Astros!

I wasn't going to go, y'all. I didn't buy tickets, I didn't look into buying tickets, and I didn't even really know when the home opener was. But as I was sitting on my couch finishing up work, I could hear more foot traffic by my window, and when I glanced out, I saw all the brick red and white t-shirts, and the 7s and the 17s and the 9s, and I was a little sad and jealous.

And then Kathy called with TWO TICKETS that miraculously fell into our laps!!! It was like God wanted me to go to the game! I jumped into the shower (I work from home -- it's not always a priority when it's just me), Kathy drove to get the tickets, and then we walked to the game.

First pitch was at 6:05, which we missed, but since I wasn't going to get to go at all, getting there in the top of the third at 7pm was TOTALLY FINE. We were in the second to last row in the top tier right behind home plate, and I'm more and more convinced that there are very few bad seats at the Juice Box. As long as you're behind home plate, you can see everything you need to see. I ate a footlong hot dog with chili and cheese (yes, I feel a little sick writing about it, thank you for asking) and spilled some diet Dr. Pepper on the lady sitting in front of me. She was very nice about it.

The game was scoreless until the 7th, when Lance Berkman hit a solo home run. Yay!! Then Carlos Lee hit another solo home run right behind him! Super fantastico! (Does anyone know where I got that? I say it to myself a lot, and I have no idea where it came from, and it kind of annoys me both that I say it and that I don't know the source.)

Then Wandy Rodriguez got pulled out the game, and the middle reliever was replaced with a pinch hitter. Miguel Tejada (I think) hit a home run in the 8th, and then the Astros put in the last pitcher of the night, Valverde, at the top of the 9th. I don't refer to him as the last pitcher just because it was the ninth inning and nobody came in to replace him, but last because THERE WAS NOBODY ELSE WARMING UP IN THE BULLPEN FOR THE ASTROS. Y'all, when I say that the Astros have 1 pitcher and 4 hitters, it's not a joke. It's the sad truth. With Wandy's performance from last night and my high hopes for Brandon Backe, I might be persuaded to amend that to 2 or 3 pitchers and 4 hitters, but seriously -- that's it.

Valverde gave up THREE runs in the top of the 9th. If you can do basic arithmetic, that means that he gave up enough runs to the CARDINALS, our SWORN ENEMIES, to TIE THE GAME. And the Astros have not historically been good about turning things around in later innings, at least not when I'm there watching completely stressed out. I thought I was going to throw up from the stress and tension.

And then in the bottom of the 9th, someone got on base (I can't remember who, and I can't find a play-by-play), and Miguel Tejada, God bless him and his steroids, hit a walk-off home run, and all was right in Catherineland. I got to watch a baseball game live, I got to eat a hot dog, my team won, and Kathy and I went for ice cream at Amy's afterward. GOOD TIMES.

I think I'm a simpler woman than some of you give me credit for.