Take me out to the ballgame

Although there was the threat of rain, I wanted to spend the day outside and get a look at the Reds' Dominican pitching phenom, so I hopped in the car this morning and drove to Cincinnati to take in an afternoon baseball game.

Unfortunately the forecast led to the tarp staying on the field longer than usual. My perch in right field would normally be an ideal place to grab a batting practice home run blast, but BP was canceled today. Still, it was nice to sit under the shifting sky, which alternated between sunny and overcast, and read the newspaper. A few fat drops fell, causing some to scurry for cover, but other than a little spitting prior to the game, the rain held off.

Of the major American sports, baseball is the most tradition bound. I like that the game itself has remained mostly unchanged for years, but I beg the game operations people to break themselves of the habit of playing that infernal Rednex song at some point between innings. That can go on the scrap heap along with the fan in the stands--it's always a guy--wearing a 69 jersey. Dude, it's not as clever as you think it is. I'd abide both, though, if concessions weren't priced at 200% what you'd pay anywhere else.

I can take or leave the wave, but I got a kick out of the guys in my section who were trying to rouse the crowd to get it started. Those in attendance were relatively sedate, which may have something to do with the fact that the Reds haven't been able to buy a hit in the last eight games. These guys were working hard to rally the fans. I appreciated the effort. You could feel people turn on the guy a section over who yelled at them to sit down and shut up.

The game was kind of a snoozer, although it got more interesting when a Reds player smacked a two-run homer to tie it in the seventh. In the eighth I saw something I don't know that I've ever seen happen. I hadn't witnessed it in person, and I can't remember seeing it on TV. The Reds catcher got ejected for arguing balls and strikes with the umpire. You'll see guys get tossed for yapping from the dugout, but I can't recall ever seeing a position player get removed while on defense. (To top that, a Reds pinch hitter got thrown out in the bottom of the inning for questioning a called third strike.) Cincinnati lost in ten innings, but it was a fine day to be at the ballpark regardless.

Last fall I posted pictures of the Ohio River from the Kentucky side, so here's the view near the banks on the Ohio side. The river isn't quite close enough for a player to hit a home run out of the stadium and into the water, but it's not much farther than that.