IN WHICH We Experience Pain.

AND - in the Meantime - Hurt.

Following, without comment, appear the events of the Mariner half of the sixth inning.

Olerud: Solo home run (3-2 Seattle)
Javier: Single, stolen base
Cameron: Walk
Lampkin: 2-base error on pitcher, Javier scores (4-2)
Bell: Flyout to right field
Suzuki: Intentional walk, loads bases
McLemore: Triple, scores Cameron, Lampkin, and Suzuki (7-2)
--Stanton replaces Hernandez
Boone: 2 RBI home run (9-2)
Martinez: Ground-rule double
Olerud: Strikeout
Javier: Popup to shortstop

7 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 1 left.

	The crowd... before and after.

In the pictures I took, there is a shot of the stands early in the game, after one of El Duque's strikeouts.  There are few empty seats, except for in the "really rich people" section behind the dugouts.  There follows a shot taken after the sixth inning.  If I were a fan of the "Left Behind" series, perhaps I could sell this picture to them, as the perfect representation of an unexpected mass exodus.  New York, my friends, as they say in France, had left the building.

When the bottom of the sixth passed with threats, but no runs for the Yankees, Mike turned to me and said, "So, I think if they don't score by the seventh, we should go."

My mouth dropped open.  "Are you kidding me??"

He wasn't.

My argument took three tacks - (a) we certainly aren't going to beat the traffic leaving now, (b) when's the next time we (or at least I) will ever make it to a playoff game in Yankee Stadium, and (c) ARE YOU INSANE??  A similar conversation was happening on our left, as the enormous gentleman's son was beginning to whine.  I give the guy full and complete credit, though - he told the kid how it was.  "Are we going to leave now?  Can't we go home??"

"No."

They stayed all game.

And the amazing thing is that they stayed in the same seats, in the top row.  It didn't take us long to move down, although Mike retained a desire to get out quickly, so we had to stay near the exit, and thus stayed on our level.  But we did move down a good forty rows or so, sadly leaving behind the psychotic woman who had begun throwing this weird kind of tickertape stuff into the fans below her.  This did not win her any friends.  "There's a game going on - why don't you watch it?," one annoyed guy yelled back.  "Awww, lighten up!," she screamed back, throwing another handful onto an unsuspecting bald man twenty rows down.  My section never really came together as a team, and the 7-run inning (which was followed by 5 more runs, by the way) didn't help matters.

I convinced Mike (it wasn't that hard, really) to stay for the whole game, and it ended, mercifully, at 14-3.  Had we known the outcome ahead of time, we probably could have car-pooled with some of the ten fans that were left on our whole level.  It took us a while to get back to our parking lot (we were required to take a picture of me in front of a police horse), and it involved walking down a busy road, going over a guardrail, sneaking through an overgrown, graffiti-covered path, and walking under the freeway.  But this was in the Bronx, at night, so it was perfectly safe.

When we came out, there were about ten people standing around a giant red SUV, barbequing, drinking, and smoking.  "Hey, what's up, dude?," shouted one as we walked by their corner of the lot.  His eyes were bloodshot, glazed over.  There was a distinct smell in the air, like burning rope.  Sure, all the attendants had long since disappeared, but scores of police were only about one hundred feet away, directing traffic.  These guys and girls didn't care.  They were right there, in public, shamelessly using a controlled substance and inviting others to join them.

Obviously they were Mariner fans.  That sort of thing just doesn't happen in the Bronx.  Honest.

NHS Speech

"My View" Editorial

The October Surprise
|  Round 1 |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |
|  11  |  12  |  Final Bell  |

Journey to Jersey II
|  Intro  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |

Journey to Jersey I
|  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |   6  |  7  |  8  |
|  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |
|  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |

An Epic Saga
|  Act  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |
|   6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |
|  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |

Christian Rock Email

Freshman Room Draw
|  Part One  |  Two  |
|  Three  |  Four  |  Five  |