7/8/09 Citi Field

This was the first game in about ten years of going to ballgames where I was LATE to the game by one half inning. Well, to be exact, I showed up in the top of the first when the number four batter, Casey Blake walked, moving Orlando Hudson to second and shortly after, Mark Loretta drove in Hudson for LA to take the lead, but, that doesn't make a difference. Mind you the Mets had two outs, but granted, this is how our luck is this season...just another season.

The group I was with were managers of mine from the Applebees store that I work at, and when we were to arrive at Citi Field, we were going to be with over a hundred other managers from different stores.

Our location: The Big Apple Area.

After taking the aisle seat (just in case my luck played me right), this was the view to my left:

The view ahead:

And to my right:

There was only one man in the ballpark that had the strength to pull one out there at any point and time, and that man is none other than the joker himself, Manny Ramirez. I give a lot of respect and credit to Manny, but honestly, after fans hear about you cheating the game, no matter the player, it kind of dismantles all respect you once had for him. I remember first hearing about Manny while once arriving inside one of the clubhouse shops at Camden Yards on my trip there early this May with Gary Kowal. I couldn't believe it, but still, then and there, after having a conversation about it lasting a good twenty minutes and calling my Dad to let him know, the respect I had for him dispersed. Manny cheated. And to think he was one of a handful we have hope for that is a natural home run hitting ball player nowadays.

We received these wristbands that gave us access to free food including: pretzels (with cheese), cupcakes, Rice Krispy Treats, churros, trail mix, and a few other items. And as for beverages are concerned, they offered Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, and FREE beer. Although I am not a drinker, I did enjoy a nice glass of Sierra Mist on the rocks and a large Gatorade from Blue Smoke while receiving my BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich with pickle chips that was absolutely a delicious and good bargain at $9.00, being a free meal after receiving a $15 Citi Field Gift Card along with my complimentary ticket for the evening. Yeah, I was hooked up with everything for the night with the exception of my train fare and it felt awesome.

The game itself was enjoyable, oddly, having Oliver Perez start on the mound and with the slump that the Mets are in, you would think they would get annihilated like they have these past few nights. But, Ollie did 'ok' and the Mets hung in there to win by a final score of 5 - 4, taking the series to a rubber game.

Box - Recap

My next game looks like it's going to be in Washington D.C. when the Mets travel to Nationals Park to face the Washington Nationals. I will be traveling there with Gary and possibly a few other kids, and the plan is to stay there for two of the three game set they have scheduled, that being July 20 and 21. I will be back in action, ballhawking it up, and hope to have a lot of fun doing so in an empty ballpark, such like Nationals Park. We'll see what happens.

By the way, Daniel Murphy made a sensational toss to Bobby Parnell in the seventh inning to get the second out with a 5 - 2 lead. If you haven't seen it yet, click here for a look. Even though the runner was safe when you look at it, the play was magnificent.