America- Beer and Baseball

I found myself in the most American of settings this past Fourth of July, the bleachers of a major league baseball game.  Here are some of my random observations as I enjoyed the country’s favorite pastime on the birthday of our nation.This year I decided the ideal way to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday would be to spend an afternoon at a major league ballpark.  What could be more American than wasting a Sunday afternoon at a ball game, drinking overpriced beer and rooting on the home team?  In this case, the home team was the San Francisco Giants, who were taking on the Oakland A’s in the final game of a three game inter-league series.  I purchased a couple of bleacher seats and somehow convinced my girlfriend to feast on this little slice of Americana along with me.  A beautiful summer day spent sipping cold beer at SBC Park was clearly my patriotic duty on this holiday.

It was apparent early on that this would be a day made for baseball.  The sky was clear and the ball field was drenched in the California sun.  This is not always the case in San Francisco, where the fog can put the damper on any summer day.  On this holiday however, the weather was perfect at game time.  We arrived at SBC about a half hour before the game started and took in the many picturesque views the stadium has to offer.  This park has to be the shining jewel in the collection of major league ballparks across the nation.  It may not have the storied history of Yankee Stadium or Fenway, but it is a remarkable sight.  After taking in the astounding scenery, we made our way to the concession stands for some astounding priced food.

In true American fashion, SBC follows the grand stadium tradition of squeezing the most out of the consumer.  Who in their right mind would pay seven dollars for a sixteen-ounce domestic beer?  It seems me and about forty thousand patrons were more than willing to purchase one or two, maybe four…ok I think it was six at the most. For some reason the beer prices didn’t seem to bother me after my second purchase, but that $4.25 I blew on a bottle of Diet Coke for my girlfriend still irks me.  Four bucks for a soda!  This could only happen in America my friends.

Since we are back on the subject of this beloved country of ours, let’s move on to the Star Spangled Banner.  I don’t give the Banner much thought whenever I attend sporting events, but on this holiday, it was something I was looking forward to hearing.  However, the bumbling couple in front of me, who took roughly three days to pay for two dogs and a beer, robbed me of any chance to witness the performance on the field.

I still had time to catch the fighter jets zoom over the stadium for their flyover, but again my patriotic fervor was dashed.  I was about to place my order when the concession worker’s family showed up at the most convenient of times.  The sonic boom of the jet engines filled the air as I seethed in back of the impromptu family reunion.  At least the inconsiderate jerk in front of me could have removed his hat for the national anthem.  With my patience worn thin and my wallet even thinner, we decided to head to our seats.

We took our seats in the center field bleachers and I couldn’t help but notice the frequent smattering of green and yellow throughout the crowd.  The A’s fans from across the bay were going to make their presence felt here amongst the Giant faithful.  This rubber match, the Giants and A’s had split the previous two games of the series, did seem to have a more serious vibe than any normal July game might.  That’s because local bragging rights were on the line today.  Anyone who has a problem with inter-league play should attend one of these A’s/Giant tilts, or for that matter Yanks/Mets, ChiSox/Cubs, or Angels/Dodgers.  The local fans love these games and that is who baseball should be most concerned with.  For you purists out there…things change people!  Live with it!

For the Giant’s starting pitcher Jerome Williams, this day was not one to remember.  He gave up five runs in four innings, including a three run smash by A’s left fielder Eric Byrnes in the third.  Oakland had All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder slinging heat for them and he drew the crowd’s ire when he plucked Barry Bonds on the hand in the second inning.  Bonds spiked his bat off the ground and crouched in obvious pain.  It what may have been the largest group anus clench on record, the fans had to sweat for a few minutes before Bonds shook it off and trotted to first.  No team in the bigs relies on any one player as much as the Giants do on Bonds.

The game remained highly contested through five innings with the Giant’s closing the gap to make it 5-3, which ironically equaled my innings to beer ratio at the time.  The highlight, for me, at the time might have been Bonds sac fly in the fifth.  He took Mulder deep and the ball was launched directly towards my section in right center field.  In unison the entire group of us stood in anticipation of catching a possible Bonds home run.  It only made it to the warning track and wasn’t really close, but I could tell we all felt the excitement of making the possible catch.  Everyone condemns the infamous, bald, meathead in Texas who trampled the kid to get to the foul ball and they should.  However, if that Bonds pop up had made it over the wall the three kids in the row below me would have been mince meat.  Of course it would have been the fault of the vandals sitting next to me…of course.

The competitive nature of the game took a turn for the worse after Byrnes blasted his second three run homer of the day in the sixth inning.  The A’s fans seemed to become much more vocal with a six run lead and I saw streams of Giant fans making their way towards the exit.  Can somebody say fair weather fans?  The true fans stayed to encourage their team and I stayed for more sun and beer and I suppose the ballgame too.

The game turned a bit chippy, my favorite hockey term, when Giant’s reliever Tyler Walker plucked Mulder in the back.  The ump ejected Walker and Giant’s manager Felipe Alou went ballistic on the field.  It did seem a bit hasty especially since two Giants got beamed by Mulder earlier in the game.  Of course it all looks a lot worse when your team is down by six runs and you’re throwing lasers at the opposing teams starting pitcher.

It wasn’t the end of the shenanigans either because another Giants pitcher, Felix Rodriguez, was tossed for pegging Byrnes in the eighth.  Then the umps had enough of Alou’s temper tantrums and also gave him the boot.  With all the feistiness, I was hoping for a bench clearing brawl to liven the game up again, but the players kept their composure after the flare ups.  What a bummer.  My disappointment in the lack of spontaneous violence confirmed for me why football will always be my first love.

The game continued on with the Giants trying to get back in it, but this was not their day.  A J.T. Snow home run in the ninth looked like it could be the start to a home team rally, but A’s reliever Octavio Dotel quickly put the kibosh on San Francisco by dropping the final three batters.  The last one a fitting end to the day, as Dotel took on Bonds and lived to tell about it by striking out the home run god.  Bonds day was not a total loss as he did set the all time walks record.  In the sixth inning he took ball four and had a free pass to first for the 2,191 time in his career, passing Ricky Henderson.  The Bonds record breaking tour will continue in the near future.

Thus my day of celebration had come to end and my patriotic duty complete.  Overall there isn’t a better way to celebrate America’s freedoms than by enjoying one of its greatest pastimes.  I was witness to an all time record, a few long balls and plenty of annoying fans.  What is more American than that?