Student Essay on A Game to Remember

A Game to Remember

Summary:   This essay's author attended a playoff game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and shares his experiences and the exciting moments of the game. A St. Louis fan, the author sat next to a Dodgers fan.

It's just past five o'clock on a dreary Tuesday evening in October at down town

Saint Louis. The streets are swarming with Cardinals fans, most of them in red and an occasional few in white. Tonight is game two of the National League Division Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the opposing Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Red Birds already ahead in the series one to zip, in the best of five series. My dad and I are attending this game thanks to my mom scoring two tickets, one for my dad and another for myself. The atmosphere is electric everyone anticipating to take a two games to none lead on the rival Dodgers. The streets began to fill up more and more as it became closer to game time and the voices became louder with people trying to sell merchandise, "Get your playoff program and scorecard,", "Tickets who needs tickets." The bars are packed, standing room only in most. Inside the stadium the Dodgers begin to take batting practice, while I look on from section 152, row twelve, and seat ten. I have a large Sprite in one hand, while holding my jumbo sized hot dog in the other. Sitting in my red seat, nervous and anxious for the game to start, a heavy set gentleman takes a seat next to me in seat eleven. He looks like he is in his forties, slicked back light brown hair, roughly shaven, and also a white Los Angeles Dodgers jacket on. Unbelievable, "I am going to have to sit by this idiot for the next three hours."

Introducing himself as Brian he told me that he had just gotten off a plane from Los Angeles, coming just for one night to watch his Los Angeles Dodgers get whooped by my Cards. Brian explained to me that he had just bought his tickets out on the street from a scalper for a cool ninety dollars, face value forty-nine, and also had not yet found a hotel room for the night. He told me he had tried every down town hotel but were all gone for the night. "It is astonishing that all the hotel rooms in Saint Louis could be sold out," Brian said. He was telling me how much it meant for him to see the Dodgers in the playoffs, they hadn't been there since 1996, and how he was riding a high from all of this October Madness. I began to think to myself, this guy might love the Dodgers as much as I love the Cardinals.

The beautiful Busch stadium is now full of people in red on their feet for the singing of the national anthem. I sit down in my seat at the conclusion of the anthem, ready to play ball. The crowd doesn't have much to cheer about, but my buddy Brian sitting next to me does as his Dodgers are in front two to nothing after two. The crowd is silent all you can hear is the noise made by 52,326 conversations.

It is now in the bottom of the fifth, the score is still two to nothing in the favor of the dodgers, with two men on base, the speedy Tony Womack at second and the big and powerful Larry Walker at first. Albert Pujols comes to the plate, a twenty five year old stand out from the Dominican Republic. The crowd came to its feet and 52,326 people were now on their feet and ready to erupt. The first pitch to Pujols was a ninety-six mile per hour fast ball and Pujols turned it the other way for a three run homer to put the Cards on top three to two. Slapping high fives with everyone around I go crazy for my now winning team.Brian on the other hand was in his seat with a bewildered look on his face. His team was just winning a moment ago but not behind by one with one swing of the bat.

The next three innings flew by and it was now the ninth inning and the Dodgers had their last chance to score to win. Brian sat on the edge of his seat as the best hitters were coming to the plate for the Dodgers. The fans stood for the ninth and erupted with each strike thrown. With two outs and no one on the stadium is out of control people yelling and screaming while Brian stands also just so he can see and watches in desperation. Adrian Beltre the slugger for the Dodgers flies a ball to deep left field and 52,326 suddenly become silent. Reggie Sanders moves back to the warning track and makes the catch. The place erupts once again and the Cardinals are now leading the series two to nothing.

After slapping high fives with everyone, I turned to shake Brian's hand and wish him better luck for the next game. Shaking his hand I realized that this loss had put a damper on his night. I felt for the man the Cardinals were in the same spot two years ago. As I was happy for the cards just winning I also felt bad in a sense that Brian couldn't feel the same way. Walking out of the stadium I realized that not everyone was as happy as me with the outcome of the game.