Sweepin' in the Rain

Sunday, August 14, 2005
Home Game 61
Yankees 10 Rangers 3
Subway Race Winner: 4 train
Cap Game: WW


Finally, some run support for Shawn Chacón. He didn't have his best stuff, but it was enough to get the win. Bernie and Jorge each had 3 hits on the day. Posada, dare I say it, may be starting to get out of his funk. Matsui clobbered one to take the lead back in the 5th. I thought it was going foul. Didn't see the replay so I don't know how close it was to the pole.



A-Rod hit another bomb. Though it wasn't as far as yesterday's, it was still a monster shot. It is such a stark contrast watching Sheff and A-Rod bat. Yesterday's back-to-back homers was the perfect illustration of that. Sheff is just ultra-violent at the plate. Most of his dingers seem to be frozen ropes. Alex, on the other hand, has that long, sweet swing that turns pop-flies into home runs. I'm guessing that's why he strikes out a lot. He never shortens that swing. But, man, when he makes contact it's just poetic. For all of the shit that some Yankee fans give him, I hope they at least recognize that he may very well be considered one of the the all-time greats and we should all feel lucky that we have the opportunity to see him play everyday.

Took my mom to the game today. We knew it would be a scorcher so we brought about 6 bottles of frozen water. They were melted by the second inning. What I didn't expect was the rain, but it was very much welcome. There was a bit of a scare early in the game. A woman (about 70 I would say) passed out a few rows in front of us. Took her a good half-inning or so to come around. They put an oxygen mask on her and walked her out. She got a nice round of applause and waved to the crowd. Her color did not look good though. My mom pointed out that she should've been wearing a hat. It was hazy most of the day and the sun really wasn't beating down all that much, but it was one of those days where if you didn't drink enough fluids, you were toast. So take note, if you ever bring the elderly to a hot-as-balls game, make sure they wear a hat and have enough to drink.

When it started to rain we sat there for a bit. It felt good. After a while though, it got to be a bit much and we headed for cover inside. If you're ever at a game during a rain delay and they start to play "Singing in the Rain" over the PA, that means the tarp is about ready to come off. When the second delay hit my mom hinted that she wanted to go. She would've stayed if I wanted to, but I wasn't going to make her. If there was something notable going on, like a no-no, I would've, but not for a game like today. By the time we got back to the car the tarp was coming off. And by the time we got back to my town and had some frozen yogurt the game was over. A nice ending to a long week. Let's hope they can keep it up on the road trip.

We were home in time to see some of the post-game (Kim Jones wasn't that great, but who's this chick they have now? She can't even get the questions out). I'm usually a sucker for facial hair, but I think Chacón looks a lot better shaved. He reminds me a bit of actor Jeffery Wright, star of Basquiat, one of my favorite movies. Maybe that's why I like the guy so much. I would love it if the Yankees can hold on to him.

(btw, while searching for a pic of Chacón I found this photo of his rookie hazing. I wonder what the Yankee rookies will have to do this year?)

Today's attendance broke the 3 million mark. If they average just under 50,000 for the remaining 20 home games they will break 4 million this year.