caroline's stuff that doesn't go anywhere else.: i was there for 756 and all i got was this little button and a whole bunch of advertisements for merchandise i don't need.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

i was there for 756 and all i got was this little button and a whole bunch of advertisements for merchandise i don't need.

The fireworks!!!
August 7, 2007: a day I will never forget.

But I suppose it won't be for a lot of people, especially anybody who was at AT&T/SBC/Pac Bell Park on the same night. It was a night for me that was absolutely magical and boring at the same time, but yet, I decided that I wasn't going to keep quiet for the whole game. I had this strange feeling he would hit the one that everyone was waiting for, and I wasn't going to take "no" for an answer.

Bonds was up at the plate two times before he got the one he wanted, and I have to say both of his at-bats weren't bad. He had hit base hit after base hit, and it was great, but at the same time, you know that the crowd (and especially Bonds) really wanted the one. For a while, I figured it was going to be like any other night I'd come out to see the Giants: a tease, an almost ... but this time, it was for real.

So it was 3-2, bottom of the 5th, and he hit it. I mean, he really hit it. I had to check myself, due to the fact that before he got it, thousands of flashbulbs would blind me for a split second. But it wasn't until the fireworks and orange and black streamers came flying out of the sky that I knew that I had just witnessed something I would never ever see in my lifetime ever again. I screamed, jumped up and down, hugged my aunt (whom I was with). It was just ... amazing.

For a split second, it made me forget about everything: forget about the scandal, forget about the stupid people that come to the games with asterisks thinking that their presence there would dampen anyone's spirits, forget about anything I ever knew before then. It made me remember why I love baseball in the first place. I remembered how it could take everything away in a split second, and let you get caught up in the moment. I don't know if any of the asterisk people felt that way while they saw a roaring crowd on their feet to the background of fireworks and streamers. But I think it would be pretty hard not to get caught up in all of it.

As for the asterisk people, I have to ask them ... why were they there? It's a question that I'd like answered. They don't like him, they think he's a cheater. So why the hell are they there to witness something like this? I think it's total crap. For people who think they're making a statement, I think they just look foolish. I liken it to my hatred of the condiment mustard. I hate it. I can't stand it. But, let's just say this: If I hated mustard so much, then why would I subject myself to going to mustard festivals where I'm surrounded by people who put mustard on everything? The smell engulfs my nostrils, people are splattering mustard all over themselves and myself in the process. I hate it, I hate everything that mustard stands for/is all about. But yet ... I'll go in order to watch people I hate celebrating something I hate. Just because I want to. You just have to ask ... why would you do that? It's a weird way for me to describe the whole Bonds scandal, but I think it's got some similarities. It's hard for an SF native to actually talk about the scandal, mainly because Bonds has meant so much to the team and The City all of these years, and he's primarily our one marquee star athlete. A lot of people accuse us of bias, and I have to say, it's true. But even this SF Giants fan has her doubts ... ask me about it when the truth really comes out.

But back to the game, it kind of died down afterwards. We ended up losing the game to the Washington Nationals, 8-6. It seemed like we were going to win, but we didn't. I guess everyone got so caught up in all the hooplah. It took probably about an inning for them to start hocking merchandise like a Bonds prize pack or something. It made me roll my eyes, but it was expected, even with the $60 price tag. Seems like everyone wanted to commemorate the night in some way, and while leaving there was a huge line outside of the Giants Dugout where people would get their orange "I Was There" shirts. I passed.

A magical night ... the season is pretty much lost, as we are in last place. But I hope that this will be a turning point for the Giants. The Detroit Tigers were the worst team EVER a couple of seasons ago, and they ended up turning it all around. I hope it's a sign of good things to come. Especially with our "big 3" pitchers: Cain, Lincecum, and Lowry. Young, talented, and oh so yummy!

Talking to the fans, tearfully. Surprisingly enough, I didn't think his voice sounded as high as it did.

Some guy ran out on the field! Awesome! I think it would have been way cooler if everyone in the lower deck ended up rushing the field.

Crews surrounding him.

The craziest thing was when Hank Aaron appeared on the screen. I pretty much cried and screamed as loud as possible. All that stuff about Aaron not caring pretty much dissolved in one video message. The part about the record inspiring others "to chase their own dreams" got me. Like... right here.