Sure, there were over 58,000 at the Vet, which is always nice. Sure, the ceremony honoring Harry Kalas was pretty wonderful. But it was actually a bit too long, for a 90-plus degree day. And the Phils lost, thanks in great part to an error by Travis Lee (just Leeve, Travis, once and for all just Leeve!) that helped lead to all 5 St. Louis runs. And I hardly got to boo Scott Rolen because the only appearance he made on the field today was at the end of the Kalas ceremony. (Which was a nice move on his part--coming out of the dugout to greet Harry and open the door of the convertible that Harry was taking a victory lap around the field on.) And my brother's minivan wouldn't start after the game and we ended up taking public transit to get home. And my seat at the Vet had gum on it and I didn't realize it until after I stood up and my brother said, "Joe--you sat in gum!" And I'm betting the gum was dropped there by this little freakin' monster who sat behind me and hollered non-stop from beginning to end "DADDY I WANT TO GO HOME! DADDY I'M BORED!! DADDY WHY CAN'T WE LEAVE!!" Around the eighth inning the little snot started calling the little kid next to him a faggot, even after daddy told him to shut up. I should've just turned and slapped him. Sheesh.

But hey, if there's a strike and the season ends and I then take off for over 5 years before going to a Phillies game again (like I did after the 1994 strike), then that was my last game at the Vet because it's gone after the 2003 season. What a way to go!

Bad enough, but I want MORE pity for my likely farewell to live baseball for the year... While the ceremony introducing the All-Time Mets Team was nice -- save for the inclusion of the undeserving Lenny Dykstra (whither Cleon Jones?) -- it was a grim display of schadenfreude once the game started, as the bitter Shea crowd started "STRIKE" chants as Odalis Perez kept the hapless Amazins off the basepaths for 6-1/3. (When Piazza hit a mammoth HR for the first hit to make the score 10-2 Dodgers, you'd've thought the Mets had taken the lead in a title clincher.)

Wow, I'm sorry you guys had such bad experiences, especially Joe Temporarily Not In Baltimore. I don't like kids at all, so I would have gone insane sitting near a monster like the one you did.

I went to possibly my last game ever (I won't go again if there's a strike) at The Ed to watch my Lust Object Supreme Jim Thome and the hapless Tribe play my sad-sack Angels.

So, Jarrob Washburn is cruising along then the wheels fall off. It's 3-2 Halos when The Anaconda steps to the plate. I cheer loudly for him. My pal, whom I've been going to Angels games with since 1978, glares daggers at me--if looks could kill, he'd be doing life without parole--and then what happens? The Sexiest Player In Baseball crushes one deep in to the right field seats, easily a 400-footer. My friend is again at me with the dagger-eyes and says "If the Angels lose, it's your fault". Er, um......

The next inning, Coco Crisp--Best. Name. Ever. and oh how we laughed when they announced his name for the first time--sparked a 6 run Tribe rally and that was that. BOO HISS.

I really hope there isn't a strike because I don't want my last live game ever to be have been the stinker I attended on Saturday night. Good Carne Asada burrito from the concession stand though!

Jim, that sounded like a pretty cool game to me - Go Tribe !!

You want a bad day at the ballpark? Today might possibly have been the very last home game for the Montréal Expos franchise. That is, if the players go on strike on Aug 30th and don't return, and if the Expos pack their bags and relocate next year.

Actually, that's more of a SAD day at the ballpark. (And calling the Olympic Stadium a "ballpark" is a bit of a stretch.)

[quote]Originally posted by Joe in Philly:
And I hardly got to boo Scott Rolen because the only appearance he made on the field today was at the end of the Kalas ceremony. (Which was a nice move on his part--coming out of the dugout to greet Harry and open the door of the convertible that Harry was taking a victory lap around the field on.)

---

I've reconsidered.

Scott Rolen wanted no part of team or this city any longer, so he had no right to presume that he could be part of a ceremony with Philadelphia players honoring a Philadelphia legend. He wanted to participate and at first the Phils told him he could, but then changed their minds (probably after hearing the reception he got on Friday and figuring they didn't want that in the ceremony). So he jumped out on the field on his own.

If Scott Rolen wanted to congratulate Harry Kalas, he could easily have done so privately. If he felt the need to be part of an on-field ceremony, he should've arranged for one to be held before a game in St. Louis this coming weekend. If he absolutely HAD to go on the field yesterday, he should've had some or all of his teammates join him on the field so as to dilute some of the attention. It seems like he rather enjoyed himself this weekend and wanted another chance to rub the fans' collective nose in it, especially considering that he didn't even play.

There was an interesting report on local TV last night and wary as I am of accepting something this guy (Howard Eskin, for those who know the local TV scene) says at face value, here's what he reported, in reply to Rolen's comments about how the Cards organization treats their players like family (implying in his own backhanded way that the Phils don't):

* The Phils gave Rolen's parents free season tickets and free parking.
* Rolen didn't like the fact that autograph-seeking fans hung around the area where the players leave the stadium to go to their cars--the Phils, in response, put up barriers to block fans access.
* Rolen didn't like the fact that the annual Chamber of Commerce luncheon featuring the team in April was held on an off-day. In response, the Phils moved it to a game day instead.
* Rolen didn't like the fact that the team played exhibition games in Reading and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In response, the Phils stopped playing those games. (This in particular I find despicable.)

f**k Scott Rolen. And especially f**k Travis Lee, despite the fact that his post-game comments were the first sign he's ever shown in his major league career that he actually gives a damn about something.

Ah, I love it when Joe Stuck in Baltimore rants!

Scott Rolen: Clueless, eh? Though I wouldn't want to see baseball go back to the pre-Curt Flood days of the reserve clause, the players have too much power these days.

And what exactly were Travis Lee's comments and why is he such a stiff?

Well apparently the strike can't come quick enough for some folks!

One thing I would consider though-Rolen may very well have made all the demands you listed, but the Phillies management, as well as management throughout sports, are the ones who gave in. Athletes are like kids. They'll keep asking for stuff until the parents, or management, says no. Rolen may truly be the douche bag you so volatilly described, but he is far from the only guilty party in the mess that is the Philadelphia Phillies.

The thing that's always puzzled me about Travis Lee is how he holds down a job. When the Phillies traded for Jeremy Giambi, I thought surely they would play him regularly at first. At best, Lee hits like J.T. Snow in a mediocre year.

Travis Lee said the fans were "low class" for booing Rolen on Sunday. Funny, he didn't seem to care about one of his bosses getting booed at the same time. Bill Giles, who brought Harry Kalas to town but is now--despite being no longer active in running the team--the symbol of the collapse of the franchise, was also loudly jeered.

George--your point is quite valid. Here are a couple of articles I read today about pro athletes: baseball players and lacrosse players. They make for an interesting exercise in compare and contrast...

Players want cheese - and Snickers, sodas, full service - with their whine

Juggling 2 jobs keeps MLL players hopping: Making part-time money means full-time jobs and hard commutes for many of the young league's competitors.

I was at the O's game Sunday, pretty uneventful. Hot, but uneventful. A police helicopter started circling over a stadium parking lot for about a half hour - why I'm not sure - but other than that, a nice, uneventful day at the ballpark.

I'm going to tomorrow's (Wednesday's) Yankees-Angels game. It'll be interesting to see what the mood is like at the stadium, especially given the importance of the game, provided there is no strike.

How are the Expo's doing in their playoff run with Bartolo Colon ?

I know I'm way late in replying to this post, but I did drive down from New York to the Vet last weekend, and have got a surplus of dual bobbleheads and a peeling sunburn to prove it. I'm just sorry that my buddy Dave from Voorhees couldn't make it that afternoon (he was unfortunately connected to that deadly car crash in Maple Shade, which so happens to be my hometown). But I've got plenty of bobbleheads to give him - and, speaking of, how refreshingly un-P.C. to have one of the bobbles characteristically smoking a pipe!

Despite the pall of that crash that killed two distant high school acquaintances of mine, last Sunday was the best time I've had at the Vet in years. Our tickets were in Section 739, near the Padilla Flotilla, but the Baseball Gods soon shone down on us. Some guy we were talking to in that chicken restaurant on the ground level was leaving because of the heat and decided to give my buds and I his tickets, which were...five rows behind the visitor's dugout.

I haven't been that close to the field there since Steve Carlton was on the mound. Yes, yes, yes, that was me who was screaming Tino's name while hardcore Phillies Phans gave me the evil eye. I wasn't rooting against the Phillies (never!), but Tino is, of course, Tino; I'm sure you understand.

So, long story short (too late), it was still a fine day, despite both the Phillies and the Yankees losing. J.D. Drew will never escape the wrath of Phillies Phans. Rolen is, I feel, justified in leaving Philly (no arguments!), and his gesture towards Kalas was genuine and honest.

Now, please excuse me while I continue to peel the sunburn I received last Sunday.