Game 5 - Mets vs Astros @ Kissimmee
Almost a complete washout. I'll get on the Astros for that in a second. There is no BP on the stadium field. The tarp was out. Rain in the forecast, so the grounds crew was prepared. The Mets were taking gym class out in LF (the visitors clubhouse is in RF and the Astros clubhouse is in left, but the tarp's staging area is in right). A little stretching, a little throwing, and out to the Astros' back fields to do some sort of work. No interaction with the fans at all. Not much of a chance for it.
And then we wait. Tarp comes off the field. A few small rain drops. Then just cloudy. And a few more small rain drops. And then just cloudy. And the tarp goes back on the field about 45 minutes before game time. So they tell us there's a delay, and the radar map shows something blowing in. OK, they'll wait for it to come and go, and then start the game. So we wait. They announce that the game will be delayed.
At about 1:30, Jerry Manuel comes out from the clubhouse to the Mets dugout, with the tarp still on the field. So it looks like either whatever it is that's coming isn't anymore, or they'll go on in spite of it (and I saw a radar map, it didn't look good). They get the field ready, the players come out and stretch. We see that Jeff Francoeur was the only real starter coming to the game and the rest was prospects and minor leaguers (Tejada, Martinez, and Ike Davis aren't such bad names to have out there) behind Jon Niese.
Francoeur signs for a bit. Other players are called over. Frank Catalanotto signed. Lot of kids over by the Mets bullpen area with me. One of the Mets backup catchers with a number 73 on his jacket signed. The roster on mets.com shows 2 catchers with number 73. I think it was Shawn Riggans.
The game itself, as much as there was one, was played in steady rain. The Astros got a run and 3 hits off Niese. And then the game was stopped. Fans left. I stayed. It was wet. After about 45 minutes, the game was called. Roy Oswalt and Jon Niese were both wasted. I'll get most of my money back (thanks Ticketmaster). Too bad for the Astros. The game was sold out with standing room only. The professional autograph seekers may have gotten lucky and get a refund.
Leave a comment or drop me a line at DyHrdMET [at] gmail [dot] com.
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