Month: September 2006

Compliments of my cousin Charlie and his wife Chris, my wife and I spent Friday night at Busch Stadium watching the Cardinals play host to the Giants.

The Cards defeated the Giants 14-4. Looking back at the box score, something popped out at me. The Cards had 11 hits, 5 walks, (and one Giants error) and scored 14 runs. Very efficient scoring. Only 3 LOB for the team.

I was looking forward to seeing Albert, of course. His big chance came of course, when the wife and I were the midst of walking around the stadium. We were walking along the outfield plaza when I notice the scoreboard says “Chris Duncan BB RBI”. That can only mean one thing:

Albert Pujols is up with the bases loaded.

…and I know how much he loves that. So I deserted my wife to get a good vantage point knowing that something was going to happen. Sure enough, he slaps a 2-run single to left.

My sojourn to Busch now had meaning.

Other highlights:

-Scott Rolen was the big stick. He hit two homeruns, a double with 7 rbis.

-Chris Duncan also hit 2 homeruns

-University of Illinois alum Scott Speizio went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and an rbi.

-oh, Barry Bonds went 1 for 3… and he was booed. How original.

As a park, I enjoyed Busch II. It kinda reminds me of the Cell in some ways. As I said, Joan and I walked the perimeter and enjoyed the sights along the way. They took down the scoreboard from the old park and have it displayed along the inside perimeter. The scores of the games of the day they took it down are still on there. Cubs lost to Astros 4-0.

My souvenir from the day? An Albert Pujols bobblehead. I think he will come with me on all Illowa APBA functions.

Many thanks to Charlie and Chris (who by the way, keeps a mean scorecard) for hosting us for the weekend.

9/11/06: Jose Contreras outdueled John Lackey to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead in this three game series with the Halos. Although the Angels doubled up on the Pale Hose in hits, 8-4, the Good Guys got this one 3-2 as Contreras struck out eight and walked only one over eight innings, allowing only one run. The 5th inning was Lackey’s undoing as the Sox got three of their four hits and all three runs. BIG BAD Bobby Jenks started the 9th and the Angels almost came back from the dead in the 9th, Vlad Guerrero got a leadoff single, Garret Anderson got a single, making it first & third with Juan Rivera at the plate. Earlier in the game Rivera almost broke his wrist, Hideki Matsui style, so when he stepped to the plate I kept the faith. And my faith was rewarded as Juan swung at the first pitch, grounding into a tailor made DP, making the score 3-2. Howie Kendrick was completely overmatched and Bobby Jenks picked up his 40th save.

9/12/06: This was a tough loss. 9/11’s goat Juan Rivera picked a first inning Mark Buehrle pitch off his shoetops and lined it just fair around the leftfield foul pole to give LAA a quick 2-0 lead. The Sox again scored three in the 5th, but that’s all they got. The Angels tied it when a popfly fell in with a man on third and the infield in. Ervin Santana & Buehrle allowed three runs through seven. Mike Scioscia played little ball off Bobby Jenks in the bottom of the 11th, Garret Anderson got a leadoff single, Tommy Murphy running for Anderson was bunted up by pinch hitter Reggie Willits batting for Robb Quinlan, Adam Kennedy batting for Jose Molina was intentionally walked, Howie Kendrick hit into an FC, his speed saved a DP, Chone Figgins lined an RBI single to end it, 4-3 Halos.

9/13/06: I was wondering how my guys would come out after their tough extra inning loss, but Freddy Garcia was in TOTAL control! The Angels got one more hit than a dead man and they got that with two outs in the bottom of the 8th, when Adam Kennedy lined a single to break up a perfecto. The White Sox offense was really rolling as they scored seven in 3 1/3 innings off Joe Saunders, one more in the 9th, and Scioscia didn’t use a reliever that mattered when it was obvious his team didn’t show up. In fact the score would have been the same as a forfeit, 9-0 Good Guys! No homers for the White Sox. It could have been worse, but Tadahito Iguchi pulled up just shy of home plate on a Paul Konerko double and was tagged out easily. The only explanation I could come up with was he thought the ball was caught for out number three, no harm, no foul.

Now the White Sox are Movin on Up, both up the coast and up in the standings. As the ChiSox are matched up with the Oakland A’s in a three game weekend series. The A’s are in 1st place in the AL West, while Chicago is in 3rd in the AL Central. To say this is a big series would be an understatement. Ozzie Guillen & his boys will have to do it against the Big Hurt. Here’s hoping we can help the Angels playoff hopes, wonder if they’ll thank us after we take three from Oakland? Next week, Detroit is at the Cell. It does appear both the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers are hungrier than the White Sox, but we are the Champions!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

On the 29th of August Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero lined a rocket screaming at the head of Rafael Soriano, Guerrero yelled a warning at his fellow countryman as soon as he saw it off his bat, but there was nothing the Seattle Mariner reliever could do to protect himself, and you could hear the ball as it hit his head, it landed near the Angels dugout after making contact. Seattle Seahawks team physician who specializes in head trauma deemed that Soriano’s third C-T scan was normal, but Rafael has had minor headaches and is unable to perform physical activity. The Mariners medical staff will monitor his condition during the offseason, but he is done for the year. We at the Zealot wish him well, and look forward to seeing Rafael Soriano pitch in 2007.

I get a lot out of having kids. Unfortunately, one thing my daughter gave me over the weekend I didn’t need. An ear infection.

So now I have a greater appreciation for what those with hearing loss go through every day. This ain’t fun.

Anyway, that and general sickness explains my absence from writing here the last few days. Thanks to Teddy B for filling in admirably. Also thanks for calling and checking in. It’s nice to know I’m missed.

According to National Public Radio, it seems an adult-proof ringtone has been developed that only teenagers can hear. There’s a link to download the audio file to see whether you can hear it.

It’s not foolproof. You could scream in my right ear and I wouldn’t hear you but as for my wife, she heard the tone just fine. I know better than to give her age but I can say she’s no teenager.

As far as I’m concerned, I can do these teenagers one better. I have a “ringtone” that only *I* can hear. It’s called “vibrate”.

Maybe they could start using that.