A Great Day at the Big Ball Park

We went to Yankee Stadium yesterday (7/3) for the second game of the Yankees-Blue Jays series. A great game and a great day.

Our seats were in the upper deck in right field. Section 405, row 4, seats 1 and 2. We couldn't seat the right field wall and the big board was blocked somewhat by the stairs, but the seats were good nonetheless. The only thing we missed out on was Chad Huffman's diving catch.

Andy Pettitte was shaky in the 1st inning. This was an uncomfortable feeling after Pettitte's struggles out in LA, but like the veteran he is, he worked his way back to the good. Nick Swisher said it best in a post-game interview with Suzyn Waldman. "Andy's like a Cadillac. He doesn't get going until he gets it up to 70".

Jose Bautista hit yet another home run off the Yankees for a 2-0 lead in the 1st as Pettitte threw 25 pitches. But thanks to Huffman's play and the Yankees' half of the 3rd inning, Pettitte was able to settle in.

We went to get some lemonade prior to the bottom of the 3rd and watched the entire inning- couldn't move, superstitions ya know, from behind the wheelchair accessible area to the 1st base side of home plate (grandstand).

Ricky Romero is one of the nastiest left-handers in baseball, but he completely lost the plate in this one. The Yankees sent 14 men to the plate in a half inning that seemed to take an hour.

An 11-3 win!

The highlights:

Brett Gardner started things off with a single and blew the game open with his first career grand slam. It was also his fourth home run of the season. That's a lot of power for the speedster.

Mark Teixeira tied the game with a 2-run double. Perhaps Tex should pay us to go to the games. In the two games we've attended this year, Tex is 4-6, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored, 2 doubles, and a walk.

Alex Rodriguez got a gift 3 RBI. With the bases loaded, the third baseman lifted a high fly to left field that John McDonald lost in the sun for a bases clearing double. McDonald is one of the best fielding infielders in the game, but clearly is not used to fighting the tough Yankee Stadium sun field in left.

Dustin Moseley made his first appearance as a Yankee and breezed through two innings. After breaking the bats of 2 of the 3 hitters he faced in the 7th, I yelled out "You're already better than Park!".

There were 5 French speaking students sitting in front of us. When Huffman made his great catch, one girl asked me, "Did they win?". And I had to explain how 2 runs is not 2 home runs.

The sun started getting a little overbearing in the middle to late innings, so we moved over to section 410 to get some shade.

* * *
This conversation was heard:

Guy 1: Ah, we forgot napkins.

Guy 2: Wipe 'em on my shorts, they're old. I bet your shorts cost a fortune.

Guy 1: They're Armani's, but they're old. I don't pay that much for clothes, but I once bought a shirt for $125. I tried it on and it was really nice. I went up to pay and there was a beautiful girl at the register. She said, $125, I almost fell over. I had no idea how expensive if was, but I didn't want to be embarrassed, so I bought it.

Guy 2: I would have told her to shove it up her ass.
* * *

Cotton Candy vendor was very funny, had a whole routine. Still wouldn't buy that crap.

The pièce de résistance was though the free gift on the way out of the Stadium. This:

YES! Perfect timing for the hot, sweaty fans. Pinstripe Brownie Blast. Quite good!

We got home to two overexcited Beagles. Virginia has separation anxiety, so when we go out we give her all kinds of natural calm down stuff, but it only does so much. She stresses out our other Beagle, Tinker, who is fine on his own.

Today they are exhausted.