I have long been keen on baseball, and usually catch a game when I’m here in the US. Fortunately, the Giants were scheduled to be playing at AT&T Park, one of the newer ballparks in a prime location down by the bay, and at home to the 2006 World Series winners, the Cardinals, too.
So, jetlag partly recovered from, I wandered over to the Willie Mays Gate, picked up a ticket for the game, and made my way up to a prime seat behind the batter with a wonderful view down the field. Whilst Barry Bonds wasn’t playing, it had the makings of a fine game.
It didn’t quite work out that way though, and whilst the two pitchers played pretty well, the key plays all turned out to be based on errors. The Cardinals scored in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead, before an error by the great Albert Pujols at first base allowed the Giants to get back into it at 2-2. In the sixth inning, a harmless looking ground ball was picked up but the throw to first base pitched into the dirt and thudded into, and out of Pujols’ glove, allowing the Giants batter to reach first. Ryan Klesko then scored a triple with a high swirler into right field which, if the outfielder hadn’t presumed it was going over the wall, might have been caught. Finally, with a rather odd field setting, Rich Aurilia, the Giant’s star hitter this season precision placed the ball into the very spot that the left outfielder had vacated for a double. 5-2 to the Giants, and the Cardinals never recovered.
AT&T Park is a lovely stadium, although on a gray, breezy April afternoon, it’s a mite chilly to be sitting still for three hours, and given the prevailing weather here in the Bay Area, the fact that most of the seating is uncovered is quite unexpected. On the other hand, there is the Splash Zone for entertainment value (if you hit a home run over right field, the ball is likely to end up in the bay itself) and you can watch the planes taking off from Oakland Airport if the play drags. You can even drink real beer, although it doesn’t come cheap…
Ho hum, I’d better dash, I suppose, shopping doesn’t do itself…
So, jetlag partly recovered from, I wandered over to the Willie Mays Gate, picked up a ticket for the game, and made my way up to a prime seat behind the batter with a wonderful view down the field. Whilst Barry Bonds wasn’t playing, it had the makings of a fine game.
It didn’t quite work out that way though, and whilst the two pitchers played pretty well, the key plays all turned out to be based on errors. The Cardinals scored in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead, before an error by the great Albert Pujols at first base allowed the Giants to get back into it at 2-2. In the sixth inning, a harmless looking ground ball was picked up but the throw to first base pitched into the dirt and thudded into, and out of Pujols’ glove, allowing the Giants batter to reach first. Ryan Klesko then scored a triple with a high swirler into right field which, if the outfielder hadn’t presumed it was going over the wall, might have been caught. Finally, with a rather odd field setting, Rich Aurilia, the Giant’s star hitter this season precision placed the ball into the very spot that the left outfielder had vacated for a double. 5-2 to the Giants, and the Cardinals never recovered.
AT&T Park is a lovely stadium, although on a gray, breezy April afternoon, it’s a mite chilly to be sitting still for three hours, and given the prevailing weather here in the Bay Area, the fact that most of the seating is uncovered is quite unexpected. On the other hand, there is the Splash Zone for entertainment value (if you hit a home run over right field, the ball is likely to end up in the bay itself) and you can watch the planes taking off from Oakland Airport if the play drags. You can even drink real beer, although it doesn’t come cheap…
Ho hum, I’d better dash, I suppose, shopping doesn’t do itself…
I prefer American Football personally, I can see far more interesting tactical play in that. (I'm waiting to hear about the Dolphins game at Wembley this year)
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