Ok, I Was There.
I have a confession to make. This past Sunday afternoon, my wife and I attended the Pirates game. I know, I’ve been preaching to stay away until Nutting sells the team and have done my part and stayed away for two years.
They actually made some bold moves at the trade deadline for a change and I decided to give them the benefit of a doubt. The dwindling attendance definitely forced their hand on making moves. I was preparing to write a story called “Nutty Nuttings Everything Must Go Sale!”
You know the original plan was to get rid of any veteran making decent money and not under contract beyond next year…Cervelli, Harrison, Dickerson, Mercer, Freese, Nova, maybe Vasquez (The Player formerly known as Rivero.)
Then The Pirates screwed ownership by winning 11 in a row right before the deadline. Attendance has been dropping for three years and making those trades would have had fans showing up with pitchforks and torches.
So it was around that time I took a look on Seat Geek and picked up some tickets for Sunday’s game. I wanted seats with a view, in case the game got out of hand. The last time I went in 2016, the Reds, who I think had around 7 wins in August, dominated the Pirates. It was 8 to nothing in the third inning and the Pirates only had two hits the whole game. Oh, and it was humid, hot and miserable on top of it. Not a good memory.
When we got there on Sunday, the weather was great. The view was fantastic and the people around us were friendly. That includes the woman behind us who asked if I could change seats with my wife because apparently, my head is too big and was blocking her view. She said it was because I’m tall, but I’m not that tall. I know it’s my big fat head.
As soon as we switched seats, the gentleman now sitting next to us, was aggravated by the idiot family standing in front of him. They were clueless and not caring if they blocked anyone’s view. My wife was probably thinking she was in for an afternoon of stereo aggravation.
I was actually on my best behavior. I was even friendly to the couple sitting next to me that happened to be Cubs fans. I realize that if there were a vote on who should be the ambassador to represent this great city, there would be hundreds of thousands voted ahead of me.
On this day, I was actually cordial. Probably because they were friendly and not obnoxious. I’ve been seated next to some insufferable Cub fans in the past and did my best to make their experience as loathsome as possible.
This couple had a 7:45 flight later that evening. They were wondering how far in advance they should leave for the airport. I told them how at that time of night, the airport is like a ghost town and they should breeze through security. I also told them not to sweat the tunnel traffic.
If they had gotten under my skin, at 3 O’clock I would have said,
“I can’t believe you’re not leaving already. You’re never going to make it! If the tunnel is backed up, you’re screwed!”
Then, hopefully the flight would have been delayed and they could have sat at the airport for five hours, cursing me out. Could’ve watched the Cubs lose in the 11th at an airport bar.
Yes, that’s right, the Pirates won in the eleventh on a walk off homer by Adam Frazier. By that time, a lot of the people had left and our section was emptying out. But, we all stayed together. The two aggravated guys and their wives, the couple from Chicago and the couple and the screaming child behind us.
Normally, a screaming child would have had me moving immediately. This kid on the other hand, was doing it right.
“Let’s Go Bucs!”
Then after the homerun,
“Yeah…Yeah…Yeah….Yeah….”
He was only three and sober. Maybe it was the two over-priced beers, but we connected at that moment. We met on an emotional and intellectual level.
Anyway, it was a good time when I needed one and I hope the Pirates can keep me interested for the next few years.
Of course, Chris Archer, the pitcher they went all in on, left the game on Tuesday with an injury. It’s called karma for the Pirates and aggravation for me.
Speak Your Mind