In seeking truth, I need to be completely clear (or transparent, as they now say) about my inability to judge the worth of a ballgame. Until today I had seen only one baseball game in my life - a Giants game at Candlestick Park - when I was in high school. I never saw a Little League game, never attended a softball game, never watched a whole game on TV. If a baseball game was on TV when I was in the room, I ignored it. Until a month ago, before I started madly reading everything baseball, all I knew was 9 innings per game, three outs per side per inning. So I can't judge BUT all of you baseball lovers out there - you can. You tell me. Was the experience I am about to describe normal, run-of-the-mill?
Here goes (and I will try to remain unemotional and neutral):
1. 4:00 pm - We arrive at the minor league ball field. Puerto Rico does not have Major League teams. This league has 6 teams that play winter ball; it's the beginning of the playoffs.
2. 4:10 pm - Team personnel (the Criollos de Caguas) greet our group and take us to an office where the college students are star-struck by the lovely, smiling man sitting there. I am confused, being baseball-clueless. When I whisper, "Who is he?" one whispers back, "Carlos Delgado" (I am pleased to say in a tone that does not overtly scream DUH). Of course, it means nothing to me. However, I can say he is a lovely, lovely man who assures us he will speak with us tomorrow in our classroom at the university.
3. 4:30 pm - Team personnel take us down to the field to watch the Criollos warm up - female college students are completely star-struck, taking photos of them and finageling shots with them. Team personnel take lots of photos of us.
4. 5:15 pm - Team personnel take us down to the dugout where we talk with some players.
5. 5:30 pm - Team personnel take us to the Club House where they serve us a delicious dinner. We are amazed at how inexpensive the drinks are - and take advantage of it.
6. 6:55 pm - Team personnel take us back down to the field where Joe (my cousin Bonnie's husband and one of the college professors of the course) is asked to sing the National anthem (he has sung it in ballparks in 41 states so now adds a territory). I am surprised and moved.
7. 7:15pm - Joe is then asked to throw out the first pitch. We, standing on the field, cheer.
8. 7:20 pm - We take seats behind home plate.
9. First 6 innings are scoreless - hits and bases on both sides but no runs.
10. 7th inning - Opponents (Indios de Mayaquez) score two runs.
11. 8th inning - We score 1 run.
12. 9:50 pm - 9th inning - We score another. Game tied at end of 9th, 2 all.
13. Innings 10-12 - no runs (again, hits but none score)
14. All the photos the team personnel took of our group earlier in the evening appear on the big screen/scoreboard. I am quite surprised.
15. Midnight - 13th inning - all hell breaks lose. Whoops - I will try to remain neutral. The Indios have a runner on 2nd and 3rd, no outs. The batter hits a line drive to the shortstop. The runner on 2nd jumps over the ball and blocks the space between the second baseman and the catcher while the man on 3rd runs to home and scores. Score? 3 to 2 (Indios). The second baseman hits the roof, screams at the umpire and is ejected. The Indios manager comes out, screaming and waving in the ump's face, stomps back to the dugout, not ejected. All 4 umps now huddle. They break and announce Offensive Interference on the 2nd base runner. Not only is he out but they negate the winning run scored by the runner on third - now 2 outs. Score? Back to 2 all. The entire Indios dugout empties onto the field, surrounding the ump, while the home team fans go wild and the Indios fans are furious. Eventually the team returns to the dugout.
But there is much more to come. The Indios score on a line drive followed by a double - they are now vindicated and up 5 to 2.
The Indios pitcher (by the way, there were no changes in pitching during the first 7 innings but from 8th on it is a revolving door for both teams - with all the related warm up times. The game slows down) walks the first 2 Criollos players and hits the third in the foot - bases loaded. No outs. The next batter hits and 2 players cross the plate. Score: 5-4 (Indios) with runners on second and third. The next batter hits, hits hard. The player on third scores and the winning run is almost at the plate when the runner collides HARD with the catcher. Both crash to the ground. Is the runner safe? Both dugouts empty; all fans are up and screaming. No, the runner is out. The score? 5 to 5. Next 2 batters strike out and, finally, the inning is over.
16.12:55 am - Inning 14. No score. It's late. We have class in 8 hours; our Puerto Rican history teacher (from Universidad del Sagrado Corazon) is with us - we need to leave. We start toward our bus but the students beg, "One more inning, PLEASE!" Joe agrees, one more. We dive back to our seats. No, another scoreless inning.
17. 1:20 am - We pull out of the parking lot with the game on the radio. No score in the 15th inning. By the time we get home we are out of range of the station and go to bed not knowing who won. We get the news this morning. The Indios won in the 16th - 6-5.
Phew.
So I ask you - for my first game experience in 50 years - was this whole experience typical? I have 2 more games to go (this Friday and next Wednesday) and don't know if my heart can stand it.
Actually, I can't wait!
Here goes (and I will try to remain unemotional and neutral):
1. 4:00 pm - We arrive at the minor league ball field. Puerto Rico does not have Major League teams. This league has 6 teams that play winter ball; it's the beginning of the playoffs.
2. 4:10 pm - Team personnel (the Criollos de Caguas) greet our group and take us to an office where the college students are star-struck by the lovely, smiling man sitting there. I am confused, being baseball-clueless. When I whisper, "Who is he?" one whispers back, "Carlos Delgado" (I am pleased to say in a tone that does not overtly scream DUH). Of course, it means nothing to me. However, I can say he is a lovely, lovely man who assures us he will speak with us tomorrow in our classroom at the university.
3. 4:30 pm - Team personnel take us down to the field to watch the Criollos warm up - female college students are completely star-struck, taking photos of them and finageling shots with them. Team personnel take lots of photos of us.
4. 5:15 pm - Team personnel take us down to the dugout where we talk with some players.
5. 5:30 pm - Team personnel take us to the Club House where they serve us a delicious dinner. We are amazed at how inexpensive the drinks are - and take advantage of it.
6. 6:55 pm - Team personnel take us back down to the field where Joe (my cousin Bonnie's husband and one of the college professors of the course) is asked to sing the National anthem (he has sung it in ballparks in 41 states so now adds a territory). I am surprised and moved.
7. 7:15pm - Joe is then asked to throw out the first pitch. We, standing on the field, cheer.
8. 7:20 pm - We take seats behind home plate.
9. First 6 innings are scoreless - hits and bases on both sides but no runs.
10. 7th inning - Opponents (Indios de Mayaquez) score two runs.
11. 8th inning - We score 1 run.
12. 9:50 pm - 9th inning - We score another. Game tied at end of 9th, 2 all.
13. Innings 10-12 - no runs (again, hits but none score)
14. All the photos the team personnel took of our group earlier in the evening appear on the big screen/scoreboard. I am quite surprised.
15. Midnight - 13th inning - all hell breaks lose. Whoops - I will try to remain neutral. The Indios have a runner on 2nd and 3rd, no outs. The batter hits a line drive to the shortstop. The runner on 2nd jumps over the ball and blocks the space between the second baseman and the catcher while the man on 3rd runs to home and scores. Score? 3 to 2 (Indios). The second baseman hits the roof, screams at the umpire and is ejected. The Indios manager comes out, screaming and waving in the ump's face, stomps back to the dugout, not ejected. All 4 umps now huddle. They break and announce Offensive Interference on the 2nd base runner. Not only is he out but they negate the winning run scored by the runner on third - now 2 outs. Score? Back to 2 all. The entire Indios dugout empties onto the field, surrounding the ump, while the home team fans go wild and the Indios fans are furious. Eventually the team returns to the dugout.
But there is much more to come. The Indios score on a line drive followed by a double - they are now vindicated and up 5 to 2.
The Indios pitcher (by the way, there were no changes in pitching during the first 7 innings but from 8th on it is a revolving door for both teams - with all the related warm up times. The game slows down) walks the first 2 Criollos players and hits the third in the foot - bases loaded. No outs. The next batter hits and 2 players cross the plate. Score: 5-4 (Indios) with runners on second and third. The next batter hits, hits hard. The player on third scores and the winning run is almost at the plate when the runner collides HARD with the catcher. Both crash to the ground. Is the runner safe? Both dugouts empty; all fans are up and screaming. No, the runner is out. The score? 5 to 5. Next 2 batters strike out and, finally, the inning is over.
16.12:55 am - Inning 14. No score. It's late. We have class in 8 hours; our Puerto Rican history teacher (from Universidad del Sagrado Corazon) is with us - we need to leave. We start toward our bus but the students beg, "One more inning, PLEASE!" Joe agrees, one more. We dive back to our seats. No, another scoreless inning.
17. 1:20 am - We pull out of the parking lot with the game on the radio. No score in the 15th inning. By the time we get home we are out of range of the station and go to bed not knowing who won. We get the news this morning. The Indios won in the 16th - 6-5.
Phew.
So I ask you - for my first game experience in 50 years - was this whole experience typical? I have 2 more games to go (this Friday and next Wednesday) and don't know if my heart can stand it.
Actually, I can't wait!
No comments:
Post a Comment