Astros battle the Pirates

My friend and fellow photographer Mike Graham of Graham Photography had 6 company seats to the July 21, 2008 Pirates vs Astros game. These seats are amazing to say the least. Section 109, Row 1, FOUL BALL HEAVEN! A bit of warning to those that sit along the 3rd base foul line… PAY ATTENTION! I nearly had my melon thumped by a screaming line drive foul ball. I tried to bend over the rail to scoop it up but the ball hit something in foul territory and took a quick turn. The guy behind me paid the price. He tried to bare hand the ball. OUCH! His hand looked like it tried to high-five a tractor trailer going 75mph. Besides that scare, I missed one other perfect opportunity to catch a foul ball. At the time I was replying to a text message from Michelle’s cousin Jenny. I hear the crack of the bat, a pause, and WHAM! The foul ball hit the railing right in front of me.Another lesson learned; no more texting at baseball games.

I guess I should talk about the ball game. Runelvys Hernandez pitched a heck of a game. He allowed 2 runs, eight hits (3 of which were broken bats), and struck out 3 batters in 5 1/3 innings. Middle relief was solid and held the lead for the next 3 innings. Top of the ninth, Stros lead the Bucs 3-2. Closer Jose Valverde suffered an uncharacteristic meltdown. His first mistake was to the notorious Astros killer, Jason Bay. Bay jacked a monster home run to left to tie the game at 3-3. After that the flood gate opened and the Bucs score 4 more times to take a 9-3 lead. The 7 run inning was topped off by Freddie Sanchez’s 3 run inside-the-park home run.

Despite the loss, it turned out to be a good evening. I had my usual soda and soft pretzel. Yummy! It’s a must every time I go. I also met Ann and Tom, long time friends of our family. Hi guys! It was great to see y’all again. Always enjoy the great conversation. Hey Ann, do you think I should post your photos here? Just kidding.

Like always, check back for more news and photos. Thank you for visiting.







See more photos from the game…HERE