Off the Snide Game (Rockies-Phillies)

5/18/2011 PHILLIES VS. COLORADO ROCKIES

W 2-1

@ Citizens' Bank Park

with Jen King

One of my goals this year when picking out the games was to try to see all the teams in the National League. I'm on course to do that, with my 9th baseball game of the year, versus the Colardo Rockies, the pesky team that knocked the Phillies out of the playoffs in 2007 (yeah, long memory.) Myself and my game-pal, Jen, looked out the window nervously while drinking our beers. Finally the rain let up, and we strolled down Broad Street. It turned out to be a really beautiful night for baseball. Jen isn't a baseball fan at all, but the nice thing about baseball is that you really don't need to be in order to have a decent time, because you can just chat and hang out and vibe with the crowd and marvel at the kiss cam or babies on the megatron and whatnot. Jen also was adept at taking my money, as she won $5 off me at the baseball shuffle game. 

We were sitting in 302 section, well across the field from my usual seats in the 431 section. Its a decent view, a nice mixup. I remember distinctly the last time I sat in the 301 section, in 2004 with Sam, when we sat right in front of the Wolf Pack, Randy Wolf's fan group. Wolf hit two home runs in the game, something you won't see often. Since its near the edge, I tossed someone's abandoned chicken fingers off the edge into the abyss. 

Some musings: How does Raul Ibanez have such a huge wad of chewing tobacco every game? Is he that immune to the tobacco buzz? I've dipped a few times before, before realizing it was idiotic, and each time I got buzzed as fucking hell. Like, feeling-I-was-high type buzzed. How does he even feel his bat? He's gotta be high as a kite.

Can we start a petition to get Carlos Ruiz to change his at-bat intro music? Most of the songs the players pick are decent to tolerable, but Chooch has to have the worst music tastes on the team. Fucking "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins? I really hate that song. A side note: A friend of mine once was horrified that they were playing hip-hop for the black players, country or rock for the white players, and salsa for the latino players, until I explained to her that the players actually pick the songs to be played when they're coming to bat.

Anyways, I digress. Some funnies from the game: 

-Watching a little kid trying to imitate the Phillie Phanatic's pelvic thrust, which sort of doubles as a belly roll. Something very wrong about a 10 year old humping the air. 

-The Phillies megatron operators made a boo-boo in the 8th inning, listing the visiting team as the "Atlanta Braves". Woops.

-A reaaaally drunk girl got into an argument with ushers because she had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, like she was about to light up. A call behind me erupted, "Hey! You can't smoke crack at the game!" She didn't notice, though the ushers certainly cracked up.

On the game, it was a nailbiter. The Phillies wouldn't score until the 5th, when Wilson Valdez batted in Raul Ibanez, but like they have been doing lately, wouldn't score again until the very end. Thankfully, Cole Hamels continued to show me up for booing him in his first start of the year, pitching brilliantly and giving up only one run. Finally in the bottom of the 9th, Jimmy Rollins sacrified flied and Wilson Valdez tagged up for the score, setting up Ryan "Mad Dog" Madsen for a nail biting 9th inning. It ended beautifully.

And I got to hear Harry Kalas sing "High Hopes" at Citizens Bank Park for the first time since April the 3rd.

Jen, who's on the kickass ultra nerd ultra badass softball team the Oregon Avenue Octopi with me, suggested I make some entries when we play our game. Thoughts?

Jen says "YES!" to the Octopi Blog Entry

The Phillies broke a 4 game losing streak, and I now have a 2 game winning streak to bring my record to 3-6. wooooo! Jen must be good luck.

Game Stats

PHI
Pitching:

Starter: LHP Cole Hamels (107 Pitches, 69 Strikes, 8 Innings, 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 1 Walk, 8 Strikeouts, 2.92 ERA) W (5-2)

Closer: RHP Ryan Madsen (24 Pitches, 12 Strikes, 1 Hit, 1 Walk, 3 Strikeouts, 0.53 ERA) S (7)

Lineup:

1. SS Jimmy Rollins (3 At-bats, 1 Hit, 1 RBI (12), 1 Sacrifice Fly, 1 Stolen Base, 1 Left on base, .271 AVG)

2. CF Michael Martinez (3 At-bats, 1 Strikeout, 1 Sacrifice, .219 AVG)
3. 3B Placido Polanco (3 At-bats, 1 Left on base, .331 AVG)

4. 1B Ryan Howard (3 At-bats, 1 Left on base, .247 AVG)

5. RF John Mayberry, Jr. (3 At-bats, .255 AVG)

6. LF Raul Ibanez (3 At-bats, 1 Run, 1 Hit, 1 Strikeout, .225 AVG)
7. C Carlos Ruiz (2 At-bats, 1 Hit, 1 Strikeout, 1 Hit By Pitch, .216 AVG)

8. 2B Wilson Valdez (3 At-bats, 1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 RBI (9), 1 Left on base, .247 AVG)

9. SP Cole Hamels (2 At-bats, 1 Strikeout, 3 Left on base, .238 AVG)

--- PH Shane Victorino (1 Sacrifice Bunt, .284 AVG)

--- RP (Madsen)

COL

Pitching:

Starter: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (96 Pitches, 60 Strikes, 8 Innings, 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 ER, 1 Wild Pitch, 4 Strikeouts, 3.34 ERA) L (5-2)

Lineup:

1. CF Dexter Fowler (4 At-bats, 1 Strikeout, 1 Left on base, .247 AVG)

2. 2B Alfredo Amezaga (2 At-bats, 1 Walk, 1 Strikeout, .278 AVG)

--- PH Seth Smith (1 At-bat, 1 Hit, 1 Double, .286 AVG)

3. LF Carlos Gonzalez (4 At-bats, 1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Double (6), 2 Strikeouts, 1 Left on base, .242 AVG)

4. SS Troy Tulowitzki (4 At-bats, 2 Strikeouts, 3 Left on base, .248 AVG)

5. 1B Todd Helton (3 At-bats, 1 Hit, 1 Double, 1 RBI (20), 1 Intentional Walk, .323 AVG)

6. 3B Jose Lopez (3 At-bats, 1 Hit, 1 Left on base, .184 AVG)

--- PH Jason Giambi (1 At-bat, 1 Strikeout, 2 Left on base, .115 AVG)

7. RF Ryan Spilborghs (3 At-bats, 1 Hit, 1 Left on base, .235 AVG, 1 Caught Stealing)

8. C Chris Iannetta (3 At-bats, 1 Strikeout, 1 Left on base, .232 AVG)

9. SP Jorge De La Rosa (2 At-bats, 2 Strikeouts, 1 Sacrifice, .238 AVG)

James' 2011 Baseball Season Stats

Starting Pitchers:

RHP Roy Oswalt 1

LHP Cole Hamels 3

LHP Ryan Edell (AA) 1

RHP Joe Blanton 1

RHP Eddie Bonine (AAA) 1

RHP Roy Halladay 1

LHP Ryan Feierabend (AAA) 1

Total Games: 9

Minor League: 1-2

Phillies: 2-4

Overall: 3-6