It Went Up to 11

For my birthday Corrie took me out for some Texas BBQ and a ballgame, the UT Longhorns versus the Kansas Jayhawks.

When we arrived at the ballpark and saw all the little kids running around the slow-walking elders, we realized quickly that there would be no beer sales at this event. That's not the worst thing ever, of course, but a little beer helps Corrie forget how little she cares for watching baseball (she'd rather be playing something than watching it), and overall makes the game go by faster.

But, this was a college game, not subject to the same strategy of the pros, with their bad habits of replacing pitchers every other batter late in the game, which drastically slows the pace and makes it, uh, even more boring?

Plus, we had some good pitchers in this game. The UT starter, Jungmann, pitched a hell of a game, giving up two runs on six hits in 7 and a third innings, which is great. His counterpart though, who's name I can't remember but he started for Kansas, had only given up two hits through eight innings--he did give up an unearned run in the seventh inning though--when he came out to pitch the ninth inning in hopes of completing his game.

He gave up one more run but finished the inning. He left to a tie game, pitching a full nine innings (I'm pretty sure), and the game was pushed into extra innings.

In the bottom of the eleventh, with one out a Longhorn crushed a gapper to right-center and went for third after rounding second, an aggressive move that could backfire if he gets thrown out. He just beat the throw.

I told Corrie, "Doesn't matter that this is college, no way you waste a one-out triple in the bottom of the 11th."

The next batter got hit on the knee, the next guy walked, loading the bases, and the next guy hit a pop-up to left. The runner tagged up from third and beat the throw home. Sac-fly wins the game. Good, fundamental, exciting baseball.

Good, exciting birthday.

Here's some pictures. The second is of a strange Texas chant or fight-song, but everyone has their "horns" in the air, like Metallica fans head-banging at a junior-high dance, but here they're singing. (I know it's blurry; my old camera has a hard time with night pictures.)