Phew! Well, it's been a fun past few days. I braved the terrible rain to go to the ball game because I knew it was the last rehab start for Austin Jackson and I wanted to get him.
Standing out in the rain was not fun; the game was delayed 20 minutes and the graphers beside the dugout were getting rained on all the while. It was worth it; Rondon (who should be in Detroit) signed before the game, as did Castellanos (who made a point to sign before warmups...very cool) and Jackson. (Jackson came out a little bit later than everyone else, but he's earned the right. He was very cool with the fans near the dugout, too.)
Holaday was nice, even though the darn rain muddied up his auto a little bit.
As the game went on, the rain stopped. Hitters were not bothered by the conditions; the Chiefs scored a bunch of runs off of Misch early on, but Castellanos and company caught up and ended up winning the game 9-7. Alburquerque and Rondon pitched beautifully in relief. The latter struck out the side in the ninth with 95 MPH heat, but some tiny control problems. He got results.
After the game, I got a little lucky. There weren't too many graphers and I think I was the only one who wanted guys like Misch and Lennerton. (I confused the latter pre-game with Douglas, the gentleman who plays on the same side of the infield. I felt like a jerk, but I apologized after the game and Lennerton signed for me.)
I met a writer from Grantland, too, there to write a story about Mike Cervenak, a long-time minor leaguer. The writer is a great guy and he inspired me to send out some darn queries for my own stories. If you haven't checked out Grantland, do so with a quickness!
So the elation of the game was tempered by today...I had a flat tire and waited for roadside service for three hours. I made use of the time; I read a whole Stewart O'Nan novel. (He's the guy who wrote that Red Sox book with Stephen King, too.) Now I have to hope that repairs won't cost too much. Grr. Such is life.
Here are some 50/50 IP I got from my first such completed transaction. Very cool!
Standing out in the rain was not fun; the game was delayed 20 minutes and the graphers beside the dugout were getting rained on all the while. It was worth it; Rondon (who should be in Detroit) signed before the game, as did Castellanos (who made a point to sign before warmups...very cool) and Jackson. (Jackson came out a little bit later than everyone else, but he's earned the right. He was very cool with the fans near the dugout, too.)
Holaday was nice, even though the darn rain muddied up his auto a little bit.
As the game went on, the rain stopped. Hitters were not bothered by the conditions; the Chiefs scored a bunch of runs off of Misch early on, but Castellanos and company caught up and ended up winning the game 9-7. Alburquerque and Rondon pitched beautifully in relief. The latter struck out the side in the ninth with 95 MPH heat, but some tiny control problems. He got results.
After the game, I got a little lucky. There weren't too many graphers and I think I was the only one who wanted guys like Misch and Lennerton. (I confused the latter pre-game with Douglas, the gentleman who plays on the same side of the infield. I felt like a jerk, but I apologized after the game and Lennerton signed for me.)
I met a writer from Grantland, too, there to write a story about Mike Cervenak, a long-time minor leaguer. The writer is a great guy and he inspired me to send out some darn queries for my own stories. If you haven't checked out Grantland, do so with a quickness!
So the elation of the game was tempered by today...I had a flat tire and waited for roadside service for three hours. I made use of the time; I read a whole Stewart O'Nan novel. (He's the guy who wrote that Red Sox book with Stephen King, too.) Now I have to hope that repairs won't cost too much. Grr. Such is life.
Here are some 50/50 IP I got from my first such completed transaction. Very cool!
