I texted Alex the morning after our last pack game of 2009, a game where the Bobby Parnell got shelled again and the Mets got blown out. I said, "I guess it's a good thing I didn't go last night." The reason I didn't go was because it was Hi-C's birthday. Unfortunately, due to our work schedules, we didn't get to see each other anyway. Either way, I wasn't making the game. Alex responded and asked for my email, because he took some notes for the blog on his iPhone. I have to give Alex a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate. Below is his take on the last game of the year, pretty much uneditted with the exception of a couple of spelling and grammar changes. For the most part, this is all raw Alex. In blue, I have written a couple of responses....
Mets marlins Parnell v west
Alex and laura will sub for Rick.
Laura says rick has been slacking on the blog then Bruce says Its because of the new girlfriend.
Hr game: Bruce-Parnell laura- evans bob-wright Alex-francoeur rich- pagan Lucy- castillo dan-tatis Kerry-Santos.
Lucy says Richard loves my warm hands. The rest of us are speechless. Lucy challenges Alex and says, I bet you will too. She says " what's your name again?". I say Alex. She says feel my hands. Laura looks back at me with embarrassment in her eyes but not in a bad way and says "you haven't met mom before have you?"
I don't know why, but I could totally picture Laura's facial expressions during this time period.
Parnell- 9 strikes out of 25 pitches, two walks bases loaded, sarcastic applaud for first out and tenth strike.
Dan starts to tell a story about an attractive woman walking into a bar. Laura says it's in
3-0
Bruce- oh, they only scored two runs in the first. Alex- no Bruce two hits three runs. You're looking at the wrong column.
Bottom 2nd inning. Bob is checking his facebook.(see picture) Nym baseball. So interesting that over 50 year old men are checking facebook by the home half of 2nd.
3-0
Uggla hit hr over the nick evans / mike rupp spot. Alex and dan tell evans (playing LF) that our friend mike dropped his first Citi Field hr. He remembers. Bruce buys Lucy a zeppole. She says it's so greasy she uses it as face moisturizer. We decide it's a very poorly made zeppoli and deserves to be in the minor league. Like seven out of nine of our team!!
Dan- Lucy what are you gonna be for halloween. Lucy- sperm. ( editors note. Dan dates Lucy’s daughter.) 5-0 Bottom 4. Here comes the rain.
(note to Dan, while dan is at concession stand) Laura tells story about game at Shea where rich and laura watch a marriage proposal on jumbo-tron. After, rich says "dont you ever agree to marry a man who proposes to you at a Mets game in a wife beater with a ketchup stain!? (dan, throw away all your wife beater t-shirts)
5-2
Laura asks me to make a note of how obsessed her parents are with flying trash at the stadium. (editors note. Your 2009 nymets, garbage reaching new heights)??
6-2
Bottom 5 mets score on tatis single. Citi Field plays Fernando by Abba. That sums up 2009 mets. Rally songs by lame Swedish 70s pop bands.
6-4
Bruce asks who our new pitcher is. Tony stoner #29?? Many jokes about his jersey sales and munchies!
6-4, halfway through 6.
End of 6. We lose four of eight "seven packers." Only four "seven packers" remain, Bruce, bob, kerri, Alex. Bruce is still complaining about the imitation zeppoles.
Very sorry and sad to say in the seventh inning the seven pack season officially comes to an end as we leave section 135 early, before the end of the game, because our team is terrible. But not coincidentally just as beer sales are shut off. We've celebrated our night and enjoyed our tailgate. The game was just the subtext. Because this last game was not about the mets... But about hanging out with friends of summer for one last chilly night before winter sets in.
-Alex
Well done, Alex. Very well done indeed. I have to say, that final paragraph really put it all in perspective for me. Hi-C said the same thing to me the night of the Braves game that I was missing the point of having fun just being with my friends and for that, I apologize. Our team stunk this year, but that didn't mean we should let it take away from our good time. As long as we had each other: great friends having a great time, the on-the-field stuff is just background noise. I let that concept get away from me this year and that won't happen again.
Alex, you're more than welcome to come back and blog any time you want. Nice job.
