With our next game on the Pack coming tomorrow, which I got wrong and thought was today because that’s what Mike had told me, I’m finally about to catch up on all my games.  I’ve been waiting to write this game against the Cardinals for a long while.  I’m glad to finally be caught up so I can post about this one.  Wait, you’ll see. 

1)      What did I say about traffic in my last post?  Yeah it got worse on June 24.  They called it a half hour delay to the George.  It was more than that. 

2)      Two and a half hours after leaving the office, I finally made it to Citi Field.  This is why I now have my clothes packed.  The crew suggested that I get dressed during the ride over.

3)      I really am a big fan of the new credit card policy in the parking lot, especially since I never had time to stop for money.

4)      Since I wasn’t at the first Pack game, I never got my tickets, so Mike had to come down to the Left Field Gate to pass me my tickets through the fence.  Yeah, we didn’t look sketchy.

5)      After driving two and a half hours, what do I do?  I hit the bathroom, then get on a 20 minute beer line because they shut down one line to count the cash.  You couldn’t pick a better time or a better way to handle this?

6)      After being introduced to some newcomers, I finally sat down in my seat…in the bottom of the second. 

7)      Since I was late, I was awarded Schneider in the homerun game.  FML.

8)      In the bottom of the 4^th inning with two outs and a runner on 3^rd, a moment happened that I will never forget as long as I live.  This is my first really BIG memory of Citi Field that will probably make my all time memories of Citi Field when they tear it down in 45 years and move to Mets/Jets Pepsi Park at Coney Island.  Nick Evans swung and blasted one to left.  At first, I thought “Holy Crap that’s coming right at us.”  Then it looked like it didn’t have the legs and it started to hook.  But kept carrying.  Next thing I know, Laura ducked into Danny Wo as he went reaching to his right as I’m reaching over to my right and the ball smacks Mike right in the hands.  He had a look of shock on his face and the ball slipped through his hands, over his shoulder and into the row behind him.  There was a mad dash and pile on.  As everyone sifted through the sea of bodies looking for the precious homerun ball, a guy emerged from the pack victorious holding the ball over his head.  Mike dropped the ball!!!  Mike dropped the ball!!! Mike dropped the ball!!!

9)      When Laura turned and admitted that she ducked, Mike said, “that’s why I dropped it, I was gonna play it off your head!”

10)  “Just call me Castillo!”~Mike

11)  “Hey Castillo! Nice catch!”~Me

12)  Here’s the barrage of texts from our college buddies in response to my mass text:

      Bear: Come on!

      J Schiblè: FHL

      Merc: His cousin Cory Rupp would have had it.

      Griff: Wow.  What a douche!!

      Merc: Tell him to get a job

      Griff: Give him a kiss for me

      Ryan: Ha ha jackass

13)  Even my brother Frank chimed in: “Ha!  Did he use two hands?

      Well Frank, you be the judge:

A little blurry

Looks like 2 hands to me

Where'd it go?

So close.

14)  It got to the point where I told Mike he can no longer boo fans who drop foul balls, he said that wasn’t fair.  I said, “You are now one of them.”  My final argument was, “No, you know why?  Because the people in front of me are pointing and laughing at you, making fun of you in Spanish.”  You lose, Mike.

15)  So this girl tries to get up and start the wave in our section.  The Pack took care of her.

16)  Bye bye wave.

17)  Oh Tony ball…Infield out, infield in.

18)  Schneider hit a screaming line drive to right field that would have been a home run at Shea, instead he settled for a double.  By the way, Mets catchers lead the league in RBI’s for the position.

19)  Mike claims that his error makes up for the Mike Jacobs bet.  Okay, Mike, we’re cool now on that.

20)  Gangstas get on the field, Mike get on the bus.

21)  All this time, I haven’t even shared our heckling of Chris Duncan yet.  The best part about our seats is that the left fielder can DEFINITELY hear us.  Out came the “Shelly” chants. 

22)  “SHELLY!!! DID DADDY GET YOU THIS JOB?!?”~Me

23)  Late in the game, Shelly got in the way of the centerfielder and the ball dropped in between them.  “FUN-DA-MEN-TALS!!!”

24)  “HEY SHELLY!!! MIKE RUPP WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THAT ONE!!!  CASTILLO WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THAT ONE!!”  I was on a roll.

25)  By the way, Mets were up 11-0 at this point.

26)  Tatis remembered how to hit.  Uh ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  (Yeah, um, that’s no longer the case)

27)  It’s raining, it stopped.  To elaborate, Lauren asked me if it was raining and it clearly wasn’t.

28)  48 vs Poo holes, this can’t end well

29)  Nice catch Church, don’t ever f’n do it again!

30)  Hey Albert, hit the weight room.  Yeah I said it. 

31)  In the top of the 9^th, Jeff ended up catching the ball Reed tossed into the crowd after warmups.  Where were you in the 4^th bro?

32)  PUT IT IN THE BOOKS

33)  Wait, did we just win?   Um yeah, we did!

This was a fun night.  The Pack is now 2-0.   Both wins were blowouts against the Pirates and Cardinals.  It’s so much more fun when the game is in the bag.  Amazing how things change in just a few weeks though, as the Mets are now 4.5 games back, playing dismal baseball since that Cardinals series, where they won 3 of 4.  They then got swept by the Yankees to start, followed by losing 2 of 3 to the Brewers and getting swept by the Phillies in Philly.  Tonight, they go for the series win against LA.  I need to get outta here and get on my way.  And I’m officially caught up.