I am not great at taking photos at the best of times – the visual is not my best medium – and I am learning new things all the time; what i learn today, taking a selfie with Christine, is that I should not take selfies while I’m talking. Of three photos, one looks like my face is sliding off my skull to the left, one looks like I have no teeth, and the last looks like I am one of those people who can’t wink but keeps trying anyway. Christine looks cheerful and wonderful in all of them. I have given you the third, because it is the only one with a credible smile.
I did take a good picture of the field, but at the wrong time. The curve of the infield dirt and the receding arc of light from the sun setting behind the stadium are coming together to look like a huge Venn diagram on the field. I’m trying to figure out what the different sections should be labelled, and about one minute after I put my phone away, the second base umpire walks to stand exactly in the middle of the intersection of the sets of “Where You Can See the Ball” and “Where You Can’t See the Ball.” Usually my comic timing is better.
I don’t want you thinking that the only time I can enjoy a game is when the Giants win it; that’s not the case at all. What I really want is a competitive game – I know, everybody says that. I guess what I want is a competitive team. When Christine asks me why I think the Giants aren’t winning, I reply that it’s because they’re not very good. Which is true, in its way, but only begs the question – the real answer, I think, is that we have too many rookies in the mix and that the team doesn’t really have a soul right now. That’s not to say that there aren’t some potentially great players – just that they don’t have an identity as a team right now.
It is, of course, at this moment that the Giants start playing like they are something more than a very talented college team. On the line today for the Giants is avoiding a sweep; for the Braves, a win will put them in absolute possession of the best record in baseball; they are, if not headed in opposite directions, at least shooting for different levels of grace.
Shockingly, the Giants score in the first inning and again in the second; some things are going right. Casey Schmitt, who started off his year in the bigs with a bang, gets his third homer of the year in the second. Speaking of bangs, while I’m watching the MLB.tv archive of the game later in the evening I will notice that ESPN, which broadcast the game instead of the usual NBC Bay Area feed, is adding a whooshing noise and a fireworks bang to each pitch; it’s insanely annoying. There are so many reasons to disdain ESPN and only one reason not to, that reason being that they once had good commercials for SportsCenter. That was a long time ago, though.
I miss most of top of the fifth, where the Braves score three runs due to the aftermath of some antibiotics, but not the bottom, in which the Giants score four more; I am also squarely in my seat for the top of the sixth and two more Braves runs and the bottom of the sixth and a matching two from the Giants. The final score is 8-5 – not a blowout, not even a commanding win, but at least a strong showing for a team that needs a little mojo.
There is no heritage celebration today, no professions being honored or pop-culture properties being flogged. Instead, we are celebrating the career of Murph, who retired after sixty-five years of working in the Giants clubhouse, starting as a batboy in the last 1950s and finishing up as a legend. We don’t quite make it in for the whole ceremony, but we do hear his heartfelt but brief speech; he gets a plaque on the Wall of Fame outside the park and a lot of love from the crowd, players, and assembled dignitaries.
What Did You Think of the Evening, Christine?
“Thank you for another fun game day, Justin! It’s always a good time, whether the Giants are winning or not! I appreciate your kindness and generosity so much. Thank you for being an awesome human 
And I’m glad the Giants won 
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81 Dates 