inconsistent

game 2 of the giants vs cubs was a disappointment. not only did my need to not spend too much on tickets to see jason marquis cause me to buy unintentional tickets (that i sold at a loss), the baseball buddy and i sat behind possibly the most annoying people on the planet, the bleachers were cold, and the cubs never managed to score a run against matt cain when they had scored 9 the night before. the loss kinda sucked too, but that was probably my fault as i insisted on wearing my no-maa jersey, which i'm pretty sure has a losing record.

this game cemented the fact that i am too old to sit in the CF bleachers. the parade of marina girls sitting in front of us had no interest in the game and had to be asked to sit down several time. there were a bunch of drunk cub fans who kept yelling shit at jim edmonds. they need to get over it. those same fans got into a fight with some drunk giant fans who didnt understand they were booing a player on their own team. those same drunk giants fans chanted "1908" as the game drew to a close. who knew giants fans knew so much about baseball?!


at least we got a good pic out of it.




cubs 1, giants 2

reverting to form

after the demoralizing sweep and losses on the south side, the cubs rebounded last night with a victory over the giants.

it was an awesome game. im so glad i shelled out the extra bucks to sit closer, in the 100 level. lilly looked awesome, giving up 2 runs in 8 innings.

i'm AWESOME at predicting baseball. in the 8th with the cubs up 5-0, bases loaded, and de-ro up, i turned to hey you and said "you know, i think the cubs need about 4 insurance runs right about now". BAM, derosa slams a grand slam to the bleachers.

and then, in the 9th, after lilly gave up a baserunner, with his pitch count just over 100, i turned to mopey boy and said "if lilly gives up another baserunner, or reaches 110, he's getting pulled". sure enough, john bowker reaches on pitch 110, and out trots lou to replace him with kerry wood.

watching the game later, its sad to see that some of the best parts didn't make it to the broadcast. when lilly, who had a shutout going into the 9th, came out to bat in the top of that inning, he got a standing ovation from all the cubs fans who stayed to watch a game we couldn't possibly lose after plating 9 runs.

also, when lilly finally got pulled after allowing 2 hits in the 9th, even the remaining giants fans were on their feet, recognizing that his stuff was just on that night.

this SF chronicle article does a great job at capturing the feel:

By the time Chicago starter Ted Lilly came to bat in the ninth,
most of the Giants fans among the announced crowd of
35,311 had left, and the remaining army of Cubs fans gave
Lilly an ovation so loud you looked up to make sure there was
no ivy on the outfield walls.

like i have at some many ballparks i have seen the cubs play at, the legions that come out to support the cubbies was out in full force. its one of the greatest parts of being a cubs fan, our fellow fans are everywhere. so cool.

here's the baseball buddy with me and hey you



and here's some true fans flying the W flag (albein a little early, as the game wasn't over yet). i was shocked that the baseball buddy and the woman sitting next to him didnt know what it was, nor do the giants have anything similar.



cubs 9, giants 2