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White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle pitched a perfect game today! For non baseball fans, a perfect game is one where a pitcher doesn’t allow a single opposing player on base, meaning no hits, no walks, or hit batters. A perfect game is so rare that it has only happened 18 times in Major League Baseball and now twice in the Sox franchise history. It was such a major accomplishment that even the visiting team took time to applaud Buehrle before retreating to the locker rooms. And amazingly, this is Buehrle’s second no-hitter of his career. You can check out the last out here. However, perhaps even more exciting than that, is Wise’s home run stealing catch that he bobbles out of his glove yet still manages to grab barehanded. You can view that here. For those really pumped, you can watch there entire 9th inning here. Only act fast before YouTube takes it down. ESPN coverage here. And oh, photos here.

Cubs 7, Cardinals 3

On Sunday, I attended the Cubs/Cards make-up game from a rain out in April. If you’ve been reading the baseball posts then you are well aware of my recent drought of seeing a victory. Well, I caught a “W” for the Cubbies. Not sure that counts. Especially since it meant that I had to endure the horrible sing-a-long number, “Go Cubs Go”. Even worse though, I was sitting next to one of the most obnoxious fans I have ever met.

The “fan” was in his mid twenties, from Indianapolis, and was attending his first Cubs game. How do I know this? Because, he talked to me throughout the entire game despite the fact that I hardly ever responded. Around the 1st inning, Annoying Fan told everyone around him that he could make his father proud if at the 7th inning stretch he streaked across the field. “What’s the worst tat could happen to me, ” he asked. A Cubs fan next to me had the answer. “$1000 bail!” AF said that he had that much money on him and that it might be worth it. I told him that he had about an hour and an half to think it over. Did I mention that AF had already confessed to us that he been drinking heavily in Wrigleyville the night before and had woken up on someone’s porch (thank goodness we don’t live in that neighborhood).

During the 2nd inning, AF started quizzing me on baseball history. His first question was what was the oldest ballpark in the majors. Easy, Fenway Park. Obviously, he thought I was going to say Wrigley. And then he came with a harder one. What is the oldest team in the majors? I answered, “Cincinnati Reds.” He was impressed and stopped with the baseball trivia. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop him from commenting and telling jokes to me for the next couple of hours.

The sad thing was that he was a friendly guy. But there was just too much pep there. I mean even the Cubs fans were getting agitated with him. The most annoying thing he did was press his fingers between his lips, and blow the loudest whistle I’ve ever heard come from a human being. He kept doing this over and over and over again. Finally, a Cubs fan near me told him that whistling was really only reserved for home runs. That stopped him for a few innings at least.

Speaking of home runs, AF called the homer from Carlos Zambrano in the 4th inning. This fact excited him to no end. He started screaming out profanities (luckily, the young kid in front of him was with his dad on a bathroom break) and looked for someone who would high five him. Even with an excited crowd, I don’t know if he found any takers.

Towards the 5th and 6th, I think all the beer AF had consumed was starting to have a sleepy effect on him for he was pretty quite during this time. But as soon as the 7th inning came around (no, he didn’t run out onto the field naked), he got his second wind. He started up the whistling again much to the chagrin to those around him.

I will admit that he had one funny joke. At one point in the game, the Cubs popped up behind Pujols (who had already committed an error missing a routine grounder through his legs) in short right field. Three Cardinals went for the ball but the ball fell in between them. AF yells, “How many Cardinals does it take to catch a pop fly? More than three!” Okay, that was funny. But true to his annoying nature, he ruined the few chuckles he got by immediately repeating the joke. And then in the 8th, he recycled the joke without any context.

Surprisingly, at the bottom of the ninth, AF turned to all of us around him and announced that he was leaving to beat the crowd because he was driving back to Indianapolis that night. As soon as he was gone, there was a collective sigh of relief. One Cubs fan near me told me, “I don’t know how you sat next to him the whole game!”

As I said, AF was friendly but also so grating and exhausting. At one point while he was talking on the phone to his friend, he commented on just how beautiful the day was and how beautiful the ballpark was and how much he wished his friend could be there with him. That the people were so friendly. And it all felt like a bit of Heaven. Thinking about that made me feel a bit guilty about all the negative thoughts I had had about him. Then, I felt the ringing in my ears.

Arriving at the ballpark by bus.

The old time band plays for those entering Wrigley. Nice touch.

Inspired by Adam a few months ago, I kept score. It was also a great way to ignore the madness going on next to me.

The great Pujols went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBI’s, and a run. He also made an error that probably cost the Cards any chance of getting back in the game. A few days later, he would also make an error in the All-Star game.

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. Towards the end, you can see AF waving his newly bought Cubs cap. AF was also wearing a Cubs shirt he bought at the gift shop and finally put on around the 3rd inning.

The last out was a fly out to Milton Bradley in right field. Note that I stopped transmission right before the “Go Cubs Go” sing-a-long.

The massive crowd that AF was trying to beat. The official attendance for the game was 40,701. For the Sox, such a number happens on opening day, during playoffs, or whenever the Cubs are playing at The Cell. For the Cubs, it’s just another day at the ballpark.

Dang, I forgot to take a picture of my hot dog.

White Sox 8, Indians 10

Alright, I’m getting tired of seeing the Sox lose. I haven’t seen a Sox victory since May 7th. And what’s really frustrating is that the Sox have been winning, but I’ve just been going to the wrong games. To be fair, I knew the odds were against me when the Sox took to the field yesterday. The Sox had swept the Indians in Cleveland last week and were one game away from doing the same at home. In baseball, you’re always playing the odds. Statistically, I didn’t stand a chance.

My friend that invited we to the A’s game called me up a few hours prior to yesterday’s game, and since I wasn’t working, I jumped at the idea. Before I headed out for the train, though, I debated on whether or not to wear my new Sox cap or the old one. Since I’ve purchased the new cap, I haven’t seen a single Sox victory.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I don’t play the superstition game. I mean, I did once upon a time. Like making sure you’re wearing your lucky shirt in order to push those odds in your favor. But then one day (during a Grizzlies game), it all seemed really silly. How could one person’s eccentricities doom an entire team? Surely, I had no influence over a team’s dismal play. Right? After laughing off the Gods of Baseball, I grabbed my new Sox cap and took a mighty stand against superstition. And what did it get me?

For one, an early beating! Sox starter Clayton Richard gave up a grand slam in the 2nd which put the Indians up 6 -2. The next inning, the Tribe added 3 more runs to take a 9 -2 lead. Ugh, I was sensing superstition was teaching me a harsh lesson.

And then, I felt like my luck was beginning to turn around. With two outs in the 3rd, the Sox managed to add 4 more runs on the board. And then in the 5th, also with 2 outs, the Sox added 2 more, making it a one run difference. Perhaps, my new cap was a good luck rally cap!

Alas, no. The Indians added another run in the 6th. The Sox, despite having multiple opportunities, were not able to send any more players over home plate. Still, you have to give it to the Good Guys for not giving up. It’s not their fault that I decided to be stubborn and wear the new cap.

Despite the loss, I enjoyed myself and my hot dog:

Sure, it looks disgusting but it’s so so good!

And since it was a decent crowd of over 27,000, I recorded another Nancy driven version of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”:

Last night, the Boston Red Sox gave up a 9 – 1 lead to the Baltimore Orioles, losing with a final score of 11 -10. For Baltimore, it was the greatest comeback in their franchise history and the greatest comeback between a last place team against a first place team in MLB history. Even better was this moment in the 6th when the Red Sox thought they had gotten 3 outs (there were only 2) and the entire team walked off the field and into the dugout. Check out the hilarity.

White Sox 2, Dodgers 5

My friend Brad was visiting from Nashville, so we took in a game at The Cell as the Sox took on the best team in baseball, the Dodgers. I wasn’t aware of this fact, but in the middle of the game, Brad confessed to me that this was his first major league baseball game. How exciting! I only wish the game was that exciting.

Yep, we lost another one at home. While the Sox have been decent on the road, batting a team average of .280, the Good Guys are a weak .217 when having home field advantage. Which all translates to frustrated fans. Other than a blast from Paul Konerko, we weren’t given much to cheer about. Of course, the very next game the Sox beat the Dodgers 10 – 7 with six home runs. So, I guess we just picked the wrong night.

If I was more superstitious, I would be putting the blame on myself. I mean I haven’t seen a victory since May 7th. And not a single victory since I bought my new Sox cap. I actually use to be superstitious when it came to sports, but after witnessing too many Grizzlies’ losses, I concluded that it was beyond my control. Still, it would be nice to hear that victory song again!

The Dodgers hanging out in the bullpen.

Joe Torre talks to his troops.

Here’s a fun fact for you: The highest attended baseball game in history was between the Dodgers and the White Sox at Game 5 of the 1959 World Series at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. On that night, 92,706 folks witnessed the Sox beat the Dodgers 1 – 0, as Nellie Fox scored the only run and Sandy Koufax got the loss for the Dodgers.

White Sox 3, A’s 5

A friend of mine in the video business has season tickets for the Sox so whenever we get to work together we have a lot to talk about. Well, two weeks ago, he asked me if I wanted to join him and a few friends for a night at The Cell. You don’t have to ask me twice!

I met up with my friend at his condo in the South Loop. Check out his view! You can actually see The Cell from his balcony.

That’s it in the right hand corner. After eating steaks and potatoes (guy’s night out, huh?), we drove over to the ballpark. This was the first time I had experienced the parking lot of the stadium. For some reason, it looks strange to see tailgating at a baseball game. The game itself was a bit rough.

After a successful road trip (5 – 1), the Sox started a long home stand that was… well, let’s be honest, horrendous. Out of twelve games at The Cell, the Sox only came away with four wins. Forget about home advantage! That evening the Sox lost another one against a pitcher they hadn’t faced before. After the loss, the Sox were 6-1 against such pitchers. Ugh. Oh, and did I mention it was cold?

Yep, 47 degrees! Ah, a summer night at the ballpark.

Still, it was a lot of fun hanging out with the guys. And we did see an amazing line drive homer from Jermaine Dye. Check out the guys having a good time here.

Rickwood Classic
Barons 2, Braves 3

Two weeks ago, I traveled with my Dad to Birmingham, Alabama to attend The 14th Annual Rickwood Classic. The event, as Apryl mentioned in the previous post, takes place once a year at historic Rickwood Field, the oldest operating ballpark in the United States. Rickwood Field, which opened in 1910, has been the home park for the Birmingham Barons since 1910 and was the home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League from 1920 until 1963. Some of the legends of the game that have graced the field include Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Reggie Jackson. And despite the fact that the current Barons left Rickwood over twenty years ago for the suburbs, the park (thankfully) still lives in the past. Check out the historic marker outside the ballpark:

As you can see, Rickwood Field takes great pride in being the “oldest surviving baseball park in America.” Now, I suppose I should tell you that there are others making claims to the oldest ballpark. One of these is Labatt Park in Ontario, Canada, which has a baseball history that dates back to 1877. Of course, Canada is not America, so Rickwood’s claims are still true. Fuller Field, in Clinton, Mass., on the other hand, states it has held a baseball field since 1870. However, I would argue that while Labatt Prark and Fuller Field are both historic places, they are baseball fields as opposed to a baseball park like Rickwood. So, in my book, Rickwood holds the record!

Alright, let’s get to the game. The first pitch was supposed to be thrown at noon, so we left Memphis early in the morning. We gave ourselves way more time than we needed and arrived at the ballpark around 10:30 am. While we were driving there, I was thinking what a shame it was that the Barons only play one game a season at Rickwood. I mean, why did they have to leave for the suburbs in the first place? Well, when we arrived at the park, making our way through a dicey neighborhood, it begin to make sense. Still, you can’t beat character like Rickwood with a ballpark named Regions Park.

When I first heard about the Rickwood Classic, I read about how the players dress up in period uniforms for the game. However, when we got there, the teams on the field were in modern uniforms. Well, the Braves’ uniforms did seem a bit outdated but hardly vintage. As it turns out, the Braves were playing in 1982 replicas. So, a step back in time but not as far as I would have liked. Still, I found out later that every year the teams pick different periods. So, that’s nice.

Seating was general admission. We grabbed seats on the first base line with minimal obstructions and took in the first pitch, which actually took place closer to 1 o’clock. Our view of the game below:

As always, I have to get a shot of my hot dog. A Barons’ hot dog is a grilled dog with mustard and sauerkraut. A Barons’ dog is also yummy!

One of the highlights of the game was getting to see Gordon Beckham. Beckham, who was a stand out at the University of Georgia and took them to the College World Series, has been seen as a future super star for the White Sox organization. The Rickwood Classic turned out to be Beckham’s last game with the Barons as he was immediately promoted to Triple A in Charlotte and then about a week later to the White Sox.

While Beckham didn’t get a hit during the game, he did walk twice and scored one of the Barons’ two runs for the day. Another future Sox hopeful is catcher Tyler Flowers. Unfortunately, Flowers didn’t start the game, though we did get to see him pinch hit in the 9th inning:

He lined out to first. Oh well.

One of the funniest things that happened during the game was when a foul ball popped up and smashed one of the lights over the Barons’ dugout. Below, a view of the classic night lights:

The broken glass fell directly on top of the Baron’s dugout and had to be swept up during the next inning by the grounds crew. Not quite The Natural.

Another thing that was funny was how the Barons would sit on top of their dugout instead of sitting inside. I’m guessing it was too hot in there.

One of the craziest moments of the game was the folks on the rooftop. Now, I don’t think folks were really supposed to be hanging out on the roof, but they weren’t being sent away. Actually, it was a great place to catch foul balls, so there were quite a few kids up there. And the view was amazing. The photo at the top of this post was taken from the rooftop. Of course I went up there!

As the game progressed, we moved around the park to experience different views of the game. My favorite was our spot in the ninth, where we sat right next to the far right field. As soon as we were sitting down in our seats, we saw a Braves’ homer over the right field wall. The next batter hit it right over the right fielder’s head, bouncing it off the wall, making a loud smack that was quite glorious.

The Braves ended up scoring two runs in the ninth inning, which was enough to win the game. After the game, the fans were allowed on the field. I love this. What a wonderful move by the Barons’ organization!

Check out the wonderful scoreboard that is operated by a human filling in the numbers.

Of course, the best part of the game was just being with my Dad. I never dreamed we would get to see two ballgames in one season. Next year, it will be the 100th anniversary of Rickwood Field. We already have plans for making it back!

Oh, I forgot to post this short, shaky video of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”