashion they can have when they’re in uniform.
• Watching Duaner come onto the mound, pick up the resin ball, and plunk it on the brim of his hat. (I know why he does it, I just like that he does.)
• Watching David Wright run out to third base and pick up a handful of dirt, which he always does the first time he comes on the field every game
• Watching the parade of dirt-stained uniforms
• High socks
• Blue hats
• Third strikes
• The home run apple lit up and the Dunkin Donuts cup spinning (although that f’ing Joba Chamberlain promotion is making me boycott them for the summer I think)
• The first view of Shea through the 7 train window just after the 103rd street stop

See you Friday.

P.S. A special welcome to MG reader Kelsey, who’s in town from Denver for the Rockies series.