How do the Devil Rays get away with their team name? Didn’t the Moral Majority get all riled up? Where were the protesters? Anyway, if they possess some hotness, I wouldn’t know, because I happened to be in my car at the time of the game and heard it on the radio with my aunt. She’s been watching baseball for a lot longer than me, and is my personal walking Wikipedia of information. We were laughing over all our favorite players and when we heard that Nomar was sent back to the hotel with “flu-like symptoms” we were duly concerned. My mother, who was sitting in the back seat, said “How come when I complain about my back you tell me to suck it up but when some baseball player has a cold you’re ready to send flowers?” Mom is not a baseball fan, needless to say.
It wasn’t until I got home and caught the last inning that I realized they were having “Turn Back the Clock Day” and wearing the old Brooklyn uniforms. Damn, our men looked good in retro gear…..particularly Ethier (you know he gave Grady a fight over those short pants, I’ve never ever seen him wear those before.) The rest of the younguns were looking swell as well. James Loney is radiating some serious hotness with those crazy eyes of his and the uniform just made it better. Old fart Jeff Kent continues to be the man I hate to love. The exception (and you know there had to be one) was poor Gonzo. I really love Luis Gonzalez, but you know this dude’s natural style is a pair of flip flops, raggedy shorts from Old Navy, and a threadbare t-shirt that probably says “Dad’s Day 10k 1997″ on it. I swear he’s going to end up being one of my neighbors one day, watering the lawn and hollering at his kids to quit stepping on the hose. If ever a baseball player radiated “regular guy” it’s Gonzo. So his Brooklyn Dodgers uniform had the unfortunate appearance of a costume, which was distracting, but oh, well, can’t win them all. I think we should make this a regular thing, hmmmm.
In “speak of the devil” news: Paul Lo Duca’s ejection from the 6/23 Mets @ Oakland game, complete with finger pointing, bat and cap tossing, and equipment being ejected from the dugout. Didn’t I just say he was the compleat New York Guy? MLB.com has the best video of him with his eyes nearly bugging out of his head, but damn them, won’t let me download. Best I can do is the YouTube video of a fan who was at the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXUyWKT0cc
It’s not perfect because it doesn’t show the run-up to the equipment-flinging, which is priceless. For that, you’ll have to visit mets.com, I guess.
We have one more shot against the Rays today. Because it’s a day game, and with the funky time difference, I get to watch baseball (nearly) first thing in the morning. Men in uniforms—it’s what’s for breakfast. Tasty!
