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