How Sweet It Is

       Four of us went on the free-for-old-farts Thursdays, and well ... it's good watch an utterly pleasant ballgame. The starting pitching didn't implode -- Stanton not only whacked a rocket for a three-run HR but had a 10-foot squibber that stopped by the foul line for another RBI. So 6-0 lead going into the ninth and we don't have to fret a closer blowing it. That's a good strategy for any manager.
        Batting Stanton fourth worked just fine and I'd sure like some more thought given to having a .300 hitter near the top of the lineup more often, rather than batting eighth.
        Why not try a Gordon, Hecavarria, Yelich, Stanton at the top? I know Hech  doesn't get a lot of walks, but he seems to be improving. And he made one fabulous fielding play Thursday -- a rocket that struck the pitcher first before dribbling to him.
         This was my fourth game of the year -- and first night game. The hot dog guy across from the Clevelander has added a new Italian sausage at $5, which is worth the extra buck. On the way to the game we found ourselves lamenting how Bud seemed to dominate the beer scene at the park, but we found a booth along the third base line serving premium beers like Fat Tire and SweetWater (albeit at $14 for a large draft, meaning that Loria recovered quite a bit after giving us the free tickets).