Wal-Mart est l'Amérique and The Toronto Blue Jays

I was driving around aimlessly in the middle of the day in my Chevy thinking a lot to do with nothing. Art thou so bored? Yes. The heat was burning and the gas was juicing through the cylinders. In order for me to maintain some sanity in the middle of the day, I took a little job involving delivering food from one person to another. Strawberry didn't bother about doing this, I did it simply because I couldn't cope with the idea of not bringing in some sort of income to the little apartment we had. We never cooked and spent a lot of money out on 7th at the bars or on the occasional drug excursion.
What I enjoyed primarily about doing this gig what that I was my own boss and never had to deal with people often. I tried the Uber thing of escorting people around but got sick of their dreary talk. The best rides were the ones who said nothing aside from "take me here" and "yes, this is the place".
Get out sucka and have a nice day! Thanks for the USD!
Perhaps it was isolation or perhaps it was this newly discovered personal development of completely submerging into following The Rays but nihilism is a development of experience and perhaps embedded into you when you at least know it. Sensitivity is for the weak in mind and faint at heart. Why did I care about some other person's problems? Thanks buddy now get the fuck out, the game is on in ten minutes. We had air conditioning, a fabricated screen made from the blood and sweat of some Chinese hands and our watered down beer, why listen? When I'd drop food off to some over weight lawyer in downtown who barely would even look at me, the thought occurred in my mind you fat fuck. You are so lazy and incompetent that you don't even have enough energy to leave your office and get your own damn food. 
"Thank you sir! Have a nice day!" I'd politely say.
Silence in return.
Benefiting from the wealthy and slightly stupid. The money machine keeps turning. God bless America.
It reminds me of the time Strawberry and I met Stu Sternberg (the principle owner of The Rays). It was absolutely imperative that we shook hands. After all, he owned the thing that kept me sane and Strawberry from strangling me. What struck me about him was that he was very sharp and in shape.
I broke my key earlier today and was bum hurt about the matter and luckily our Cuban neighbor had a machine to duplicate it. Whether that is legal or not doesn't matter, convenience is the name of the game.

The Rays were heading to Toronto tonight and Blake Snell takes on Marcus Stroman. Thus far The Blue Jays have essentially bottomed out and decimated by injuries. Josh Donaldson, Tulo, Aaron Sanchez, Dalton Pompey and J.A. Happ are all sidelined. Once you hit rock bottom, you can either hug the ground or climb up. They are 6-17 (a franchise worst). Top 1st and Stroman was dealing. He isn't a big strikeout guy but induces a lot of ground balls. Top 2nd. Two men on and D-Norris softly singles and brings in one run. 1-0 Rays. Snell on the other hand, did what he did best. Work the count quickly to 0-2 then fall behind walking batters with two outs. He did this pretty consistently inning to inning. Amazing The Blue Jays didn't capitalize (but with a team struggling, it is of no avail). Bottom 5th still ahead. Darwin Barney singles in Kevin Pillar. 1-1. This follows up with Kendrys Morales grounding into a double play and bringing in Barney. 2-1 Toronto lead. Bottom 7th. Kevin Pillar takes Austin Pruitt deep. 3-1 Toronto. Is it over? Let the magic begin. Top 8th. Stroman still in and cruising. Corey Dickerson takes him deep on the first pitch. 3-2 Toronto. John Gobbins REPLACES him with Jason Grilli when he is only sitting at 100 pitches. Stroman wasn't happy but who would be? Let's analyze how great of a pitcher he is 7.1 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 10 K and threw 100 pitches which 73 were strikes. Dude doesn't waste pitches. Case in point? John Gibbons is dumb. Enter Jason Grilli and Longo hits a bomb. 3-3 ties up then B-Miller walks. YES. Leone replaces Grilli then Lomo hits a two run bomb to center 5-3 Rays (I still loathe him). Top 9th. Former Ray J.P. Howell pitching and D-Norris takes his deep. 6-3 Rays. Then a wild pitch allowing C-Dick come in. 7-3 Rays. Bottom 9th. Jumbo Diaz allows a sac fly to a STRUGGLING Jose Bautista (bating a whopping .167 who I also hate) and Kevin Pillar scores but locks down the win. It's amazing to think without Edwin Encarnacion, this team is totally different and how you can pitch to this roster entirely different. There's no doubt, this whole team is built on offense and they are very depleted right now. As for Snell, he still looks really awkward on the mound. He cannot seem to repeat the mechanics to find the zone. It's in his hand placement and the way his right leg comes down thus making his hips adjusting to various part of the plate. A lot of it is mental but he needs to overcome it. He was lucky tonight. Straight up. That curveball is sick. Snell's line 5.0 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 3 BB 3 SO. He threw 96 pitches and 53 for strikes. Questionable bubba. Souza Jr. continues to impress with his glove and bat. So nice to see...finally. 


After the game, I found myself still driving around aimlessly and went to explore the most beautiful aspect about American civilization...Wal-Mart. Here, you will find the most perfectly laid out sociological spectrum to this great nation. If there are two places you want to taste Americana, it's at a baseball game and Wal-Mart. I went a little further out and to the one in Brandon. This is the town where Matt Joyce is from and an endless sprawl of suburban nightmare. I had a bit of a sweet tooth and this is actually the place where I took Strawberry for our second date. They have this McDonald's that smells like Lysol. Seeking out the candy, I come upon an employee.
"Hey buddy, where is the one dollar candy?"
His tag read Sam.
"I'm on lunch break," he croaked.
He looked impregnated. Light and happy, I took to the open aisle watching my fellow countrymen. Women with faded tattoos, men who looked more pregnant than a knocked up silver back guerilla, children stuffing their faces with candy or completely lost in the gaze of their screens, elderly veterans who keep on puttin', the depressed looking associate, the clinking sounds of grey shopping carts, the echoes of attention! Attention! the sweat dripping from the little Mexican dude, the flat bill of a white dude who clearly looks induced with crack, the lost stare of those who are shopping but don't know for what and the disgruntled looking married couple who are feeding the cubed suburban nightmare of Brandon, Florida.
I found the candy, snagged what looked luscious, waited in line and left.

Pitching Staff and April in Ybor City

It didn't dawn on me that there was no baseball on tonight and after finding out through a random misnomer at the bar on 7th, there weren't many games that interested me for the evening. It was so hot that everything melted, including the heat itself and slowly...my sanity. That doesn't make sense when all is delirious. What people tend to overlook (whom are not from Florida) is that the pre-summer/summer weather is almost unbearable for the not so faint at heart. It's not the heat, it's the humidity.
I found myself crouched over a little bowl of soup as Strawberry was laid out and relaxing. She'd been in the grind for the last couple of days and was no doubt the bread winner in this house. How to say this? I was a bum on all fronts and for some odd reason that still perplexes me beyond normal human rationale, she elected me to father her children. Every time when looking around the crumbling apartment that we resided in with dishes mounting in the sink and a creaking fan overhead and barely enough light to keep the rooms lit up, she still stuck by my side.
What did I have to offer such a beautiful woman like Strawberry?
"So what do you wanna eat tonight baby?" she asked softly.
"Er..."
"Oo! I know! Let's go get some wings! There is a special for sixty nine cent wings tonight! I know just the spot!" she yelped.
Fuck if I ever had the choice in the matter.
We wound up back on 7th at Buffalo Wild Wings where the clean and needy stuffed their faces with grease and starch. Why not begin with a carbonized alcoholic beverage?
Strawberry just loved being out in the lights and I liked being inside the confines of my mind and there was the screen showing highlights from various games throughout Major League Baseball. I saw The Braves beat The Mets and Miami lost again. Seems like nothing good can happen in Florida.
"So anyways, I was thinking..." Strawberry began.
My mind began thinking about the Rays' starting rotation thus far for the month of April.
"And she thinks..." Strawberry continued.
Let's break it down:

Chris Archer 2 W 1 L 3.94 ERA 5 G 32. IP 32 SO 1.38 WHIP
Jake Odorizzi 1 W 1 L 4.15 ERA 3 G 13 IP 8 K 1.00 WHIP
Alex Cobb 1 W 2 L 4.66 ERA 5 G 29 IP 21 SO 1.52 WHIP
Blake Snell 0 W 2 L 3.38 ERA 4 G 21.1 IP 15 K 1.41 WHIP
Matt Andriese 1 W 0 L 3.86 ERA 4 G 21 IP 18 SO 1.38 WHIP

Collectively they are pitching not very great but not very awful either. Obviously with the tight hamstring, Odo gets less emphasis. What's alarming is Snell and Cobb. These two really need to pitch better in order for The Rays to remain relevant in a very hard AL East. What's different about Cobb (than say in 12' or 13', 14') is he nibbles more around the zone than previously. He's never been a huge strike out dude to begin with and is one that needs to pitch for contact. I guess in theory Archer is still our best pitcher for the time being but Andriese has really held his own just needs to go a little deeper but then again, it's not even May yet. Cob still has been tallying more K's but has also been hit around quite a bit too (hence the ERA). Snell is odd in that he'll show flashes of how great he CAN be but has a mental breakdown when something goes awry behind him or to him. Gotta learn from those mishaps sucka.

"So maybe we can..." Strawberry continued.

I would like to focus a little bit more on Brad Miller. He has 80 AB thus far with 18 hits 15 BB and 26 K and is batting .225 so what gives? He seems to be chasing a lot more and his strike zone seems to be a tad bit bigger this year that opposing pitchers exploit. Is this an umpire or unlucky factor? If he is to remain in the 4-hole, he needs to be disciplined enough to wait for THE pitch instead of striking out and taking a walk (not to say walks are bad). I really like B-Miller and would like to see him cut down on his strike outs. What's up with Weeks Jr? 33 AB 6 H 4 BB 17 K and batting .182. That aint the dude I saw at Spring Training.

"Do you want some..." Strawberry cries.

Then the catching...D-Norris has looked OK behind the plate. There have been some plays that have cost us a couple of runs and the bat is barely awake. He has 61 AB 10 H 6 RBI with a .164 batting average. Ouch. Praise Jesus though (Sucre that is)! Jesus has 22 AB 6 H 6 RBI 1 HR and batting .275. Okay okay, very lopsided in terms of who is getting more play time but you kinda see the gist of things.  All in all though, it beats watching Curt Casali or Luke Maile behind the plate.

"Are you listening to me?!" Strawberry roared.
"Yes, darling, of course,"

So in conclusion, if The Rays are going to want to be relevant and sustain winning, they need Colby Rasmus, Shawn Tolleson, Boxy, Kevin Gadea, Tommy Hunter, Mallex Smith, Wilson Ramos, Cedeno (if he can throw strikes) and the most important one of all...Matt Duffy to return healthy and legit. It goes without saying the starters need to go deeper and that Austin Pruitt can spit in my face for never believing in him. Good for you bubba. I am excited to see how Hu works out. Afterall we did trade for him in 15' (the last time we were good). Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza Jr. have been really great to watch and KK shows he is streaky behind the plate. That loopy swing. Best minor league signing? SHANE PETERSON SUCKERS! Erasmo has been solid too. Pounds the zone fool.

"You want another beer baby?"
"Yes, why yes of course!" she concured.
Strawberry and I got drunk and merry then fornicated in the bathroom at Buffalo Wild Wings. As she rode me on the toilet, I could see engraved on the door poop. 

 

Alex Cobb and Three Coins Diner...

It was one of the nights when I just wanted to be alone. Nothing in the world would have kept me from staying in. Why bother right? My mind ran astray and thoughts seemed to fizzle into the Florida humidity. I haven't been able to hold a job very long and the only thing that seems to give my days any sense of purpose of living is the fact nine innings will be played. Strawberry stood by me and it seemed very odd why she'd stay with some buster like me. I guess the question arises within one someone comes to such a revelation is am I happy and what am I doing here?

Three Coins is an old diner not too far away from Seminole Heights. The neighborhood has become somewhat of a trendy place where white people with overloaded tattoos and good professions come to live and protest about their little inner tribulations. I have reached an age into my life where none of that stuff matters anymore and I simply accept things for what they were. As I looked around my apartment earlier in the day and pondered the thought, it was a mini moment of nirvana, which is to say, when one realizes their true position in life. Broke and humble.

Needless to say, Three Coins was cozy as it seems to draw a pretty diverse crowd, ranging from sad looking cops, weird pairs of people and the lonesome guy in search for their well-deserved meal. The coffee was watered down and the skinny Spanish lady had a charm with crooked teeth. All in all, it was a place where I could temporarily escape my thoughts and try to forget the daily grind of boredom and mundane conversations that played over and over inside my mind. Strawberry was at work, so Three Coins seemed suitable for the night. Alex Cobb was going tonight against a very good Dylan Bundy. She served my country steak and eggs and tuned onto the little screen in front of me.

Once again, Cobb showed his inability to go through 6.0 innings. Is it me or does every Rays starter seem to work every count 0-2 then work it full? Bundy looked OK but was a bit spotty with the command. Thus far, he really is The Orioles best pitcher. Bottom 2nd and the gates flooded. Seth Smith singles then KK throws is into a sliding Ryan Flaherty and Longo misses it completely. Cobber was backing him up then throws a fastball off the back of Flaherty's helmet and into LF the ball goes. O's up 3-0. Top 3rd. T-Bex cranks on into LF. 3-1. Top 5th. T-Beck does it again! Homers into LF. 3-2. Clawing back. Top 8th. Bases juiced. Time to take advantage. B-Miller grounds out and forces in a run but a good defensive stop by Crush Davis. 3-3. Top 11th. Jesus Sucre bloops one into right and The Rays take the lead 4-3. Bottom 11th. Alex Colome on the mound trying to shut the door. Schoop sac flies and ties it up. The bases get loaded and Colome walks in the winning run. Walked off (literally). Embarrassing. Say what you want, they should have had this game and the defense imploded and pitching couldn't get the job done. How many of these have we had in April? Is that what happens with "bullpen days"? Alex Cobb's night finished at 5.0 IP 8 H 3 R 2 ER 2 BB 3 K leveling his ERA to 4.66. It's frustrating to watch these starters unable to go deeper into games. This team cannot rely heavily in the pen hence why Colome lost his control and walked in the winning run. Sure T-Bex looked good but at the end of the day, if this team doesn't capitalize on all of these walks and can barely get one run out of them, they will always be losing by one run. Cobb's secondary stuff looked great though but just could not get these hitters out when jumping ahead. Picking around the zone. Erasmo continues to look great too. Just pounds the bottom part of the zone.

I lit a cigarette and tried not to think while on the patio sipping on the watered down coffee. Here I am without a thought in the world, full and smoking. Amazing to think I could be bored when other parts of the earth go through war, famine, dictatorship, poverty and political unrest. Perhaps I was bored but at least I was aware.
"How about them Rays buddy?" some guy on the patio asked.
"Check please,"
He seemed confused about the gesture and I left...full and humbled.

Rainy in Baltimore and A Free Cruise

Some clown on the phone called me on a beautiful night trying to offer me a free cruise.
"Excuse me sir but you have been chosen for a free cruise," they explained.
Strawberry probably filled out one of those applications at this Mexican joint in Temple Terrace we occasionally go to.
"You just have to pay port taxes and it is yours," the voice said.
"How much are the taxes?"
"Approximately three thousand dollars," the voice replied.
Click.

I felt melancholy and tuned in to watch Chris Archer go up against Ubaldo Jimenez. Didn't he throw a perfect game with eight walks against the Braves? Aint that perfect? How is it the Rays jumped out on top and knocked their starter out after 3.0 IP and STILL managed to blow their lead. Archer looked OK until imploding in the 6th or 7th with a flat slider that Adam Jones took deep and essentially the ball game in front of a huge crowd (The Rays are used to dismal crowds). Needless to say , Ryan Garton came in and gave up another run. I have no faith in Garton. Archer's line finished 6.2 IP 6 H 5 R 5 ER 5 BB 3 K 3 HR with an ERA currently at 3.94. He kept us in the game for awhile but his secondary stuff just got flat and they went yard. Schoop went deep on him too. Archer is effectively an odd pitcher. Does he preach more than what he practices?
Tuesday night looked dismal in Baltimore too. It was a "bullpen" night. Do we have one? Erasmo was a late scratch and they inserted Austin Pruitt. Pruitt pitched well and Wade Miley looked OK too despite all the free passes. We didn't capitalize enough on these mistakes. Miley finished with 6 BB 8 K. This game is like my life...odd.
Our pen held their own though with the likes of Pruitt, Whitley, Jumbo, D-Farq and Colome shuttin' the door. We put together some timely hits and shut The O's out 2-0. T-Beck is lookin' great at short but still hasn't woken that bat up alongside KK. The best off season move thus far has been Shane Peterson. Talk about a hidden gem.

I called back the number that offered the free cruise.
"Hey buddy, can I win a free cruise to Hawaii?"
"You and everyone else you bastard!" he roared.
I hung up and laughed.
Life was stagnant.

One Misplay By Sucre And There Goes The Day

I drove Strawberry out to the beach and put on the little radio I had. Keepin' it old school. We went out to Pass-a-Grille in search for the lucrative Hurricane restaurant. Damn good grouper sandwich (despite their mayo being meager). Paying to park out here was a bitch too. Oh well. Let live...

Matt Andreezy on the hill versus Joe Musgrove. He made these Astros Opening Day Roster in Spring. Feels good right? No matter...bottom 1st and The Rays pour it on. B-Miller triples following up a Souza Jr. bomb off the foul pole in left. 3-0 Tampa Bay. Jesus Sucre singles in a run. 4-0 TB. Sweet. Seems like a win right? Wrong. Andriese got a little too comfortable like a suburban husband then began having spotty command. Top 3rd. Carlos Correa does what he does best and slam a two run shot into RF. Cut it half. 4-2 TB. Top 5th Jose Altuve hits one out into LF. He is such a great all-around player. Lays down beautiful bunts. Hits homer. Hits clutch. Runs bases well and is a great defender. At this point Musgrove has found his groove and has his secondary pitches working. Musgrove finished with 6.0 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER 1 BB 4 K. Not bad for a dude who barely survived the first inning. On the other hand, Andriese finished with 5.0 IP 6 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 4 K 2 HR. Considering Andriese had this one from the get go and still managed to hold a one run lead I wouldn't go as far to say it was lock down. His command was VERY spotty and was stung by the long ball again. It seemed like the Rays just let the foot up on the gas and thought they had this game in the bag against a VERY good Astros lineup. Kevin Cash went with Alex Colome to get a six out win (seems to be the future of baseball, relying heavily on your bullpen to dictate wins). He survived the 8th and top 9th here we go. Gurriel singles. Aoki grounds out and moves the runner. While Gattis is up Sucre misses a pitch and the runner moves over to 3B. Next pitch Gattis has a sac fly. 4-4 tie. If the bullpen is the future, The Rays are in trouble. Top 10th. Ryan Garton replaces Alex Colome and gives up 3 hits and two runs (both earned). Ken Giles slams the door in the bottom of the 10th and Astros go on to win 6-4. I really don't like Garton. Amazing to think they lost a four run lead but this is  nothing new thus far in April. If there's one thing that'll keep the Rays from being contenders this year, it will be because of a very vulnerable and weak bullpen. Colome was a little off his command and the missed ball didn't help,
Sunday afternoon blues...

We both fell asleep on the shore, got burned and paid one hefty parking toll. All in all, a crappy day in Tampa Bay.
"Let's go to Taco Bell,"
Strawberry moaned, we agreed and went.

Blake Snell's Questionable Start and Blind's Pass

I woke up with an excruciating pain in my back and decided to drive out to Blind's Pass to extinguish the fire. Strawberry liked their rum runner so I figured what the hell? We wound up in Pelican Pete's where the north, cellulite and sun burn meet over a cold drink (or two).
Needless to say, there were no Floridians in the joint and the snowbirds packed the bar. It struck me curious that so many people flocked down here to my sunny state during extended winter and spring with their time shares.
"Do you own here?" a man asks.
"I own a car,"
He laughed out loud and bought us a round of shots.
The thought persisted in my mind...can a baseball franchise survive in a city where it's full to the brim of northern transplants and North American commuters? What were the initial owners of The Devil Rays franchise thinking when establishing a Major League Baseball team in St. Pete? If they build it, they will come.
What a load of shit. We don't live in movies, we live in reality. Wake up and move the god damn team to Tampa. Tampa and St. Pete have two different feels to it. Tampa is more blue collard and rougher on the edges. St. Pete has more of a sun burned beach'd out vibe to it. Where the two places differ, is that Tampa is split into two worlds and St. Pete three. Tampa has suburban sprawl around and the core being odd and tattooed. St. Pete has it's bustling downtown then South St. Pete with all of the crime and the novelty of its beaches (where the general population there are tourists, geriatrics and college students). Salt life. Clearwater is lost in residential purgatory.
"These rum runners sure are great," Strawberry cheered.
The TV displayed the game and thus we go:

Blake Snell took to the mound against Charlie Morton. I knew virtually very little of Morton but was impressed by what I saw. My expectations of Snell followed through. Snell is one of the oddest pitchers on the Rays staff. His repertoire is superb. Top 1st. Strikes out George Springer then gets Beltran and Altuve to fly out. Altuve sure is fun to watch. Bottom 1st. Charlie Morton mows them down with an excellent fastball. He kinda reminds me of Angels' Garret Richards with his delivery. STUD. Top 2nd. Former Brave El Oso Blanco cranks one near the Rays tank. Astros 1-0. Dude wears no gloves and crushes. Walks Bregman then gets Gurriel to ground out. Sweet. Bottom 3rd. T-Beckham triples off the right field wall but the Rays come up short as Dickerson grounds out. Top 4th. Jose Altuve cranks one out near Ducky's. Good thing I didn't get the chicken sub tonight. Astros up 2-0. This is usually where Blake begins walking dudes but calms down and works through. Learning in motion. Bottom 4th. Longo doubles then Souza singles after a B-Miller strike out and Lomo walks. Bases juiced. D-Nor up and grounds out. Came up short bubba. Bottom 5th. T-Beckham and C-Dick single then Ducky's finest Longo doubles them in. 2-2. Tie game. Sup? Top 6th. Lead off four-pitch-walk to Jose Altuve. Snell was picking around the zone. Altuve steals second. On Evan Gattis' ground out to Lomo, Lomo sluggishly gets to the bag as Altuve flies around third to score and makes Lomo look REAL bad. Embarassing. At the same time Tommy Hunter is walking around in pain. Great. He gone in comes Austin Pruitt. Astros up 3-2. Bottom 6th. Unleash the offense. Souza doubles. Lomo walks. Chuck Norris grounds out (again). Shane Peterson singles in a run. 3-3. T-Beckham singles in Lomo. 4-3. Pinch hitting Peter Purjos for birthday boy/sick man Kevin Kiermaier (who struck on three times) and singles in two more run. 6-3 Tampa Bay. Snell finished the night 5.0 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 5 BB 4 SO. It's maddening watching him because he'll get a quick 0-2 count then creep it all the way back to 3-2. Common dude. Pitch counts matter sucka. Meanwhile, Austin Pruitt has found his stride. Kid came in and went 2.1 IP with a couple of strike outs to a notable VERY good Carlos Correa. "Just gotta pitch strikes," he'd later say in the post game show. Amen bubba. Top 9th. Alex Colome comes in. Gets Correa to fly out deep to center. Gattis flies out. Bregman singles but Gurriel grounds out ending the game. Shane Peterson made a couple of marvelous plays out in LF. DEPTH Y'ALL.

Feeling good.
"Another rum runner please,"
Strawberry was in good form. A couple of her buddies from Mermaid's just down the street came to join and were dancing. We ordered cheeseburgers and watched the sunset.

Cobber cannot hold the lead/stung by the long ball and getting kicked out of your seats

Strawberry strongly urged me to go with her brother to the game. I was hesitant about it but I went anyway. He taught me the art of sneaking behind home plate. I ordered us 5$ beers and let the playing begin.

Alex Cobb took to the mound against Mike Fiers. A total mystery but apparently solid. Up in the booth for the Astros play by play, Tod Kalas. Bummed. Top of the first. Dickerson hits a bomb. 1-0 Rays. Top 2nd. Carlos Beltran hits a bomb. 1-1. Bottom 2nd. Lomo answers with a bomb. 2-1 TB. Typical AL baseball right here. Bottom 3rd. While talking smack against Longo he slams one right near his restaurant Ducky's out in center field. They have a descent chicken sandwich. 3-1 TB. Top 4. Brian McCann and Yuli Gurriel bring in the tying runs. 3-3. Cobb labored but picked off Altuve twice Quick dance moves sucka. Top 7. George Springer hits a forced grounder to Longo and brings in the go ahead run. Somewhere in the game he made a couple of great catches in center. His counter part, Kevin Kiermaier did the same in the 2nd or 3rd and then disappeared from the game around the 6th or 7th. (forgot because of the booze). Top 9, Josh Reddick hits a sac fly out to center putting Houston ahead 6-3. Cobber finished his evening with 6.0 IP 9 H 4 R 4 ER 1 BB 7 K 1 HR. Not too bad just our offense couldn't muster anything more off a very good Astros pen. Jumbo Diaz pitched 2.0 innings and gave up one walk. Good things. Danny Farq looks like he's running out of gas and gave up another run.

I got pissed off and started embarassing myself by screaming and yelling words in the English language that seemed unfathomable to most and more importantly...to myself.
Alcohol does mysterious things.
"Sir, can we see your tickets?" the usher asked.
"I paid 7.11$ to get into this shitty stadium, so yes. I am poor,"
The guy looked on in horror.
"Yes but sir," he began.
"No we'll move with all of the other peasants, I know more than all of these people about Rays Baseball but I'll move!"
The pulse was pulsing.
Some clown in a Cubs jersey looked on mystified by my actions.
"GO KRIS BRYANT BRO!"
God I hate St. Pete.