About last night...
-The official game temperature last night was 54 degrees, but it was colder as the game went on. Actually, it was cold when the game started, especially in the upper deck: all the wind, none of the sun! Physically speaking, it was a pretty miserable evening.
-Thankfully, Scott Elarton responded with playoff-type gamesmanship and focus, pitching unbelievably slow during his 5 innings of work. The contrast to Buehrle was predictably stark. Numbed by the wind, we actually started counting between pitches: Elarton was regularly taking 18-20 seconds between receiving the ball from the catcher and making his next pitch, while Buehrle was closer to the 6-9 range. Honestly, it was maddening.
-The highlight of the night for me, other than seeing German in the lineup at short (on base three times, two questionable plays in the field), was Greinke's three innings of shutout ball. I don't agree with the decision to move him to the bullpen, but I do like usages like this. For all the criticism I level at Bell, I wholeheartedly support the idea of using Greinke and Duckworth as semi-long-men at time.
Not a lawyer? Stay in the upper deck you miserable urchin!
-One final note on the night at the Cell: We got to the stadium abut 45 minutes before they opened the gates, so we had plenty of time to watch the Royals warm up, take BP and randomly run around for those 20 feet sprints baseball players like to do. Unfortunately, since we bought upper deck seats, we had no access to the lower level or even the outfield bleachers. Nothing. Not even the ability to walk the nice concorssues. Predictably, there was no one down by the dugout or the outfield wall talking to the Royals at all. I've now had experiences like this at four or five parks, which I must say is both decidedly anti-fan and disturbing to think about in the long term. Of course, there's the "security" cop out to fall back on, but it seems like a more subtle reinstitution of the physical barriers of the class divide. Interest in sports may be democratic, but one's experience of it certainly isn't. My ticket is only $20 dollars (as if this is cheap for a seat in the second-to-top row of the upper deck in right field, with an obsructed view, as M--- said, "ohh its nice, but you can't see the pitcher") so I can't be trusted to be within 500 feet of the field. Of course, this never gets brought up when its time to shake down the taxbase for another stadium deal. Expect some fabulous photographs at some point, the kind of on-the-ground access that only a blogger can bring you.
-Ohh, the game. What can you say? Comically pitiful meltdown in the 9th, all with two outs of course. I was perhaps the only guy at the game in Royals gear. Around the 5th inning I saw a guy in a gap and a Brett Royals jacket. Other than that, no one. I'm sure wearing my RR shirt did wonders for the site promotion however. When you're in the second-to-top row, there are almost 10 people who can see your back at any time! Huzzaa!
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Today's game -- how can they lose again this afternoon? -- features one of Dayton Moore's rare bright surprises Jorge de la Rosa (3-3, 4.06 ERA) taking on Javy Vazquez (2-1, 3.52 ERA).
One more chance for Gload to get his revenge at the Cell? We can only hope.
In four hours may we wrapped in glory for all eternity.