7.25.2007
Barry's Homestand, Day Two
Took a cab to make this one on time. Twenty bucks from our crosstown office but worth every penny for the diatribe of the cabdriver, who passionately declared his intention to someday visit Bonds' house and volunteer to wash his dishes, do his laundry, clean his house, anything he could to express his gratitude for Bonds' years of service to the Giants. He savaged every other player on the roster and did so by name save, inexplicably, for Pedro Feliz.
Anyway, here were the Braves (click on image for magnified version):
And as for the home nine:
Notes:
-Old Man Franco has started every game at first for the Braves since his reacquisition a week ago. I'm still happy to have Father Time back I swear, but this is not what we discussed! Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just beginning to settle in at his newly won first-base job, and now we have to sit through feeble performances like this on a regular basis instead? The boys at Start Salty cannot be amused by this.
-The Giants did not show so much as a pulse until the bottom of the ninth, which Tim Hudson kicked off by issuing his first two walks of the night. He had been sailing along until then -- check out all the 6-3's -- so Bobby Cox gave him an extra batter or two of slack before going to Wickman, and that cost the Braves. Although Bengie Molina's game-tying single was more exciting, the Feliz double was the big hit and could have been caught by Willie Harris had he not gotten spooked at the last moment by a charging Andruw Jones. Braves fans (still abundant in the crowd tonight) were stunned to lose a commanding 4-0 lead so quickly, and from all the cursing I could detect careening through the pavilion they were putting the blame squarely on Wickman, thus continuing the long and storied tradition of drunken fans always being mad at the last thing they saw.
-Because we here at MLBeat are all about full disclosure, I left after the tenth and scored the last three innings from the comfort of my apartment. What can I say, sometimes you have to weigh the noble virtue of being That Fan With the Scorebook Who Will Under No Circumstances Leave Early, versus the comparably noble virtue of not putting your company through more misery than they've declared themselves capable of handling. And misery it was, beyond a doubt: a freezing July night at the ol' ballpark, wind whipping around with constant abandon from start to finish. You never saw two crankier concession workers than the crochety old ladies who sold me a tenth-inning hot chocolate. Ninth inning, down four, two outs... their bags had been packed.
-Nothing to say about Bonds, except a) he turned 43 years young today and b) he played for the duration which is particularly rare these days even in nine-inning games. Surely he is feeling the pressure; if he doesn't reach 756 this week then he'll have to wait another week before the Giants come back home. And yes, he does have to break the record at home. Not just because of potentially belligerent away fans, but because the chance to see 756 is the only way to placate the home fans. Screw a $9 beer, even that wouldn't alienate a season ticketholder more than if he had to suffer a team so dismal all season long and then watch Bonds hit 756 on the road. In my uninformed estimation Giants fans are suffering their cellar-dwelling team with relatively good humor this year because they know they still have tickets to the big sideshow.
Anyway, here were the Braves (click on image for magnified version):
And as for the home nine:
Notes:
-Old Man Franco has started every game at first for the Braves since his reacquisition a week ago. I'm still happy to have Father Time back I swear, but this is not what we discussed! Jarrod Saltalamacchia was just beginning to settle in at his newly won first-base job, and now we have to sit through feeble performances like this on a regular basis instead? The boys at Start Salty cannot be amused by this.
-The Giants did not show so much as a pulse until the bottom of the ninth, which Tim Hudson kicked off by issuing his first two walks of the night. He had been sailing along until then -- check out all the 6-3's -- so Bobby Cox gave him an extra batter or two of slack before going to Wickman, and that cost the Braves. Although Bengie Molina's game-tying single was more exciting, the Feliz double was the big hit and could have been caught by Willie Harris had he not gotten spooked at the last moment by a charging Andruw Jones. Braves fans (still abundant in the crowd tonight) were stunned to lose a commanding 4-0 lead so quickly, and from all the cursing I could detect careening through the pavilion they were putting the blame squarely on Wickman, thus continuing the long and storied tradition of drunken fans always being mad at the last thing they saw.
-Because we here at MLBeat are all about full disclosure, I left after the tenth and scored the last three innings from the comfort of my apartment. What can I say, sometimes you have to weigh the noble virtue of being That Fan With the Scorebook Who Will Under No Circumstances Leave Early, versus the comparably noble virtue of not putting your company through more misery than they've declared themselves capable of handling. And misery it was, beyond a doubt: a freezing July night at the ol' ballpark, wind whipping around with constant abandon from start to finish. You never saw two crankier concession workers than the crochety old ladies who sold me a tenth-inning hot chocolate. Ninth inning, down four, two outs... their bags had been packed.
-Nothing to say about Bonds, except a) he turned 43 years young today and b) he played for the duration which is particularly rare these days even in nine-inning games. Surely he is feeling the pressure; if he doesn't reach 756 this week then he'll have to wait another week before the Giants come back home. And yes, he does have to break the record at home. Not just because of potentially belligerent away fans, but because the chance to see 756 is the only way to placate the home fans. Screw a $9 beer, even that wouldn't alienate a season ticketholder more than if he had to suffer a team so dismal all season long and then watch Bonds hit 756 on the road. In my uninformed estimation Giants fans are suffering their cellar-dwelling team with relatively good humor this year because they know they still have tickets to the big sideshow.
Labels: atlanta braves, barry bonds, game reports, san francisco giants
