Weary Fan

Last night Jen and I dutifully headed downtown to the Astros game like good fans. I hadn't been to a game in a month, and haven't even been paying much attention to the team lately. Let's just say that their performance this season doesn't inspire a great deal of rapid game-watching on my part. Take today's news: Jason Jennings is having season-ending elbow surgery. We traded Willy Taveras and Jason Hirsh for him. Worst trade in Astros history.

I had fun at the game, but only because Jen and I got to chat and gossip the whole time without fearing that Jason's ears would fall out of his head from hearing too much girl talk. (He couldn't make the game.) The Astros were getting killed, and the game just wasn't very interesting. In the 7th inning, they announced the crowd as some like 34,000. I estimate that by that point there were about 5,000 people in the stadium. And that might be generous. I have never seen the stadium so empty.

Because the Nationals scored a lot, the game was excruciatingly slow. Both Jen and I had to be at work at 8:00 this morning, and we continually moaned about it. Finally, when Jen looked at the clock and commented that "geez, this game is going to go till 11:00," we both realized we'd had enough.

"I wouldn't argue if you wanted to leave now," I said. "Really? Because neither would I," Jen said.

So we left. At the end of the 8th inning, we left. I felt bad about it. But only a little.