2008 CACTUS LEAGUE TRIP – POST #3

Good Friday saw us trek to Scottsdale to see the White Sox play the Giants. We tailgated on the library rooftop, grilling out, and drinking frothy drinks from plastic cups, not to mention downing guacamole & pink peeps (cuisine at its best). Found out our rooftop neighbors were jamming to Sublime. I told them thanks for the heads up on their tunes, I slinked away, when they replied, anytime sir, OUCH!

The Sox tied the game by playing small ball when Josh Fields advanced the runner to 3rd by grounding to first, and then Alexi Ramirez knocked the guy in from 3rd with a sac fly. But it wasn’t to be, as SF got a hit off Chicago’s firstbaseman Paul Phillips’ nose. Things continued to unravel as the next Giant batter hit one between Josh Fields and the thirdbase bag for a double. This game felt like last year, hopefully not this year.

Our last game together for fun in the sun would be a crosstown rivalry contest between the northside and southside of Chicago at Hohokam in Mesa.

Before heading in to see the game we picnicked on the grass outside the ball yard, I refuse to call it a stadium. Drank three beers, two waters, a couple of pops, and didn’t have to use the john once.

The Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, some fans were highfiving each other on the Palehose victory, till 5 inning Javy (Javier Vazquez) surrendered four runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it up at four apiece. Juan Uribe turned a an error into two bases through lack of hustle, maybe he didn’t get the memo about being placed on waivers, but then hit a big late inning homer.

Both teams were losing balls in the sun and the game reminded me of a little league game where you don’t want the ball hit to your kid. DonS’ little brother asked a Harley Guy if anybody told him he looked like Yanni? Which was answered with a question, “And Lived?”

When I was leaving the game a vendor commented on how he knew a Chicago team would win this one, I pointed out they didn’t as it ended in an 8-8 tie, he replied sadly – yeah right. Sad to see the Sox play the Cubs and neither team could win this meaningless game.

Our last night together we went to the Library Lounge in downtown Mesa, where I met an old friend whom I’d never known before. He said he hadn’t seen me in awhile, that he’d just moved back, but not where he used to live. I asked if he still frequented our old place where we met three years earlier and told him to tell our friends that I said hi. Someone asked if I recovered the twenty I’d lent him, I thought that might be pushing it from a perfect stranger.