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Budding sports writer recounts a Night at the Ballpark

I've never done this before but the following letter from a reader identified as Drewdy was so entertaining, I wanted to get it posted rather than simply leave it as a comment. Drewdy attended Thursday's 6-5 extra-inning Orioles' win over the White Sox. He recounts his lonely but exciting  evening at the ballpark making this observation about Kevin Millar's base-running: "He is the slowest player ever! If he, Ramon Hernandez, and a piano had a race, there would be no winner."

And so with that, I give you Orioles 6, White Sox 5 (10 inn.) as told by Drewdy (no editing other  than a small tweak on A.J. Pierzynski's name and some minor punctuation). Sorry, Drew, there's no cash for this, just glory.

I went to the Orioles game Thursday night night (thrilling 6-5 victory in 10 innings). I was with about 6500 of my closest friends. They didn’t announce the attendance at the game (paper said 13,000+), but it looked much less than that.There were so few folks I was quite afraid that the between inning camera that scans the crowd would find me and insist that I kiss myself (as I was the only person in my section).
Between every inning the camera scans the crowd and I was dreading the fact that I would be depicted as the lonesome soul eating his chicken strips and fries with gusto.
 
I had purchased my ticket at the O's ticket window and the clerk there took great pains to show me where my seat was and was that all right, etc. I was in sec 358 (upper deck) row cc seat 5. There was not another fan within a section of me. Why the painstaking with my seat choice is beyond me.
 
I wasn’t too optimistic as the game wore on, but they Orioles had some great at-bats and wore down the Chicago bullpen. Kevin Millar had a hit (breaking up Floyd’s no-hitter in the fourth), two walks and reached on a strikeout/passed ball. He scored twice (in the eighth, from 1B, to put the Birds within two) and the winning run in the 10th. He is the slowest player ever! If he, Ramon Hernandez, and a piano had a race, there would be no winner. But he scored on a close play with a headfirst slide after reaching on a strikeout, just making it as Pierzynski’s errant throw pulled Konerko off the bag (the umpire anticipated the safe -- and correct -- call). Millar also made two stellar plays at first base, one starting a 3-6-3 double play. He doesn’t look like much and is slower than me, but I guess he is a ballplayer.
 
 Oh, and Markakis is good.

Comments

At least 100 of those fans were there because of the local kid that was pitching!

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About the blogger
Bill Ordine has been a reporter and editor for more than 25 years and during that time has covered Super Bowls, major murder trials, township zoning board meetings and bat mitzvahs. In his time with The Baltimore Sun, he has been an assistant city editor, pro football writer, poker columnist, enterprise sports reporter and now blogger -- which may indicate his editors have yet to find a job he can get right.
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