Weekend Update - 207 Style

Rochester came to town on Friday for a four-game stand against the Chiefs. I attended games on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Sandee attended Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I won't be at tomorrow's game, but Sandee probably will be. It's a noon start and I don't have enough vacation time left to attend.

We debuted the Carlos Maldonado Fan Club on Friday night, but because of circumstances beyond our control, we couldn't wave our posters until late in the game. We don't know if Carlos saw them or not. He didn't play on Saturday. We know he saw them today. He acknowledged us the second time he came to bat. I hope we haven't embarrassed him too badly.

When I get to the stadium early enough to catch the starting line-ups, I've started officially scoring the games. If we're late, as we were today (bottom of the first), then I merely take notes.

Friday, I was on time. I did manage a few notes while scoring the game:

• The scoreboard operator keeps experimenting with different color combos. Some are better than other. 
• The games on the scoreboard are cute, but if you attend regularly and the same quizzes keep showing up, it gets kind of boring. I will say that the sales force has done a fabulous job finding ways of selling sponsorships on the scoreboard. There are some pretty creative things going on. 
• The Taco Bell K-Man now has a Taco Bell logo on his page on the scoreboard.
• Xavier Paul's name keeps changing from Xavier to Zavier to Xavier, possibly inning-by-inning. The only spelling we haven' seen is Javier.
• There was some fun with Clete Thomas (a Red Wing). Instead of his photo, the scoreboard operator put up a picture of cleats. 
• Carlos Rivero had a major case of Lambinitis. An embarrassingly major case.
• I didn't buy any tickets for the Corey Brown Throwback Thursday Jersey Raffle.
• Pops was able to toss t-shirts to the upper deck.
• Photos of the stadium on the new scoreboard are from last season -- or older. The painted horse was removed for this season, replaced by a Welcome to Chiefsville sign, but the photos during the between innings-games all show the horse.

This sign replaced the painted horse.

In the first four innings, Rochester broke three bats. Maple.

Today was Mother's Day and the Chiefs gave free manicures and 5-minute chair massages to all Mom's. I don't have fingernails, so I didn't do the mani, but I definitely got my massage. Because of that and the fact that we didn't arrive until the bottom of the 1st, I didn't score the game.

Observations:

• Cowbell Man (from Rochester) was nicely color-coordinated in shades of blue
• Someone must have spoken to Carlos Rivero or gave him a better athletic cup because there was no sign of Lambinitis. 
• Solano's Throwback Thursday was the jersey raffle today. TV Stevie bought tickets, but he didn't win.
• Carlos acknowledged our posters. It seemed to me that the dugout was hanging on the rails and the bullpen was watching us and the signs. I could also be blowing our impact out of proportion. We did not make it onto the scoreboard. Don't know if the TV cameras (the game was televised by TWC Sports) picked us up or not.

Oh, and TV Stevie chased down a Carlos Rivero foul ball for me. I got a baseball for Mother's Day. I am pleased.