White Sox 9, Yankees 12
The last time I attended a ballgame, it was the love not lost match up between the two Chicago ball clubs. As a ranking of rivalry, I assumed when it came to the White Sox, the Cubs topped the list (with the Twins a close second). However, as I realized last night, the real hatred is reserved for the one and only New York Yankees. And let’s be honest, if you aren’t a fan of the Pinstripers, there is a good chance you take a certain joy in seeing them fail. When your ball club has won 27 World Series and 40 AL Pennants, you’re just showing off. And no one likes a show off.
Still, it is the Yankees. And I have never seen the Yankees. For one reason, tickets are prime for Yankee days, so it has usually been out of my price range for a ticket. But thanks to Steph and Adam, I used my Sox gift certificate from Christmas and bought a ticket just behind the right field wall, third row. A perfect spot for a souvenir homer run ball. Check out my view:
Pretty nice. You are so close to the field, you almost feel like you are a part of the game. Unfortunately, all seven home runs were hit to left field. Can you believe that? Oh well, it was a nice vantage point, and a seat that I will seek out in the future.
The game was also the first of the season that I decided to score myself. Every time I score, I seem to fascinate those around me. The guy behind made a point to show his wife what I was doing, as well as inquire me on what my plan was if in one inning, the lineup started over (which it almost did in the 5th, until Jeter flied out to center field). Another fan seemed obliged to tell me that I had bad handwriting when he was trying to figure out what had just happened on the field. Oh well, you could have just asked, and I would have been happy to translate my chicken scratch. You should be able to see, however, how Yankee pitching phenomenon C.C. Sabathia earned his keep as the highest paid pitcher in baseball history, collecting nine strikeouts:
The Sox did have a few bright moments, including the shortest home run that I have ever seen hit by Paul Konerko. Below, fireworks for Paulie:
Although the Sox made it interesting in the 9th, the Good Guys fail short to the Yankees. No shame. A lot of teams do. However, there seems to be a certain disappointment losing to a dynasty like the Yankees. Who wants to see Goliath win?
And oh, I forgot to mention how I saw three Yankees fans ejected from the game, including one right in front of me. A rough bunch, I tell you. As this fan’s shirt depicts, the Yankees are not a well liked ball club:
Renee and I score every game, every time. We have mounds of old scorecards piling up in the corner. I don’t understand why people treat scoring a game as an obsolete art along the lines of waxing one’s mustache or sending a telegraph–it remains the best way to stay abreast of the action on the field. But they stare at us like we’re freaks. My students ran into me scoring a game on the bluff at Auto Zone Park and asked if I was grading papers. Another guy asked us which newspaper Renee and I wrote for. Strange.
Comment by Aaron — August 29, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
Hayden,
Chris and I were over at Jim and Gwynne’s and Jim was watching the game. Was thinking about you and hoping your team would win. Miss you, Ashley
Comment by Ashley Somogyi — August 30, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
– Funny story, Aaron.
– We miss you too, Ashley.
Comment by Hayden — September 13, 2010 @ 10:26 pm