Last night Jen and I dutifully headed downtown to the Astros game like good fans. I hadn’t been to a game in a month, and haven’t even been paying much attention to the team lately. Let’s just say that their performance this season doesn’t inspire a great deal of rapid game-watching on my part. Take today’s news: Jason Jennings is having season-ending elbow surgery. We traded Willy Taveras and Jason Hirsh for him. Worst trade in Astros history.
I had fun at the game, but only because Jen and I got to chat and gossip the whole time without fearing that Jason’s ears would fall out of his head from hearing too much girl talk. (He couldn’t make the game.) The Astros were getting killed, and the game just wasn’t very interesting. In the 7th inning, they announced the crowd as some like 34,000. I estimate that by that point there were about 5,000 people in the stadium. And that might be generous. I have never seen the stadium so empty.
Because the Nationals scored a lot, the game was excruciatingly slow. Both Jen and I had to be at work at 8:00 this morning, and we continually moaned about it. Finally, when Jen looked at the clock and commented that “geez, this game is going to go till 11:00,” we both realized we’d had enough.
“I wouldn’t argue if you wanted to leave now,” I said. “Really? Because neither would I,” Jen said.
So we left. At the end of the 8th inning, we left. I felt bad about it. But only a little.
I don’t feel bad about it. I didn’t get to bed until well after midnight as it was, so I got less than 6 hours of sleep. I’m dog tired.
Baaarb and I have a 2 1/2 hour rule – if the game is dull we feel we’ve had enough baseball after 2 1/2 hours.
We were there Monday and left after 7 innings with the Astros down 7-0. We had seen Jason Jennings’ last start of the year and we had seen Tim Redding (Tim Redding!) shut out the boys. Enough entertainment? No, bonus! The rather infamous marriage proposal turn down was that night and, indeed, it was in *** the next section over from us ***.
A memorable evening!
Willy Taveras is on the DL, and Jason Jennings is a promising young arm. Don’t give up on him yet. I would wait till they fire your manager – he’s the worst pitcher’s manager I’ve ever seen – and maybe your closer and stud starters will come around.
Actually, my vote would be for —
November 29, 1971 – Astros traded Joe Morgan and others to Cincinnati for Lee May and Tommy Helms