There are just three words to describe last night: Totally Fuckin’ Awesome. Not only did we win the series, but we socked it to Schilling for the second time this season. Yeah, the sweep would have been nice, but we have another chance for that next week.
I’d like to thank Charu for graciously giving me tickets to the game. That would have been a completely different experience had I watched from home. It was, how you say, a bit rowdier than most games — hell, it was a bit rowdier than it was on Monday. I’ve personally never seen so many ejections (though I’m sure there have been).
Quick aside: did you know that Tier Reserve Section 13 is alcohol free? Neither did I. After buying a $10 Heinken, my buddy and I sat down, only to be told we had to leave the section while we drank. Why does the Stadium do this? It seemed everyone in our section wanted to drink…
There were way too many Boston fans there last night. Everywhere you looked, there was an Ortiz jersey. Hell, I even saw some chick wearing a Damon Red Sox jersey. I wonder if her friends secretly plotted to kill her during the game. That has to be considered a faux pas in Red Sox Nation.
The only thought during the first inning was “man, if they jump out to a quick lead and we don’t answer, this is going to be a looooong game.” Everywhere you looked in the stands, you’d see a “B” cap. I was sitting next to a Boston fan and his 9-year-old son — thankfully he was a reasonable one, a rarity indeed. After Matsui homered, some guys behind us — who had been heckling all game — started a “Schilling is a homo” chant. It lasted all of 30 seconds, but it was enough to get them tossed. Seriously? I know some people consider it “insensitive,” but this is America. Heckling at baseball games is part of our culture.
That wasn’t the last ejection, though. A 20-something Red Sox fan was throwing peanuts in our section, and was promptly shown the door. He tried to play tough guy when the female usher told him to get up, proving that — I don’t know what he was proving. The entire time, I was just hoping that one of the cops would mace him. Now that would have been hilarious.
By the time Mientkiewicz homered in the fourth (man, was that a shot or what?), the tourists were getting kind of restless. And why wouldn’t they? Their “ace” just gave up a bomb to a guy for whom we named a new low in batting standards (a .150 batting average will always be known, at least to me, as the Mientkiewicz Line). Their team was down 6-0, so all they had to reach for was “nine and a half games!” Yeah. You keep saying that, Sox fans. Makes you sound real secure.
The most entertaining portion of the night, by far, was the sixth inning (I believe it was the sixth, but I have a horrible concept of time). A roar came from the upper deck near right field. A young-looking woman was throwing her hands in the air, trying to pump up the crowd, while two cops tried to drag her out. I can only assume that she flashed the crowd. About four seconds later, I saw the first of about 10 beer cups go flying. Now there were six or seven cops on the scene, dragging people out left and right. Some dude actually threw a beer (and didn’t come close to hitting anyone), and turned around to see two cops standing right there. He was wearing a beige hat, but I really hope that it had a red “B” on it.
That was all the excitement we got until the 8th, when Kyle Farnsworth proved that he’s just not going to make it around these parts. Seriously, a home run to Coco Crisp? On the second pitch you threw? I’ve been trying to defend Farnsworth, but it’s impossible now. Nothing you can say can mitigate his season — his whole Yankee tenure, even. As commenter John pointed out, let’s see if we can get Carlos Ruiz or Rod Barajas from the Phillies for him. Straight up. No cash involved.
We all got a little scared in the ninth when Mo allowed a leadoff double to Whiffy Mo Pena (I still like Automatic-K better, but the masses have spoken). But then he came back to strikeout the next three batters to end the game. Lugo really didn’t like the call on his, but he’s a .230 hitter, so he should have other things to worry about. What’s crazy is that Mo struck out Crisp — who had led off the previous inning — to end the game. Just shows you how terrible Farnsworth is.
As for best moment of the game, you all know. Seeing Derek Jeter pass Joe D. on the all-time Yanks hit list was quite the event. When the crowd rose to its feet and chanted “De-rek Je-ter, clap, clap, clap clap clap,” it seemed like there wasn’t a Boston fan in the house. And that’s the way it should be.
So now comes another off-day, followed by an always-tough series against the Angels. I’d say two out of three would be nice, but we’re going to have to sweep a few series at some point.
* Just wanted to point out that the nickname “Whiffy Mo Pena” is courtesy of my pal Pfisty. He has also introduced such nicknames as: Carol Pavano (even though it was a slam dunk), Blower-san (Igawa, named aptly after Cashman said he’s “not a blower”), Senor Hustle (one guess as to who that is), and Cairomack (because Cairo is just Tony Womack without the speed). Props to reader Mg for “Farnsworthless” (that one dated back to early last year).
Last 7 Days
Damon: 360/448/440
Jeter: 357/455/607
Cano: 357/379/679
Posada: 333/400/593
Matsui: 300/323/567
Alex: 280/419/680
Minky: 267/389/600
Abreu: 217/333/261
Giambi: 077/333/308
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.