Rain delays

Sigh...I've looked forward to watching the Reds game all day today. As I stared at my TPS reports today praying that the quarterly report fairy would visit me, I kept thinking "at least I get to watch the Reds AND the Nats tonight." Perhaps I should have put blank paper under my pillow last night, for the fairy never came, and thus far, neither has the Reds game.

Most memorable rain delay? By far the number one rain game I've ever been to was the Reds game in Philly in 2004. It was a one game make up from another rainout, and at 2pm on that Monday I suddenly decided to leave work and drive up to Philly to catch the game, since Griffey was sitting on #499. (Reds fans, Philly's only a 2.5 hour drive from DC, FYI.) I thought that the squeezing in that one game was a sign that I should go, so I packed up my stuff, told my boss there was no way I could miss the game, and I drove to Philly alone. I should have known better, though, because I usually missed the milestones, having tickets to see the Giants the day after Bonds hit #600 and the day after Sosa hit #500. The day was beautiful in DC, so the thought that rain could possibly hit the game never crossed my mind.

I had to buy standing room only, and it wasn't just because of Griffey's anticipated milestone, but mostly because Jim Thome was sitting on #399. Now, Thome is a popular player wherever he goes; you can't help but like him. But Phillies fans, well, how should I put it, um, there's a reason they have a psychotic mascot called the Phanatic, and they absolutely adored Thome, and in my opinion, rightly so. It was my first trip to Citizen's Bank Ballpark, which is a beautiful park, with the Philadelphia skyline in the distance and the smell of cheesesteaks infiltrating and overwhelming your oratory senses. I, of course, donned a Reds cap and shirt, garnering harsh stares that anyone who's been to Philly can understand. Fortunately, I arrived at the park early enough to get a good spot to stand, just behind the last row to the right of homeplate.

Oh, the outrage at Griffey not even making the trip! It was quite disappointing, but hey, I was getting to see my Reds play the game, so all was not lost. In fact, it was a pretty awesome game, because I got to see Thome hit #400, and it was an incredible feeling to see such a milestone, one that a true baseball fan can treasure, even if the feat was accomplished against her team!

The rains came for the first time during the fourth inning (I think!) I can't remember exactly how long it was, but I vaguely recall at least an hour and a half. Keep in mind that this was a Monday, and I had to work the next day. In DC. Two and a half hours away.

[Interruption: the Nats are playing and they are actually on network television, so I have been planning on watching them play, too. But I have just remembered something Ballwonk said about how our announcers are Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and they just showed them, causing me to burst out in laughter at the thought. He is right on.]

Anyway, I stuck around for the first rain delay, but when the second one came in the seventh inning, I waited for a bit then left. I had to. It was after midnight, and I still had to drive 2.5 hours home.

By the way, standing room is pretty tough, especially if you're alone, because when you've had a couple of beers, you need to take a bathroom break every now and then. They actually finished the game that night, though it was over sometime after 3am. That one ended up belonging to the Reds.

Yeah, I was late to work the next morning. But hey, I never let work interfere with baseball!