Sunday was the dreaded day game after a night game, with a 10 hour drive to boot. I got up around 10:30, ate breakfast, got packed and left by 11:30. I parked in one of the $10 parking lots, picked up my Brewers-provided ticket (Thanks Kathy & Tyler) and headed inside. It was just past noon and I walked around a bit and found the misting fan that is located in the left field corner on the field level. I could have watched the entire game from that spot but figured it would get very crowded (which it did).

I went up to section 406 in the Kroger-sponsored bleachers to get game photo number 94. I had a fan in the last row take the picture for me, and after a few tweaks to the settings I got one I liked.

I walked around some more and got a hot dog before heading to my seat in section 112. I sat in section 112 for all three games. It’s a good section to be in but like almost every section during day games it’s in the sun for the entire game. Johnny Cueto was on the hill for the Reds and he delivered the first pitch to Aoki to start the game. The ball is just about to enter the catcher’s mitt.

The Brewers loaded the bases in the top of the first with two outs. Cueto struck out Rickie Weeks swinging and the Brewers were kept off the board. Mike Fiers got the start for the Crew and he has been spectacular since being called up. I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, but his delivery reminds me of Tim Lincecum’s with the way he drops his hand and then brings it over the top. Lincecum had/has more velocity but Fiers is having the better season to date (albeit with a smaller sample size). Here he is throwing his first pitch of the afternoon.

In the top of the third Norichicka Aoki led off with a double down the left field line. Cueto struck out Morgan and Braun and it looked as if the Brewers would squander another great scoring opportunity. Aramis Ramirez proved me wrong and on a 1-2 pitch singled to right to drive in Aoki, who scored without a throw. The Brewers went ahead 1-0 on the play, their first lead of the series.

After the top of the third I got out of the sun. It wasn’t that uncomfortable, but seeing that I had a long drive ahead of me I figured I should preserve as much energy as I could. Being in the sun for another two hours probably would have gotten to me in hour seven or eight of my drive, so I think I made the right decision. I went over towards the misting fan but saw that it was extremely crowded. I stopped a section short and watched from the concourse behind section 107. Shortly after I got there this guy stopped by for a visit:

In the bottom of the third inning the Reds scored twice and took a one run lead. Apparently some people find baseball boring and would rather play Angry Birds. I’ve been known to get distracted during a game and tweet something or send a text, but he wasn’t even trying to still pay attention. As Keyshawn would say: “Come on, man!”

If you look closely you can still see the dragonfly on the cup holder in the upper left. I forgot how long he stayed there but it was quite a while. He eventually took off but unfortunately for him he landed by some kids on the nearby staircase. They were curious [read: murderous] and the dragonfly was no more. I don’t know if they thought it was a wasp or something but he was just minding his business.

Before I left my standing room spot in the eighth inning I got a picture of two guys that were sitting in section 107. With the Reds still holding the one run advantage it wasn’t looking good for the Crew. For you non baseball people; a sweep is when one team wins all of the games in a series. When a team is just one win away from a sweep some fans bring brooms to the last game of the series to show that they’ve been paying attention. Either that or to perhaps rub it in or to get on TV.

I went over to “Gapper’s Alley” behind section 119 to watch the bottom of the eighth. During a pitching change I walked over to section 129 so I was near to the exit that was closest to my car. In the top of the ninth Carlos Gomez drew a walk with two outs. Aroldis Chapman was pitching for the Reds and he can throw some heat. Supposedly he hit 106 MPH on a radar gun last year during a game but it’s unknown if the gun was “hot”. He still hits 101 on occasion but he might be holding back a little bit to be more accurate. Ryan Braun was at the plate and Gomez was able to steal second despite the fact that Chapman threw over to first on the play. Braun went down 0-2 in the count and after fouling off the first 0-2 pitch he struck out swinging.

After the last pitch I took off for my car, yet still managed to get caught in traffic. I’m guessing it was a traffic control cop that was keeping a light red, but it took forever. I was the second car at one traffic light, but we couldn’t go anywhere because the next light was red for about 7 minutes. In all I moved 5o yards in 12 minutes. It got better and once I got on I-71 I was Philadelphia bound. The 580 mile drive took me nine hours and forty minutes which includes two stops totaling 27 minutes. Including the stops I averaged exactly 60 miles per hour. Not bad considering that a decent portion of the drive had posted speed limits of 60. I try to drive six to seven miles per hour over the speed limit. I’m a cautious and safe driver and I feel that if a cop wants to pull me over for going seven over, then so be it.

My sister Eliza used to live in San Diego, and once when I was visiting one of her friends was in town for a conference. I remembered that she lived in Philadelphia and back in September I sent her a Facebook message explaining what I was doing and asked if I could stay with her in July when the Brewers were in town. She said yes but there was no guarantee she’d still be in Philly. She was going to the University of Pennsylvania Law School and would be graduating before my visit and might find a job. I went to send her a message a month before the Brewers-Phillies series but noticed on Facebook that she got a job at Yale. I was bummed but asked if she knew anybody in Philly that might be cool with me staying with them for a few nights. She got back to me and I’m staying with a married couple that she thought would be perfect. Their names are Mike and Meg. I didn’t get here until 2:20 AM but Mike got up and told me what I needed to know. I haven’t met Meg yet, but I’m sure she’s just as nice as Mike. They live in a townhouse north of downtown and I basically have the third floor to myself. This picture is hanging in the bathroom. If you can’t read what’s underneath the picture it says: “GOALS: It’s best to avoid standing directly between a competitive jerk and his goals.”

Mike is a great guy and is the vice-chair for Philadelphia’s chapter of The Dude Hates Cancer, a charitable bowling event that raises money and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year’s tournament is on September 15th, check it out if you’re in the Philadelphia area and like bowling, or like supporting great causes.

I’m leaving in about three hours to go to game one of the three game set. Hopefully the City of Brotherly Love shows the Crew some and we’re able to stop the losing streak. I try not to use *we* when describing the team because although I might be superstitious at times, I realize that me wearing a certain pair of socks is probably not going to help them break out of a slump.

Personal Stats:

Daily Stats:

Season Stats:

If you want to learn more about Be The Match and how you can help, CLICK HERE

Since it’s after midnight, there’s a game in 12.5 hours, and afterwards I’m driving the 10 hours to Philadelphia; this is going to be a short post. On Saturday I finished the post for Friday, watched the British Open, and did some leg exercises to help with my knee. I went to the game with Barry again and he picked me up 4:30. We were parked at Paul Brown Stadium at 4:45 and we walked over to Great American Ballpark and tried to find a place to eat before the game. The wait was long at every place, so we just had a beer at Holy Grail Bar & Grille and then went across the street to the ballpark. While Barry was waiting in line to get the tickets I got a picture of a man on stilts and the human statue, who were outside of the stadium. I don’t know what the occasion was but there was also a guy inside the stadium that was doing magic tricks. I know that what he was really doing was slight of hand but neither Barry nor I could pick up on it. Well played magic man, well played.

Once we got our tickets and got inside we headed for the upper deck. I got game photo number 93 while standing on a seat in section 537. The closest bridge is the Central Bridge, and the one in the distance is the Dan C Beard Bridge.

After getting the picture taken we went down to the field level and got some food from Mr. Red’s Smokehouse. They offer specials from each visiting team’s city (when they’re in town). When the Brewers are in town they have a smoked beer braised brat. You can click on the image to get a closer look (if you’re interested in seeing what they offer when various teams are in town).

I didn’t get a brat because I can get that anytime. Instead I got the smoked pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and mac & cheese as sides. It was delicious.

Something funny happened before I ate my dinner. Barry and I were eating at a circular bar table with no chairs or stools. There was a married couple probably in their upper 40’s eating at the same table. I pulled out my hand sanitizer and “washed” my hands before I dug in. I set the small flip-top bottle on the table and the woman quietly commented; “that’s nice that they have those.” I didn’t really think anything of it but then she reached over, picked it up and proceeded to use some of it on her hands. Barry and I kind of looked at each other as she reached back over and set it down where I had left it. Eventually she realized that it was actually mine and she started apologizing profusely. Her husband laughed and said to her; “here’s a fork, do you want some of his pulled pork too?” We had a good laugh and she apologized a few more times before they left. I obviously was not upset and thought the whole thing was pretty funny.

Barry and I went to our seats and met up with one of Barry’s friends (Mike) and Mike’s wife (Erica). They were sitting with us and we were all situated for the first pitch of the game. The seats were in the same section as Friday (112) but on Saturday we were 19 rows closer. Here’s the view as Bronson Arroyo delivered the first pitch of the game to Norichika Aoki:

The Brewers went down in order in the first but the Reds did not follow suit in the bottom half. Gallardo was on the hill for the Brewers, coming off his last start where he struck out a career high 14 batters. Here he is delivering his first pitch to Drew Stubbs:

Stubbs popped out and Rickie Weeks made a really nice play to catch the fly ball down the right field line. The next five at bats for the Reds went as follows: single, single, RBI single, sacrifice fly, two-run home run. Just like that the Reds had a 4-0 lead. Not cool.

In the fourth inning Travis Ishikawa doubled and Corey Hart singled to drive him in. Here’s Hart chatting with Todd Frazier at first base after his single.

When a Reds pitcher strikes out a batter they shoot flames from the Power Stacks in right center field. I made sure to capture this because while it is wasteful it’s also kind of cool.

In the sixth inning Ishikawa doubled again and Braun followed with a single, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. I told Barry that I was hoping Braun would steal second to stay out of the double play. On the first pitch Ramirez did just what I was fearing. Ishikawa scored from third but the chances of a big inning were drastically reduced now that the bases were empty with two outs.

In the bottom of the seventh the Reds tacked on two insurance runs when Brandon Phillips took Jose Veras deep. The Brewers went in order in the 8th and 9th, and that was all she wrote. Final Score: Reds 6 – Brewers 2.

I’m really hoping that the Crew can avoid the sweep and at least give me something good to think about on my 10 hour drive to Philadelphia after the game tomorrow.

Personal Stats:

Daily Stats:

Season Stats:

If you want to learn more about Be The Match and how you can help, CLICK HERE

I left my parents’ house in Fort Atkinson on Thursday at 12:15. Six hours and 42 minutes later I was parked at my host’s apartment in Cincinnati. I hit just a little bit of traffic, but I don’t think my car ever came to a complete stop. I had filled up Wednesday night so I didn’t even need to stop for gas. My host is Prince, who drove the Wienermobile three years before Victoria, and they’re friends. He asked me if I wanted to go to the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. Since Friday’s game wasn’t until 7:10 I figured that I would have plenty of time to sleep before the game.

I saw Manny Parra and Kameron Loe (Brewers’ relief pitchers) in the lobby of the theater, and said hello. I didn’t get a response or even a look in my direction. Marcus Hanel (the Brewers’ bullpen catcher) said Manny likely didn’t hear me. Who knows, they probably didn’t think they’d be getting recognized at a theater in Cincinnati at midnight. The movie was good and on the way out a reporter was interviewing a lady dressed as cat woman for the news.

The movie was good but after hearing about the shooting at the Movie theater outside of Denver my enthusiasm subsided. I just don’t know what is wrong with some people. I don’t know the guy’s motive, but I don’t care what anyone has ever done to you. Bringing guns to a theater to kill a bunch of innocent civilians? What is that going to prove/solve? My friend Dustin lives in Denver, and so does Victoria’s friend’s sister (who frequents that theater). Thankfully neither of them went to the midnight showing in Aurora.

It’s hard to talk about my meaningless day when people lost their lives for no reason. I will continue because that’s all I can do.

On Friday I was exhausted and took it easy until I left for lunch/dinner at 3:45. I went to the Skyline Chili on the far east side of Cincinnati and ordered the 5-way extreme once again. The habanero cheese on top makes it “extreme.”

I left Skyline at 4:35 and made it to Paul Brown Stadium at 5:15. Barry, who had reached out to me before the first Reds series, is a Wisconsin native and works for the Bengals at the stadium. He took me out on the field and it was cool/weird being there when it was completely empty.

We didn’t stay long and we headed over to Holy Grail Tavern & Grille, which is right across the street from Great American Ballpark. We had a Miller Lite and Barry introduced me to a few of his coworkers. At 6:15 we went across the street, picked up the tickets from will call, and went inside. Including Friday I was going to need six more game number pictures at Great American Ballpark, so I tried to think of where I wanted them taken. I decided on pretty much straight away centerfield for game photo number 92. It took Barry a few tries but eventually he got what I had wanted.

We made our way towards our seats, and walked past the Highlight Zone.Barry said that they show all the other in-progress MLB games on the screens. Last year he was at a game in September and was there for much of the night watching the Brewers game. There were no games in progress at this point, and they were showing the Reds pre-game show, as well as golf, the MLB network, and something else.

Our seats were in 112 and we were there with plenty of time to spare. The national anthem was performed by the Handbell Musicians of America. I took a picture because I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve been at a game where the anthem was was performed by handbell musicians. I’m not sure if Mr. Red was actually playing the bell he was holding or if it was just for show.

At 7:10 Homer Bailey delivered the first pitch of the game to Norichika Aoki:

Aoki struck out looking, Gomez singled, stole second and went to third on a Ryan Braun single. The ball is on the left side of the picture and it’s covering the face of one of the Reds sitting in the dugout.

The Brewers had runners on first and third with only one out. 65% of the time that teams have that scenario they score at least one run. Aramis Ramirez struck out on four pitches, Corey Hart six, and the Brewers got nothing. Not a good start for the offense. Marco Estrada was on the hill for the Brewers, and retired the first 10 batters he faced. Here he is pitching in the first inning:

The 11th batter Estrada faced was Zack Cozart, and on the 7th pitch he saw he lined one just over the left field wall to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. In the seventh inning Jay Bruce led off the inning. Marco Estrada started him off with two consecutive balls and at that point Barry said something along the lines of “it was about this point in the game that he lost it last time.” He was referring to the June 26th game in Cincinnati when Estrada pitched scoreless ball into the 6th, when Jay Bruce hit a 3-run home run. Well, the 2-0 pitch from Estrada to Bruce on Friday resulted in a solo home run, and two batters later Scott Rolen hit a solo home run and the Reds led 3-0. I blamed the 7th on Barry but I was (somewhat) joking.

Between the seventh and the eighth inning I had a fan a few rows back take a picture of Barry, myself, Barry’s friend Will, and Will’s girlfriend Laura. Will is a Reds fan, and Barry and him have heated arguments over which team is better. It’s hard to talk trash when the Brewers are eight and a half games back though. Thanks for the ticket Barry!

In the top of the eighth Maldonado singled to lead off the inning. Ransom struck out and Ishikawa flied out. Aoki stepped to the plate and flew one to left that was just out of reach of left fielder Ryan Ludwick. Maldonado was moving on contact and was able to score from first:

That’s all the Brewers could manage, and they went quietly in the ninth. Chapman struck out Braun and Ramirez using seven fastballs, two of them hitting 100 MPH on the radar gun. Corey Hart grounded out to second to end the game and the Reds took game one of the three game series. Final Score: Reds 3 – Brewers 1.

I had seen on Tuesday and on Thursday that Ryan Braun had 998 career hits. I was planning on getting a picture of him connecting on hit number 1,000, but I completely forgot. That single in the first (that I got a picture of) was his 999th career hit, and in the fourth he singled again for his 1,000th. After Barry saw the ball get thrown into the Brewers’ dugout he reminded me. Darn. Congratulations to Ryan Braun on the milestone. I saw on Baseball Tonight later that he got to 1,000 hits in fewer games than Pete Rose. That’s pretty neat.

On my drive back to Prince’s place the Reds started their scheduled Fireworks Friday. As I was waiting at a stop light on second street the first few fireworks were set off.

I’m going to Saturday’s game with Barry again, and I’ll be leaving in a few hours. I’m hoping Gallardo can pitch like he has been as of late. I’m also hoping that Bronson Arroyo doesn’t carry a no hitter into the eighth inning like he did last time the Brewers faced him here in Cincinnati.

Personal Stats:

Daily Stats:

Season Stats:

If you want to learn more about Be The Match and how you can help, CLICK HERE

I’ll start off with the Fox Sports Wisconsin interview that I did during their broadcast of the Brewers game on Tuesday night. Let me say that when he comes back to me right before Weeks’ home run I say: “I do have a girlfriend, I want to put that in there…” It might be hard to hear but I did say that, you’ll see why.

It was a day game after a night game on Wednesday, and I didn’t get much sleep. I was up until 1:45 AM working on the post and I didn’t fall asleep until 2:30. For some reason my internal alarm sometimes goes off when I would normally get up for my job (that I left over three months ago) at 7:45. Either that or my body only needs five hours of sleep; I’m thinking the former. I left my parents’ house at 10:20 and was parked 65 minutes later.

I walked the parking lots for about 45 minutes and handed out a bunch of business cards. I gauge the group I talk to and decide whether I should give them the short spiel or the long spiel. I could tell that this one group of guys (probably all in their early thirties) should be given the short spiel because they looked disinterested from the get-go. I quickly stated what I was doing and why (Leukemia survivor, bone marrow transplant, etc.) and that I quit my job before the season started to follow through with my mission. One guy just kept saying “bad idea, you need a job” and “you should get a job”. I tried interjecting but he wasn’t having any of it. I was finally able to get a word in and state (louder) that I had leukemia, got a bone marrow transplant, and was raising awareness for Be The Match. His friends were embarrassed for him and one of them called him a jackass, so that was pretty funny. One guy in their group asked if I took donations and gave me $20 to donate to Be The Match. Thank you!

I think my microsite has raised about $1,700, but me selling tickets and others donating money directly to me has gotten Be The Match another $770 so far. That $2,500 will pay for 25 people to join the registry for free. 25 doesn’t seem like a lot but it only takes one to save a life like Kris Miner’s, who is still looking for a match.

When I was getting ready to head inside I came across this (only in Wisconsin):

I got inside at 12:20 and went up to section 206 for game photo number 91. It required a few tries from a nearby fan, but she got the job done.

After getting the game number picture taken I went down to the team store to purchase a new hat. Most of my shirts contain the ball and glove logo. I figured I should match so I picked up the same hat that the players sport when they wear the throwbacks. I looked at the coupons that I got for being a season ticket holder, and whaddya know, July’s coupon was for 15% off any headwear. Nice! (Ok, it’s only $6 off, but still).

I went back up to the loge level and after saying Hi to the Ice Man I went to the concession stand behind section 214. I exchanged my designated driver voucher for a free soda (I got lemonade) and also got a Polish sausage with caramelized onions. I’ve had 22 Polishes since April 6th and I don’t think I’m getting sick of them.

I greeted Bill (the friendly usher behind section 216) and we exchanged our routine pleasantries. We had to go with a fist bump today instead of the traditional handshake due to my hands being full. I set up shop underneath the press box and I messaged the twitter follower who was joining me for the game. Nicole was in our seats and I asked if she’d prefer to have a seat in the sun or stand in the shade. She went for the shade and we watched almost the entire game from behind section 218 in front of the press box. She made a $30 donation to Be The Match for her ticket. Thanks Nicole! She also told me that she joined the registry in 2008; double thank you!

The Brewers got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first. Aoki led off and reached on an error by the shortstop Rafael Furcal. Nyjer Morgan then singled and Aramis Ramirez was hit by a pitch. It was an 0-2 pitch with runners on 1st and 2nd and nobody out. These facts make me 99.99% certain that it wasn’t retaliation for Randy Wolf hitting Matt Holliday the day before. The trainer came out to evaluate his arm and Roenicke joined them a few moments later. Ram-Ram stayed in the game and everything appeared to be fine (albeit painful).

The bases were loaded with nobody out, and Corey Hart cashed in. Chart singled up the middle and Aoki and Morgan scored easily. Aoki had just touched the plate in the picture below, Nyjer Morgan is on the far left, and Ramirez is between second and third (where he would slide into safely moments later).

Weeks grounded out and Maldonado lined out, which brought up Carlos Gomez. Go-Go hit one on the ground:

The ball went to Furcal at short who fielded cleanly but threw a little wide of first base. Berkman caught it and tried swipe-tagging Gomez but Go-Go snuck by him. Ramirez scored easily but Berkman’s motion sent him spinning and the ball popped out after he hit the ground. Berkman’s shenanigans allowed Chart to score and the Brewers had a 4-0 lead. Here’s Hart sliding home safely before Wainwright, the pitcher, could scoop up Berkman’s fumble and throw home.

Tyler Thornburg, making his second big league start, pitched OK, but gave up two solo home runs. This season he has allowed 7 home runs in just 12 innings of work. On Wednesday one came in the second and one in the third. There wasn’t any more scoring through the 8th inning, and K-Rod came in to try and notch another save. It turned out that he needed the two run lead because he gave up a double and three walks, meaning he walked one in and the tying run was now at third base. There were two outs but it was still nerve-racking. I heard somewhere that when he was pitching for the Mets someone in New York dubbed his outings “20 minutes of hell” because his appearances were often strenuous. K-Rod had Berkman down in the count and delivered an 0-2 changeup:

Thankfully this was the result:

It was a long fly ball, but Nyjer gloved it just as he stepped onto the warning track. Whew! K-Rod is definitely living up to that slogan so far. He’s getting the job done so I can’t be too upset, but it’s still worrisome at times. Final Score: Brewers 4 – Cardinals 3. Rodriguez gave Maldonado a pat on the back of his helmet as they prepared to give the rest of the guys high fives. That camera guy gets out there quickly!

Back-to-back series wins is nice, and I’m hoping the trend continues in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. My parents picked up chinese food on their way home and I had a fortune cookie after eating my cashew chicken. As I was opening the package I had a feeling that the fortune would somehow be relateable to my Mission.

I know they’re all really generic, so anyone can make a connection, but this fits perfectly. I just got done with the first half of the season and I’m looking forward to an even better second half. Well played fortune cookie, well played. I’m leaving for Cincy tomorrow midday and should be arriving around 7 or 8 PM. I need to get packing.

Personal Stats:

Daily Stats:

Season Stats:

If you want to learn more about Be The Match and how you can help, CLICK HERE

I was pretty lazy the first half of Tuesday. I did do the exercises that the physical therapist gave me to help with my knee, so it wasn’t completely wasted. I left for the game at 3:45 and was parked in the Brewers 2 parking lot an hour later. I went up to the will call window and dropped off the tickets that some twitter followers would be picking up. My friend wound up not being able to join me but I was able to find someone to sit with me in section 109, and someone willing to donate $60 for my two season tickets.

I walked back to the general lots to hand out cards and spread my message, and it was well received by everyone I talked to. Some are more friendly than others, but I don’t know how I would react if a stranger came up to my tailgate and started talking my ear off about something I wasn’t familiar with. It got really windy around six o’clock and I figured that was a good sign to head inside. I had to make a pit stop at my car to pick my stuff up but I was inside and in section 207 by 6:20. I had a nearby Brewers fan (Chris) take game photo number 90 for me. It took Chris one try to get a picture I was cool with. Thanks Chris! Only 72 games left; the season is flying by.

When I got inside Miller Park I got a text from an unfamiliar number, saying it was Drew from FS-Wisconsin, and that they wanted me to do an interview during the game. I said yes (of course), and agreed to meet in the first base side camera well after the third inning. To kill some time before the game started I sat in a barstool above the right field loge bleachers, next to the sliding panels that were open. There was a nice breeze blowing in and it’s a great spot to get some fresh air if you’re ever in need of some at Miller Park (and the panels are open).

I went to my season seat location and said Hi to Scott and his girlfriend. Scott joined me for the game on June 29th, and he agreed to pay $60 in a Be The Match donation for my two seats since I was sitting elsewhere. Thanks Scott! After chatting for a bit I headed down to my seats for Tuesday’s which were in section 109. Jeff, who sat with me in the Doorman’s seats on May 22nd, gave me his two tickets for this game. I didn’t have someone to go with, but Matt, a twitter follower, agreed to make a donation and sit with me for a game. Thanks Matt! And thanks Jeff for donating your tickets!

The game got underway and Randy Wolf delivered a called strike to start the second game of the series. Wolf worked around a one-out single and a hit batsmen and got out of the frame by inducing an inning-ending double play. Here’s Wolf about to release the first pitch of the game:

In the bottom of the first the Brewers put two guys on with no outs, but Braun struck out and Ramirez grounded into a fielder’s choice. Corey Hart bailed his teammates out with a single to left field and the Brewers took a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third the Cardinals scored twice but the Brewers answered in the bottom of the third. Aoki walked and was replaced at first when Gomez grounded into a fielder’s choice. Braun grounded out, but during his at bat Gomez was able to move to second on a failed pickoff attempt by the Cardinal’s pitcher. Ramirez got the job done with a single to center, and the game was tied.

I went down to the camera well after the inning and met with Drew Olson, who was filling in for Telly Hughes. I thought the interview was going to be in the top of the fourth, but it turned out to be the bottom of the fourth. This was the view from the camera well during the top of the fourth inning:

When FS-Wisconsin came back from commercial for the bottom of the fourth the camera on the left turned around and was used for the interview. Drew asked about the journey so far and we mentioned the Be The Match aspect. I don’t have the video yet but I should be able to include it in the post for Wednesday’s game.

As my interview was ending Rickie Weeks hit a bomb to left centerfield and it gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead. I mentioned my twitter handle during the interview and when I got off air my phone was buzzing non-stop for the next 15 minutes. I can’t find where to turn off notifications every time you get a follower on the echofon twitter app. My followers jumped from 830 before the interview to 975 within 20 minutes or so. As I type this at 1:08 AM I’m currently at 1,060 followers. A lot of tweets came my way with people voicing their support and I greatly appreciate it. Moments like that keep me going and reassure me that I made the right decision in taking on this challenge.

Between the 5th and 6th innings I had a fan two rows behind us take a picture of Matt and me. Matt is on the left, I’m on the right. Matt lived in Ohio until the late 90’s so he’s a a Buckeyes fan. I saw this on his twitter page and STILL allowed him to join me at the game. I graduated from UW-Madison so for me it’s the Badgers all the way.

In the sixth I took a zoomed out picture of what it looked like from our seats in section 109, row 7. It was somewhat challenging to not get distracted because right in front of you was the outfield, and not the infield. From my seats in 221 I have the luxury of just looking straight ahead and seeing the action. I missed four pitches during the interview but didn’t miss any in my seat; yay.

In the seventh inning pinch-hitter Lance Berkman struck out swinging with runners on first and second. He wasn’t too happy with the two called strikes during his at bat and during the middle of the seventh he came back out to have a word with home plate umpire Brian Gorman. Berkman was ejected but it didn’t have any consequences since he was used as a pinch hitter and wouldn’t have been able to re-enter the game anyways. The photo isn’t the best, but you get the *picture. Ha!

Manny Parra pitched a scoreless 8th inning and newly designated closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) came on in the ninth for the save. He gave up back-to-back hits to open the inning and I’m pretty sure everyone in the building was thinking the same thing: “here we go again.” The balls weren’t hit that hard, so I can’t get too upset. He didn’t allow the base runners via the walk so that’s a good sign. With the infield in K-Rod induced a groundout, struck out the next batter, and then got Daniel Descalso to pop out to the shortstop. The Brewers win, the Brewers win! Whew! Final Score: Brewers 3 – Cardinals 2. I just referenced a run expectancy matrix, and with runners on first and third with nobody out teams scored at least one run 86.8% of the time (using stats from 1993-2010), and the run expectancy of that situation was 1.853 runs. Double Whew!

On Saturday I joined the King of Brewer Events tailgate with Victoria (my girlfriend) and her parents. It’s put on by the family of one of Victoria’s friends, some of them have the last name of King, thus the title. You should check out the post because there was some delicious food including a “Sausage Race on a Stick.” Someone took a self timed group photo and I didn’t have it in time for that post. I count 56 people and I know there are at least two who aren’t pictured. It was a great time. Thanks again for inviting us.

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Saturday night Victoria and I had stayed at her aunt’s house in Sussex, which makes it a little easier with a day game after a night game. We left the house at 10:00, got some breakfast, and then headed to Miller Park. We were parked at 11:25 and went to the bus parking to meet up with some people from Fort. They had brought a bus from Fort Atkinson to celebrate a friend from high school’s birthday (Justin). I played a game of bags (which I won), had a few beers (which I drank), and then decided it was time to head inside. It was really hot (again) and Victoria and I agreed that we probably wouldn’t be watching much of the game from our seats.

We got inside at 12:30 and went to section 209 to get game photo number 88. As these numbers get bigger the number of days become fewer that I have until I’ll have to rejoin the workforce and figure out what I want to do with my life. I’m a procrastinator so I’m really hoping the season lasts longer than 162, for more reasons than one.

Victoria and I went down by section 111 and watched the first four innings from the concourse. On Sundays the Brewers usually make nine kids extremely happy with the Major League Moment. Lucky winners (you have to register at PNC banks) get to join the Brewers for the national anthem at their position on the field. This Sunday was family day, so there were more than just nine, and it was most all of the active players’ kids, as well as Craig Counsell’s kids. It was pretty cool, and Yovani Gallardo got to stand with his son (Yovani Jr.).

Here they are just before Yovani Jr. left the mound. You can tell that Yovani Jr. had been sliding on the infield before the game because his pants are pretty dirty. I suspect having a major leaguer as a parent has its drawbacks (not seeing much of them for 7 months of the year), but there are also times when it’s got to be pretty cool.

Speaking of Yovani Gallardo; he was spectacular on Sunday. He struck out two in the first inning and was on his way to an impressive stat line. Here he is throwing out the first pitch of the game:

Aoki was batting leadoff and the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first was hit down the right field line for a double.

Nyjer Morgan was up next and he executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, getting Aoki to third base with less than two outs.

With that lead-up you’d think the Brewers scored at least one run in the inning. Spoiler alert; they did not. Braun went down looking at strike three and Aramis Ramirez struck out swinging to end the frame. In the top of the second Casey McGehee grounded one up the middle that was fielded by recent call up Jeff Bianchi (pronounced “BE – YANKEE”). He fielded it near the second base bag and threw on the run to retire the former Brewer. I like that he’s airborne, you can see his shadow and the shadow of the baseball.

It remained scoreless until the top of the fourth, when MVP-candidate Andrew McCutchen hit his third home run in as many games. He went three for four and has his batting average up to .371. He’s having a great season and he’s fun to watch. Now if only he could somehow find his way onto the Brewers roster I could speak even more highly of him. Here’s McCutchen (22) after touching home plate and giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

After the top of the fourth inning Victoria and I headed back up to the loge level. I went down and stood in front of the press box while Victoria went and got some nachos. We devoured them and agreed that they’re one of the best things to eat at Miller Park, if not THE best. I might still have to lean towards the Polish topped with caramelized onions, but it’s close. The nachos were messy and magnifilicious at the same time. The fact that we couldn’t see a single chip was a good indication the nachos were going to be messy.

We stayed in front of the press box for the next few innings and in the sixth Nyjer Morgan led off with a single up the middle. Braun followed with a single to right field:

Nyjer rounded second and headed for third but for some reason Pirates right fielder Garret Jones thought he could throw Morgan out. He missed the cutoff man and when Nyjer was pulling into third base Ed Sedar pointed towards home plate (and I’m guessing was yelling at T-Plush to “Go Home!!!”)

Braun was able to go all the way to third base due to the off-line throw from Jones. The Pirates brought the infield in to try and keep the Brewers from taking the lead. Aramis Ramirez, however, got the job done and hit one up the middle to score Braun.

After a Corey Hart strikeout Rickie Weeks and Martín Maldonado both doubled, increasing the lead to 4-1. Maldonado’s double resulted in a close play at second. Here he is sliding/belly-flopping into second base. You can see the ball on the right side of the photo. I know it’s not the clearest picture (I think my camera focused on the screen) but I thought it was still funny/cool.

Yovani Gallardo pitched through the seventh inning, and finished the day with this line: 7 innings pitched, 4 hits allowed, 0 walks, 1 run (earned) and FOURTEEN STRIKEOUTS!!! This puts him into a tie for second place in franchise history for most strikeouts in a single game. Justin, who’s birthday tailgate I visited, witnessed Ben Sheets striking out 18 Atlanta Braves back in 2004.

Victoria and I left our spot in front of the press box and went to our seats during the seventh inning. I watched the first pitch to McGehee from the bottom of the staircase behind section 221, then tried to climb all the stairs before the next pitch. I failed. I turned around just after the 0-1 pitch hit Maldonado’s glove. It was a foolish mistake and it cost me a chance at setting a new (personal) high mark in consecutive pitches seen.

K-Rod came on for the eighth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning, while striking out two. Axford retired three of the four he faced in the ninth inning, and the Brewers won the game and the series. Final Score: Brewers 4 – Pirates 1. Here’s the final pitch of the game. McGehee grounded out to Rickie Weeks to end it. If you look closely you can see the ball hiding behind McGehee’s bat and where the ball had hit the ground (just to the left of McGehee’s left leg).

It would’ve been nice to sweep the Pirates, seeing as the deficit would be 5 games rather than the 7 games it is after the 2-1 series win. A series win is still important, though, so I can’t complain.

One last picture. Early in the game Victoria and I had independently spotted a couple of fans dressed like they were on fire. I’m not sure if they made it on TV but it would’ve been a cool lead-in from commercial to let the viewers at home know how uncomfortable it was (at times).

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I went to Saturday’s game with Victoria and her parents. The three of them met me in Sussex, where I left my car, and then we made our way to Miller Park. We’re staying at Victoria’s aunt’s place in Sussex for the night, so it made sense to just drive one car to the game. We got to the parking lot at 3:05, and headed back to the Molitor Lot on the other side of the interstate. Right next to the interstate they have a Brewers M on one side of the road and a ball and glove logo on the other side. Here’s the Brewers M with the Miller Park Way exit above it.

We went to the Molitor Lot to meet Victoria’s friend Natalie and the enormous tailgate that her family puts on. This was the 9th Annual King of Brewer Events. Natalie lives in Phoenix and Dustin and I had lunch with her when the Brewers played out there in May. Victoria has been friends with Natalie since college, and we’re all grateful that they allowed non-family members to join in the festivities. When we arrived they had already fired up all three grills, and soon we had the first course, if you will. Below is grilled chicken and pineapple skewers. The pineapple had been brushed with cinnamon, and the chicken had been marinated. If this was all there was I would’ve been satisfied. There were also marinated grilled steak skewers, which are not pictured, but were also delicious.

After the chicken and steak were demolished they moved into sausages. I don’t know if they patented this next skewer, but they should. Here you have a “Sausage Race on a Stick”, well, a bunch of them. The far left skewer, for example, going nearest to farthest segments of: Bratwurst (racing sausage #1), Polish (#2), Italian (#3), Hot dog (#4), and Chorizo (#5).

They also had whole sausages, distinguishable by taste (or the convenient labels).

I had a Polish, a Sausage Race on a Stick, and potato salad. Miller Park awaits in the background:

There were three designated grill masters; Roger, Joe, and Tony (Natalie’s dad). Well done grill masters, well done.

Natalie’s second cousin, Cassie, made some cancer ribbon cookies to celebrate her mother’s (Renee) triumph over cancer, and to commemorate my mission as well. The sign on the right says celebrate survivors.

Victoria made a cheeseburger cake. Say WHAAAAAAAAT!?!?!

We did have a group picture taken that contains 50 or so people who attended the event. It wasn’t taken with my camera so I don’t have it yet. I can hopefully use it in Sunday’s post.

Around 5:30 we started packing up, and after dropping off our cooler at the car we made our way towards Miller Park. We stopped outside the home plate entrance and had a nearby fan take a picture of the four of us. Victoria’s parents (Terry and Deb) are on the left, and Victoria and I are on the right.

I wasn’t sure if the front row of any sections would be empty, let alone the one I needed (210). It worked out well and even though the game was set to start in 15 minutes there was a spot in the front of section 210 where I could stand. Game photo number 87:

I was in my seat five minutes before first pitch and Victoria and her parents arrived just before Marco Estrada delivered a strike to Drew Sutton.

The Brewers got on the board in the second inning. Aramis Ramirez led off with a double and Corey Hart followed with a triple.

Here’s Hart just before sliding safely into third base.

Rickie grounded out to the shortstop but drove in Hart in the process. The Brewers didn’t hold the 2-0 lead for long as the Pirates tied it in the top of the third. Andrew McCutchen hit a two run home run on an 0-2 pitch, and the score was knotted at two. The Brewers came right back in their half of the third and scored twice, giving them a 4-2 lead. Ramirez reached on an error and Aoki scored on the play then Hart hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Braun.

The Pirates scored once in the sixth, twice in the seventh, and once in the eighth. After the third the Brewers only mustered two hits and weren’t able to score. Final Score: Pirates 6 – Brewers 4. It was a frustrating game because they had the lead heading into the seventh, but couldn’t close the door. Brewers pitchers did amass 15 strikeouts, Estrada accounting for 11 of them in five and two thirds innings. He retired 17 batters in his outing, and ~ 65% went down via the K. Nicely done Marco. They keep tally of the strikeouts above the right field loge bleachers. 15 is the max that can fit, so who knows what happens when they go over (probably nothing). All the K’s used to be blue, but just recently they changed it so that every third K is orange. It makes them a lot easier to count.

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Friday got off to slow start, and I was in bed until 11:00 am. It was my last day to try and catch up on some sleep, so I took advantage. I might sleep until 11:00 am other days as well, but that’s because I’m likely not going to bed until after 3:00 am. It’s 2:59 on Saturday morning as I proofread this post. Yikes.

I left my parents’ place around 3:30 on Friday afternoon and went into town to get a very late lunch at Ken & Betty’s. It’s a cheesesteak place that was founded by a couple of former Pennsylvania residents. I detailed the restaurant back on April 24th, so if you’re interested in learning more, you can check out that post.

I had a “Philly Works” and added hot peppers (it comes with onions, mushrooms and green peppers). For my friend Dustin I picked up a “South Philly”, which has cheese whiz in place of actual cheese. I always make fun of him for it, but he gets it every time.

After eating our late lunch we left for the game at 4:30. We pulled into the Braves 1 lot at 5:35, and I went around informing people about my mission and Be The Match. For those that are new to the blog; Be The Match is the bone marrow donor registry. It’s really easy to join the registry, and one day you could possibly help save someone’s life. If you want to know about the actual donor process you can read the About Me page, because I actually went through the donor process in 2008. It’s much easier than most people think.

I met Dustin in section 211 around 6:20, and we got game photo number 86 taken care of.

Surprise!!! I shaved my head and my face. I couldn’t take it anymore. The original plan was to go the entire season without cutting my hair or shaving, I failed. The fact that my facial hair was orange didn’t help its cause.

Dustin and I waited in a concession stand line for five minutes or so, before I realized what I was doing. When it was my turn to order I remembered that I had just had the cheesesteak two and a half hours earlier, so I walked away without ordering anything. I remember planning as I was driving that I would get something later in the game, so I have no idea know why I got in line in the first place.

The game got underway at 7:10 and I captured the first pitch of the ceremonious second half of the season.

The game got off to a great start; with the Brewers scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. After Aoki and Morgan were retired Braun came to the plate and gave the Crew an early lead with a solo home run to right field. Here’s Braun as he’s about to give a low-five to third base coach Ed Sedar.

Sometimes I purposely get the fans in the photos because it shows the emotion and energy that’s in the stadium. Ramirez walked to follow Braun, Corey Hart singled, and Weeks doubled to drive in a both of them. The hit took his batting average above .200 for the first time in a long while. If the Brewers can get him going (and keep Greinke) I think they’ll have a chance down the stretch. Rickie taking his lead after the first inning two-run double:

In the third the Brewers gave one of the runs back when Weeks botched an easy grounder that would have ended the inning. In the fourth inning the Pirates took the lead when they got a two out double from Sutton to drive in a one run, and then a three-run home run from Neil Walker. The four runs gave the Buccos (a nickname for the Pirates) a 5-3 advantage.

Braun drove in a run in the fourth with a single but the Pirates got it back in the top of the fifth with a solo home run from Pedro Alvarez. The Brewers answered in the bottom of the fifth with a run of their own. Pinch hitter Travis Ishikawa drove in Rickie Weeks and the Pirate’s lead was 6-5. In the bottom of the sixth inning Nyjer Morgan led off and was hit by pitch. It brought up Ryan Braun, who represented the go-ahead run. Then this happened:

Nyjer Morgan was thrown out trying to steal second base. I was extremely ticked off because with Braun at the plate a baserunner is already in scoring position when at first base. What’ya know, on the 3-1 offering Braun took reliever Brad Lincoln deep to right for his second homer of the game. Tie ball game.

Who knows if the same thing would’ve happened if Nyjer had stayed put at first, but it makes you wonder. Neither team scored in the seventh, and K-Rod did a good job of picking off a baserunner and getting out of the Pirate’s half of the inning without giving up a run. In the bottom of the eighth the Brewers loaded the bases with two outs. Braun and Ramirez had executed a double steal to put runners on second and third and the Pirates elected to intentionally walk Rickie Weeks. It set up a force at every plate, and I think Rickie hits lefties pretty well, but I’m sure Pirates fans are second guessing the move. In the four part picture below, going clockwise from top left, you have:

1) Ransom making contact on the 2-2 offering from Tony Watson. Salami!!! (For you non-baseball junkies, a Grand Slam is often referred to as a “Grand Salami” or simply a “Salami”)

2) In the foreground is Rickie Weeks and Ed Sedar about to give each other a forearm, and in the background is Cody Ransom after rounding second base.

3) Ransom getting some love from Ramirez and Weeks at home plate.

4) Ransom as he enters the Brewers dugout. He got a curtain call and came back out of the dugout to tip his cap, but I didn’t get a very good picture. Being a bat boy has it perks, as they get high fives from the players after huge moments in important games.

The Brewers took a 10-6 lead after the Grand Slam by Ransom. While Axford came on in the ninth and gave up a solo home run to Andrew McCutchen, he shut the door with a strikeout of Casey McGehee. Here’s the final pitch:

It was a close pitch and McGehee started walking down to first base because he thought it was ball four. The ump had a delayed strike call most of the night, and he rung up Casey to end the game. McGehee wasn’t too happy. Final Score: Brewers 10 – Pirates 7.

Earlier in the game I had a lady in front of us take a picture of me and Dustin. Dustin is on the left, I’m on the right. Dustin sometimes struggles to keep his eyes open during pictures. His eyes are open in this one but it appears he was not very happy to be there. He was happy to be there, however, and I’m glad I got to watch the game with a very good friend.

The sausage race took place in the middle of the sixth inning, as always, and I’ve got a few pictures to share. Here’s the lineup as they prepared for the race. It appeared to be an all-female race, and I chose the Chorizo (far right) because I felt she had the most muscular/fit legs. Dustin chose the Polish sausage (in the middle with the blue and red stripes).

Living in Colorado the last few years must be throwing off Dustin’s judgement. The picture below was the result of the race. Chorizo is crossing the finish line while the Polish is about 100 feet back. Prediction Score: Ben 1 – Dustin 0.

I’m going to Saturday’s game with my girlfriend Victoria and her parents. We’re meeting up with a friend of Victoria’s and attending her family’s annual tailgate party. I’m looking forward to another day at the Miller Park.

I have to give a shout out to MLB for mentioning me and my mission on their Facebook page on Thursday evening. They also had a blurb on the main MLB.com homepage on Friday that linked to my blog. It wasn’t up there long, but a lot of people clicked on it. On most days my blog will see about 300-500 views. Friday, you ask? How about 2,595. Wow! Hopefully I can keep some of them interested enough to return and perhaps make a donation to the Be The Match foundation or join the registry. Either way I’m grateful for Major League Baseball for putting those links up. Thank You!

I can see what country the people are clicking on the blog from, and the country count is up to 78! This amazes me. 47 of the countries have fewer than 10 views, but nonetheless; it’s pretty cool in my book.

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