Night in the city.

I spent this past weekend down in New York City visiting Asher. This was part of what has turned into a summer-long series of trips to keep me out of Rochester. Next weekend I head down to Ithaca to help the parents put in more cabinets, but I have the following weekend free.

One thing I always make a point of doing when in New York is taking at least one trip to the Blind Tiger. It's a nice low-key bar in Manhattan, with a good menu of food and really good beer selection. This trip I was able to grab some Samichlaus on tap. This is one of my favorite strong beers, and is phenomenal on tap. It has a nice thick, sweet flavor, with a nicely balanced alcohol warmth. It also happens to be 14% ABV.

The primary reason I was in NYC this time is that Shea stadium is (deservedly) being knocked down after the season, and I needed to see it in person once more before the end. The Mets began a three-game series with the St Louis Cardinals on Friday night. This wasn't a game I was able to see much of, but Asher and I caught the end of it when we got back from eating dinner. Mike Pelfrey (9-6, 3.67) pitched 7 great innings, giving up 1 earned run on 7 hits. The Mets battered the Cardinals' starter, Mitchell Boggs (3-2, 7.41), tagging him for 6 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Final Score: 7-2, Mets

On Saturday the Mets continued the series, and this was the game that we went to. Asher and I met up with Craig and Hannah and saw what wound up being a marathon baseball game. Since Pedro Martinez's father died last week, he was with his family, so they called up a pitcher from AAA New Orleans. This pitcher's name is Brandon Knight, and he has been dominant in the minor leagues this year. The minor leagues are not the majors, though. He allowed the first five hitters to reach base, four of them scoring during the inning. Through the game the Mets managed to take a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning, then lost it in the sixth. Because Knight was piling up the pitch count while not being terribly effective, they brought in Carlos Muniz in relief. That wound up allowing four more runs to score. In the end, the game went on for 14 innings, and wound up ending with an Albert Pujols 2-run homer.
Final Score: 10-8, Cardinals (14 innings)

Alright, I would finish this blog about the three games, but I'm distracted watching youtube videos of George Carlin. I'll finish this shit later.