A big reason Sarah and I decided to spend the 4th of July with her family in Texas is that the Red Sox are playing the Rangers from the 4th-6th. Sarah and I wanted to see some baseball this summer, I was co-opted into the Red Sox nation via the evangelism of John Harper several years ago, so the stars were aligned when it came to our trip. What better way to spend the 4th than with family at a baseball game?

Leanna (Sarah's younger sister) got us good tickets -- right down the third baseline, just before the left field foul pole. I was pumped. Before the game, she suggested we go to Hooters. That's right, Hooters. Apparently, the Hooters near the Ballpark runs a shuttle. You can park at Hooters, eat and have a beer to two, then they'll drive you to the game and pick you up. Now, I had never been to a Hooters and had no real desire to go. It's not like I find it offensive or exploitive or anything. Hooters is lumped in there with Maxim magizine for me -- it's for men who want some debauchery but are afraid to go for it, so they have to cover it up with some veneer of respectbility. It's like wanting a steak, but thinking that's it bad for you, so you just get a burger instead. It's still not good for you and it's not really what you want, you're just making due because, for whatever reason, burgers are more socially sanctioned. All I am saying is, suck it up and go to a strip club or buy some porn, don't mess around with half-measures.

And don't give me this crap about "they have good wings" because I had there wings yesterday, and they suck. At least the articles in Playboy are actually good, even if that's not the reason you buy it.

Where was I? Oh, yes, the Hooters shuttle. So, the shuttle plan worked okay. We ate some (crappy) wings, then got on the shuttle.

The Ballpark at Arlington (now Ameriquest field at the Ballpark at Arlington) is one of those retro-style parks. In some ways, it's really nice - exposed iron beams, the club logo wrought into the end of the rows, and these cool baseball lamps atop the outside. But, unlike Camden Yards, it's totally enclosed. Where Camden has that open outfield, the Ballpark put an office building. Seriously, behind center are the offices for the club. Now, it's not like the giant strip mall that is Arlington offers nice views, but having a totally enclosed park means no breeze in the park. This is Texas. This is baseball, which is played in the summer. It was 96 at game time yesterday and I don't think it cooled off at all. I could see the flags on the top of the stadium flapping away, yet down in the hole it was still as Christmas. The Boston players felt the heat, too. When they announced the temperature, they also noted that it was then 69 degrees in Boston. I saw Manny Ramirez just shake his dreadlocked head (I was pretty close to Manny in left, which was cool).

Despite the heat, this was the best baseball game I have ever been to. I had someone definte to cheer for, unlike when Sarah and I go to other games where we just pick a favorite. The stadium was packed, with 50,000+ in attendance. The Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, attacking a shaky Wade Miller in the first. Miller settled down and the Sox climbed back into it, mainly behind Trot Nixon and David Ortiz. It was tied by the 4th. Then, it the top of the 8th, Ortiz whacked a double into right-center. Manny then BLASTED a homerun to almost dead center. It was 450 feet easy, and the Sox were up by two. The Sox have had some bullpen issues all year, so I was a little nervous. Timlin gave up a run in the 8th and the Rangers were gatherhing momentum. This momentum crashed on top of the struggling Kieth Folke. Foulke, in the bottom of the 9th, gave up a tripple, then a double that tied the game. He then gave up a single, then HIT Alfonso Soriano to load the bases. The next batter then knocked the ball down the left field line. Manny just looked up at it, knew there was no way he could get there, and started walking to the dugout before the ball even landed. Rangers win in the bottom of the ninth. A great game objectively, but a bit hard to take if you were rooting for the Sox. What the hell is wrong with Folke? He has like a 5.8 ERA or something.

After the game, the folly of the Hooters shuttle became apparent. We waited for at least 45 minutes before it came. It was so late because someone had puked on the first shuttle ride back and they had to clean it up. It was like I was in college again -- someone puking and ruining the fun for everyone. Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the 96 degree Texas night, tired, thirsty, and nursing a hard loss.

It's almost 1:00 AM by the time we get home. And then I have to fix the toliet. . . (which is kinda funny now, but was not all that pleasant then. That's another entry).

Now, removed from the heat and the bleach/vomit smell of the Hooters bus, I can be a bit happier about the fact that I got to see a great baseball game on the 4th of July with Sarah, Leanna, and Ma & Pa Gette. That's pretty cool.