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Observations from a Jays-A’s game

(Yesterday, I went to the Jays-A’s game in Oakland, and this is exactly what I wrote right after. Another lame-out post; sorry)

On the BART after a Jays-A’s game. So much fun. Details:

  • got stadium food. Awful hot dog where the only thing that matches the price was the sodium content
  • sat was literally right in line with the home plate, 15 rows back. Not quite as good as TV, but I could mostly call balls & strikes. Saw a couple very dirty curveballs
  • empty on either side with a British man (in a sweater vest) alone 2 seats down who I talk to from about the 3rd to the 7th inning. Details include:
    • on vacation for 2 weeks, so went to 7ish baseball games up the west coast
    • actually a Boston fan, so not sure how I feel about that
    • also into horse racing
    • sports reporter back in England for (a little privacy), covering greyhounds
    • very very knowledgeable about baseball. One of the most delightful conversations I’ve had in a long, long time. I need more friends who watch baseball
    • talked a lot just about the differences in sports
  • game itself was disappointing
    • Jays lost Rolen (traded to Cinci just before the trade deadline), but McDonald at 3rd should’ve been a killer infield anyways
    • didn’t really matter since Scott Richmond got maybe 1 groundout in 4 inning (officially got 2 groundouts)
    • 3 errors (1 ball lost in sun), 1 broken double play, 1 poorly handled ball in the corner, and 1 boneheaded throw
    • No one was hitting except Hill and Lind (I guess Scutaro was hitting, too, to get on base for Hill and Lind to drive him in). 2 run HR by Lind makes the game look a lot closer and Braden’s start only so-so for great work
    • Richmond’s control was awful. Couldn’t find the plate in the first inning, and was just throwing meatballs after that
    • Tallet came in & was bad for his first inning as well, walking 2 batters
    • Jesse Carlson looked great. I realize it was because he actually got 2 groundouts & a strikeout. Nice work
    • Richmond is very tall. Rios is very tall
    • Scutaro is pretty short
  • kid in the row in front of me about 5 seats to my right was hilarious
    • every foul ball backwars he yelled “I got it!”
    • on close calls, “Do you have dust in your eyes?”
    • was actually sharp on the game, with “A walk’s as good as a hit”
    • I wish I was that much into baseball when I was a kid
  • Coliseum is a pretty non-exciting stadium. 12,000 fans, nothing special in design. AT&T Park is much better
  • Just a great feeling. Seeing the highlight is good. Watching the game in person is better. For a change. Takes a damn long time & can’t really get pitcher-batter faceoffs, but still fun
  • camaraderie is good. Would’ve enjoyeed the game on my own, but the British guy made it better. The guy right in front, a Math professor at a local community college, also chirped in, so strangers prove to be just as good as normal people. Even better than on an airplane, because you have something to talk about
  • fans go(ing) after foul balls are hilarious
  • the game is a lot better when you’re invested and know the organization. Astros games were good, but just kind of meh sometimes since I didn’t care
  • I’m a much smarter fan than I was even a year ago. I know when location is good, recognize baserunning, know how much better groundouts are than flyouts. I appreciate the game so much more now
  • that still doesn’t help the pain of your team losing
  • weird to think that this happens 162 times over a couple months For some fans, a game is just something they do daily, but I’m still awestruck by it all. I have to wander the stadium and just suck in baseball culture. Because being at the stadium is all about stupid traditions and the trashy stadium feel. It’s like kraft mac & cheese
  • hearing and singing along to the recorded O Canada was just kind of a good feeling. I think it was more nostalgia than patriotism
  • I’m really glad I got the seat I did. Most of the baseball sates I’ve gotten have either been high or in the outfield. The game looks a lot different when a pop fly goes sky high away from you instead of coming up to eye-level
  • I wish I could justify sitting around & watching baseball more

One reply on “Observations from a Jays-A’s game”

Good post. I know nothing about baseball, but to each his own.

The bullet points made it really easy to get through this post for me, personally.

Also, I’m in Canada right now. Represent.

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