Yesterday afternoon, I attended my 11th Texas Rangers game of the year. Katherine is visiting her parents in Illinois, so I went to the game with my longtime friend (and UTA colleague) Wendell Hawkins, who goes by "Hawk." The game (against the New York Mets) was originally scheduled for 7:05, but for some reason it was changed to 2:05. They should not play day games in Arlington in June, July, or August. It was well over 90º Fahrenheit when the game began, and had climbed to 99º by the time the game ended shortly after five o'clock. There were no clouds in the sky and we had no structural cover, so we roasted.
The game did not begin well. The Mets scored a run in the first inning. The Rangers came back with two in the bottom of the first, only to give up four more in the second. Before much of the crowd had gotten settled in, the Rangers were down 5-2. They never caught up; the final score was 8-5. The Mets played sterling defense and pounded out 14 hits. Almost every close call went against the Rangers, which infuriated the crowd. In the sixth inning, during a conference at the mound, someone from the Ranger dugout yelled at the home-plate umpire as he walked to the mound. The player, Elvis Andrus, was immediately ejected. (Actually, Michael Young had done the yelling.) Ron Washington ran out of the dugout to protest the ejection and he, too, was ejected. The ensuing booing (by 37,879 fans) was deafening. It seemed as though the umpires were arrayed against us.
Jose Reyes had four hits for the Mets and scored three runs. As if that weren't enough, he made a number of sparkling defensive plays at shortstop. He's leading the National League in hitting at .341, and without a doubt he should be the starting shortstop for the National League in the upcoming All-Star game (on 12 July). Reyes has been in the Majors for several years, but he finally appears to be playing up to his potential. It hasn't helped the Mets, however. They're 39-39 and in fourth place in the National League East. The Rangers are still in first at 41-38, but they're in a weak division.
Hawk and I had fun, despite the infernal heat. We ate Chipotle burritos on a picnic table before the game and drank lots of water during the game, to stay hydrated. I had a cold strawberry Chill later. How many games have you attended this year? I'm 6-5 in the 11 games I've attended. I need to do better.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 