Day 7 (8/2): Empire State of Mind
HENRIETTA NY - This was our second scheduled doubleheader, with the first game starting at 12:30. This gave us time to head into the Rochester suburbs to attend Buffalo Bills training camp. (Hey, the only real charge was a dollar to ride the shuttle bus, so who cares if I couldn’t name any of the Bills’ players?)
I did, however, know enough of the Bills’ history that, while watching the kickers practice field goals, I could go “Wide right” and get resigned “Amens” from the crowd. (The Bills missed a potential game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of Super Bowl XXV.)
Game 1…. Well, in my defense, we made it downtown a good 20 minutes before first pitch.
But apparently, so did everyone else in Monroe County. It was pure gridlock, as seemingly available parking spots were reserved for either Kodak employees or students at the local community college. I was begging in near-tears to a guard asking for available parking, and then manic-depressed into slamming my fist against the window at pedestrians who thought they owned all four lanes of traffic they were crosswalking.
Needless to say, I was not a happy fan this day. I plopped down on a picnic table under the stands, turned on my Walkman, and listened to the game. Meanwhile, I channeled my inner Trump by hate-Facebook post-storming. (I really need to get more involved in Twitter; the terminology’s much more manageable.)
Things did not improve during the 15-minute skulk back to the garage. Fortunately, I did not meet a third homeless person asking me for money; he would have been promptly pushed into State Street, no questions answered.
Once on the interstate, I calmed down some. Hopefully, Chad took the day’s events to heart and learned never to cross me again. (Ha!)
After dropping our stuff at the hotel, we took the 35-minute drive west to Batavia, where first we would have dinner at Batavia Downs; specifically, 34 Rush, the theme restaurant of famed Bills running back Thurman Thomas. Given my knowledge of gambling, I limited myself to a dollar scratcher, in which I won $1 and played a second scratcher, in which I won a free random Take Five ticket (which I ultimately lost, duh).
After dinner, it was on to the dog pound known as Dwyer Stadium, home of Batavia’s Muckdogs. Things turned ugly early as Mahoning Valley scored five in the top of the first. However, Batavia slowly but surely chipped away at the lead, ultimately winning 8-5.
I did, however, know enough of the Bills’ history that, while watching the kickers practice field goals, I could go “Wide right” and get resigned “Amens” from the crowd. (The Bills missed a potential game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of Super Bowl XXV.)
Game 1…. Well, in my defense, we made it downtown a good 20 minutes before first pitch.
But apparently, so did everyone else in Monroe County. It was pure gridlock, as seemingly available parking spots were reserved for either Kodak employees or students at the local community college. I was begging in near-tears to a guard asking for available parking, and then manic-depressed into slamming my fist against the window at pedestrians who thought they owned all four lanes of traffic they were crosswalking.
Needless to say, I was not a happy fan this day. I plopped down on a picnic table under the stands, turned on my Walkman, and listened to the game. Meanwhile, I channeled my inner Trump by hate-Facebook post-storming. (I really need to get more involved in Twitter; the terminology’s much more manageable.)
Things did not improve during the 15-minute skulk back to the garage. Fortunately, I did not meet a third homeless person asking me for money; he would have been promptly pushed into State Street, no questions answered.
Once on the interstate, I calmed down some. Hopefully, Chad took the day’s events to heart and learned never to cross me again. (Ha!)
After dropping our stuff at the hotel, we took the 35-minute drive west to Batavia, where first we would have dinner at Batavia Downs; specifically, 34 Rush, the theme restaurant of famed Bills running back Thurman Thomas. Given my knowledge of gambling, I limited myself to a dollar scratcher, in which I won $1 and played a second scratcher, in which I won a free random Take Five ticket (which I ultimately lost, duh).
After dinner, it was on to the dog pound known as Dwyer Stadium, home of Batavia’s Muckdogs. Things turned ugly early as Mahoning Valley scored five in the top of the first. However, Batavia slowly but surely chipped away at the lead, ultimately winning 8-5.