Here are the White Sox outfielders during a pitcher switch at today’s game against the Seattle Mariners. That’s Jermaine Dye, Aaron Rowland, and Scott Podsednik taking a short break.
Rowland had the defensive play of the game when he snagged Richie Sexson’s fly ball by bouncing off the center field wall, and it happened just a few feet from us.
I got my hands on some great tickets– front-row bleachers in center-left field– and Becky said they were the best tickets she ever had at a baseball game. I think this was the first time I’ve been in the bleachers since I was about 13. Of course, back then it was old Comiskey Park and Harry Caray would come out the the bleachers and lead the Seventh Inning Stretch surrounded by fans with stacks of Falstaff Beer Cups.
Times change, and the old park and Harry are gone (I never thought of Harry as the “Cub Man”– real Chicago fans know that title belongs to Jack Brickhouse– to me, he’ll always be the guy slurring his words through a staticy picture on channel 44).
We had a great time. It was a perfect day, too: the only clouds in the sky were the ones created by the fireworks that went off after each of the Sox’ home runs. When it got a little too hot, fans were cooling off in the shower booth just beneath the scoreboard:

It was also Carlton Fisk tribute day, so we each got oversized baseball cards with Fisk’s stats on them:

The Sox beat the Mariners 3-1, and are now in a commanding lead, with the best record in baseball as I write this. Chicago fans need to look south if they want to see a winning team in their own front yard.