Yankees Lose But I Meet Sue
The forecast looked ominous this morning – another gray, chilly day in the Sunshine State. But the clouds parted just in time for Yankees-Phillies at Bright House Field in Clearwater, and it turned out to be a great day for baseball. There was just one problem: my husband Michael. Being a male, he refuses to ask for directions when we’re in the car.
“Are you sure you know how to get to Clearwater?” I kept saying as we passed through yet another unfamiliar neighborhood.
“Sure,” he kept answering. “I checked the map.”
The map. Big deal. Who can read maps?
Instead of zipping over to the ballpark in 20 minutes, it took us an hour and a half to get there. I was steaming mad.
But we did get there, and Bright House Field is a really nice place to watch a ball game. Andy Pettitte wasn’t exactly ready for prime time, but Joba looked impressive over his four innings of work. What that means in terms of the #5 starter’s job is anyone’s guess. I was more concerned with Damaso Marte, who couldn’t get anybody out before getting hit in the back by Ryan Howard’s line drive. Don’t the Yankees need another lefty in the pen? I mean, seriously? What we do have is a young pitcher named Amaury Sanit, who came in for the injured Marte and pitched like a Cy Young Award winner. On the offensive side, I guess the oversized batting helmet Cervelli was forced to wear isn’t inhibiting his vision; he had three hits in the game. So yeah, the Yanks lost to the Phillies, but there were Bright Spots at Bright House.
One of them was meeting Sue Mudrick, who blogs about the Phillies here at MLBlogs at Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts. She and I got together for a She-Fan Cam chat just before game time. We may root for different teams, but Sue’s got a wonderful sense of humor and it was great fun dishing with her about her guys.
We had such a good time that we decided to keep it going; Michael and I had dinner with her and her husband Dan a few hours later at a restaurant in downtown St. Pete. I only wish we weren’t flying back to our respective homes tomorrow. Bummer! Why can’t spring training last forever? I don’t want to leave!
Confessions of a She-Fan 
Jane, all you ever have to do is take my phone number and I could give you perfect direction better than the GPS around this region.
Like I said in the Twitter response, I could of had you guys hit up the pizza place at BrightHouse Field and Jason would of gotten anything you needed.
He is an old Pepsi driver friend of mine who does the pizza concession at the stadium, and owns a local pizzeria where he could get you something special.
He is also the last third baseman cut from the 1998 Open Tryouts for the Rays and still plays competitve semi-pro ball locally.
Just glad the sun and wind kept you both cool and toasty at the same time today…..We finally had normal March weather in Florida today.
Rays Renegade
http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com
I’m sure your directions would have been perfect, Renegade, but Michael wouldn’t ask. He’s so stubborn! Give him a map and he thinks he’s all set. lol. Sorry about the pizza place too, but we went with Boston Market, which was really good, by the way. You must have spoken to the Weather Gods again, because the sun popped out just at the right time. Many thanks.
Well..good. You finally got there (and sympathies to Michael from a fellow Male Map-Reader)…didn’t get rained on and become a She-Fan Popsicle…and you met Sue! How Do You Do!! Nice interview…and thank you too!
Too bad the game was a dud…saw the lowlight of Dead-Animal-Face Werth’s 3-run tater on ESPN, and thought, oh, poor Jane…but leave it to you to find some nuggets in the rubble (and the stubble). Amaury Sanit, huh? How do you pronounce THAT? Wonder what the tropical isle is that he calls home? Sure sounds exotic…but who cares if he can pitch…all hurlers welcome (well, except for the OTHER kind you tend to see on St. Patrick’s Day)…!!
So you won’t ask for directions either, Dave? What is it with guys anyway? Werth’s 3-run tater wasn’t fun to watch, but Marte was looking very hittable, so it was only a matter of time. Hope he’s OK. We need him to pitch the way he did in the WS. I’ll have to check Amaury’s bio for his country of origin; Melissa is our resident researcher though, so maybe she’ll do the honors. All I know is that he came in for Marte, made quick work of the Phillies and left us saying, “Who was that guy!”
I love that you connect with all these people.
I really like the video interviews. Keep up the amazing blog !
Greg
http://baseballfix.mlblogs.com/
Your wish is my command!
Proper Name: Amaury Sanit
Born: July 4, 1979 in Havana, Cuba
High School:
Ht.: 5-8 Wt.: 205
Bats: R Throws: R
Another El Duque??? How apropos that he is a Yankee Doodle Dandy!
And here he is throwing a pitch last spring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0HqyVnF4jk
Melissa
Will do, Greg. Glad you’ve been entertained!
Melissa, I knew we could count on you. Many thanks. So he’s Cuban. Interesting. I wonder if the organization has real plans for him, because he’s been impressive and not on my radar before now. If only he were another El Duque. What a break for us that would be.
Sue is a riot – she and I met a few years back at a Phillies event and have been friends since. I am so sad I was not there to hang out with you both! I did watch the game on TV but it just wasn’t the same :O( I am having serious baseball withdrawl!
Jenn
http://philliesphollowers.mlblogs.com/
Glad you’re having fun out and keep the video interviews coming, they’re always fun!Look! CC gone virtual.
Sue told me how she met you, Jenn, and how you became friends. It would have been great if you’d joined us yesterday. But at least your guys looked good at Bright House!
Sorry, kaiser, but I’m flying back to California in a few hours, so the fan videos will stop for now. CC’s ad is bizarre!
Jane,
As long as you were seeing unfamiliar neighborhoods, it’s obvious Michael wasn’t driving you around in circles.
I think most guys have enough of an explorer mentality and a perceived sense of direction, that we’d rather make our own mistakes than ask some stranger for directions. It really doesn’t do us much good to ask for directions anyway, because by the time we walk back to the car, we can’t remember anything beyond the first turn.
Of course, if there is a critical time element involved, I’m usually willing to break down and at least ask if I’m heading in the right direction to get to whatever place I’m looking for. When that answer is no, there’s usually a longer conversation.
I just read Michael your comment, jojovanb, and he said, “Exactly.” So I thank you for explaining the male psyche to me – at least when it comes to driving and directions. We’re in the rental car right now driving to the Orlando airport, and I got the directions beforehand, leaving nothing to chance this time.
John, I told Michael about the Philly cheesesteak and how highly you recommended it, but he wouldn’t go for it. His loss!
All that driving and you didn’t even have one of the Phillie Cheesesteaks I suggested at the ball park?
Hey, Diane. It’s been in the 70s in LI? Amazing. You’ve had warmer weather than we did in Florida. But I did have a great time, and wish it could have been longer. I’m on the plane now, bound for LAX, so I’ll post tomorrow!
Hi Jane and everyone. Long time no speak. Its been insanely hectic in my life but all is good. The weather today is fanally gorgeous!!! I think it was actually in the 70’s here on Long Island today.
Sorry you had such a short stay in Fla but you seemed to ejoy it. Mariano did well I understand and Hughes is doing his thing. I don’t think that one good outing, no matter how good is was, is enough to get Joba the 5th starter spot. Its consistency that matters. I still want him in the pen.
Will try to write more consistently but we’ll see what happens.
I feel for Michael, knowing what general direction something is and a compass display is all a good guy needs…. women should be careful about criticizing a mans directional capability, especially as it’s women who aimlessly walk around supermarkets pretending they know where they are going… 🙂
Glad you got to meet Sue and as a Phillie fan I’m happy they won… I am sure Sue was more gracious about it though….
hope you all have safe trips home….
~peter
Outside the Phillies Looking In
http://devilabrit.mlblogs.com
Women walk around supermarkets aimlessly, Peter? Not the women I know!
There probably is a level of hell that would force people like me to walk around a supermarket aimlessly.
Melissa
So cool that you met up with another MLBlogger! I love when that happens. We are a tight community… and obviously it’s a bit different being there at spring training as opposed to being in cold Chicago, waiting for the season, but I’m quite happy it’s almost over and the real thing is only 15 days away 🙂
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
http://mtrredstatebluestate.com
Jane, I hope you had a much smoother flight home than you did on your way to FL! I know ours was much better. Dan and I had a blast at dinner with you and Michael – had it not been getting late, we would have loved to stay and chat even longer – the time just flew right by! We really enjoyed meeting the two of you; I hope we can do it again sometime!
Sue
Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts
I hear you, Melissa. Maybe Peter’s living in some Stepford Wives universe. 🙂
It’s a cool thing to put the face with the name/blog, Jeff. And Sue is so worth meeting. And yes, the real thing is just around the corner, amazingly.
I did have a smooth flight, Sue! Glad you did too. The only problem this time was the hour – it was 3 am ET when we finally got home so my brain is full of cob webs this morning. Michael and I had a great time with you guys, and I’m sure we’ll meet again (maybe at a World Series game – hope hope).
I guess I have heard about men not asking for directions, they just go until they arrive at their destination. Now you have just proved it. Without directions you take even three hours on a stretch that would otherwise be 10 minutes away. – Jordan