White Sox 0, Marlins 13
Wow, the Good Guys sure took a beating. After winning the last two games against the Florida Marlins, the Sox were looking to sweep the series. A feat they have yet to accomplish this season. Unfortunately, the team that is the White Sox showed up to play.
While starer Freddy Garcia was fantastic in the last game I attended, he was taken out of today’s game after only pitching 3 innings and giving up 7 earned runs. The offense was just as lousy, leaving 11 men on base, including several men stranded at third and a failed attempt with the bases loaded. In the 9th, down by 13, the Sox had one last chance to prevent a shut out. With 2 out and Alexei Ramirez on third, A.J. Pierzynski hit a ground ball straight to the first baseman. Ballgame over.
Luckily, I didn’t have to pay for such a game. While I was in line at the ticket window, ready to purchase a ticket with my Sox gift card (thanks Adam and Steph!), I noticed a guy in a Cubs hat asking a couple if they wanted a single ticket. When they turned him down, I accepted the offer with a smile and a handshake. My newly acquired seat was in the upper deck, above the right field.
While it was a rather rough game to sit through, there were some moments that stick with me. Like when a girl behind me said, “Bring in Bobby,” and her boyfriend responded with “Why?” Or when a chant started above me in the upper decks that ended with “Bring back Uribe!” Or when a frustrated and disgruntled fan started yelling at Carlos Quentin in right field, “You suck!” (Q went 0 – 4 with a strikeout and left 4 men on base). It was so loud there wasn’t a way Carlos couldn’t hear him. After the rant went on for a few minutes, a fan behind me finally “stuck up” for Carlos, screaming at the misguided fan, “Hey, they all suck! But you need to calm down.”
Perhaps, my favorite moment of the game was when Paul Konerko hit a foul ball right in front of him. When he reached down and picked it up, he turned around looking for someone to throw it to. Mark Kotsay, who was in the batter’s circle, lifted up his hand and signaled for the ball. After Konerko tossed it to him, Kotsay turned behind him and handed the ball to a kid in the stands. Class act.
Still, that’s hardly what you want to be the highlight of your game. And to add insult to it all, I wore my black Sox cap instead of my blue one, to prove that I wasn’t superstitious about my attire affecting the outcome of the ballgame. I still don’t believe that. But my two game winning streak did come to end today. As did the Sox.
Thankfully, the folks at the Cell realized that the real game wasn’t being played on grass but on ice!
