Nineteen

This time, we had a larger gang tagging down to Busch. Sort of went on a spontaneous shopping spree – the only kind I really know – when we remembered the Red Sox were coming into town, bringing back two of the lost boys.

I took the Mazda. Mom, Irish-Rose, Cherry, and two guy friends from Old Church followed in the Fit. And Puck gratefully took another opportunity to play with his buddy down the street, Carrie-Bri supervising.

Red Sox jerseys littered the field. It didn’t take long to spot Joe Kelly in his usual stance catching lazy fly balls in center field. Then Allen Craig walked past from left field, head down, quiet as always. Of course I was looking for it, but he seemed a little sad. Finally, he gave a sort of shy little wave to the crowd with his glove before disappearing into the dugout. We wouldn’t see him again that night; he had been put on the DL for 15 days. At least.

It was an interesting combination of attendees for the evening. Irish and Cherry sat at one end taking ridiculous selfies before the game, the two six-foot-plus boys shoveled through paper bowls of fries and nachos in the middle, and Mom and I took the far end.

Mom usually offers divergent commentary during the game. Always aesthetically tuned, she sees things I don’t.

“Hey, Collette. See that man two rows down? He’s bald and has all the earrings?”

“Yup.”

“Doesn’t he look like a pirate?”

A warm night, spidery ceiling fan shadows of seven fielders waiting for the next pitch in a tight game.

“Collette?” Mom was staring at a photo of Jon Jay on the screen in left field. “You know, I think you have eyes like Jon Jay. Let me see … Yes, you do.”

Cuban-eyes-Collette. He’s a cutie. I’ll take it.

So a tied game turned sour in the 7th when Matt Holliday was ejected for arguing the strike zone, slamming his bat into the dirt in disgust. He was absolutely livid. Maybe it did some good to fire up the team though, because they won it in the 8th. Then, like a gladiator released from his pen to his own theme music, 24 year-old Rosie sealed the 9th for his MLB-leading 35th save. Stats.