WHEN ROOKIES RULE

Over on Various Styles' site, he talks about the Cubs/game last Saturday in which 24-year-old Adam Greenberg had his hat handed to him—rather, his hat blown off his head—in his first major-league at bat. Poor little guy! Greenberg was called in to pinch hit in the 9th. Marlins pitcher Valerio De Los Santos threw one pitch, which hit Greenberg upside the head, knocking his helmet clear off. They removed him from the field moments later.

I didn't realize as I was streaming this game that this Adam Greenberg was the Adam Greenberg, whom I met very briefly when I was in Scottsdale for spring training. That was a suntan day in Scottsdale stadium, where the Giants and Cubs met for the first time this year. The Giants slaughtered Chicago, 10-1, but I was having so much fun watching my two favorite teams play each other, I didn't care. From the original post:

DAY 3: 6 March: Cubs @ Giants
What a spectacular day. Like yesterday, it started off cool and rainy, then cleared away as if by divine providence for a very exciting baseball game, this time between my two favorite teams.

"As before, I arrived early and stood outside with my camera and unsigned souvenir balls amid a throng of eager little kids looking to brush elbows with famous athletes. I got a couple of great photos, one of a really cute guy whose name I don't know and a nice shot of Jerome Williams, one of the Giants starting pitchers.

"While outside, I finally got the autograph of the no-name new pitcher Brian Burres, whose lovely backside I snapped yesterday. You might wonder why in the world I'd waste my time on a no-name kid almost young enough to be my son. Maybe that's precisely why: because I don't have a son, but would have been proud and pleased to have one who played professional baseball. Or because he's so cute and untainted and I wanted to shag him (hey, he's legal!). He seemed so eager and honored to sign my stupid little ball. Or because he may one day be a superstar and I will be able to say "I remember when..." Doesn't matter...it was a special moment for me...the first I've asked a baseball player for an autograph.

"The batting cage was crazy with activity. Giants hitting coach Joe Lefebvre and an associate of his were putting the heavy Jedi force push on new outfielder Jason Ellison, who apparently required help with his focus and balance. It was amazing to watch, from only a few feet away, through two sets of fencing and webbing, as this handsome young man tried to balance his natural enthusiasm with a sense of proportion and perspective...and then knock the living shit out of several fastballs. While that was going on, hottie Omar Vizquel trotted in, as he did yesterday, to practice heavily in the cage. This guy is committed to his new post with the Giants. Somebody somewhere sent him the memo in which he is characterized as a central part of the Giants' 2005 success. If today's performance is any indication, he's not taking the memo lightly.

"On to the game. Just beforehand, I hung my ass over the railing of the visitors' side so I could photograph as many Cubs (for myself and my friend Eric) as possible. Alas, my camera is no good at distance shots, so I had to breathe down the necks of fans getting their balls signed so I could get a shot of a face or two. I managed to get some of Todd Wellemeyer's beautiful blonde face, and a classic closeup of one of the coaches and -- extra credit for me! -- Scott Servais, a retired former Cubs catcher. Tall, handsome, clearly someone the younger players and coaches respected. He politely asked me to get out of the way well before I had any idea of who he was. He could have been rude (since I was being such a papparazzi whore), but he wasn't. Class act.

"My shots of Cubs celeb Nomar Garciappara weren't close enough to be interesting, but it was fun shooting him,anyway. Last season, he did for the Cubs what the Giants hope Omar Vizquel will do fo them this year: be sort of kickass.

"The Giants won their game 10-1, which in the regular season would have been considered an ass-lashing, but in Spring training, doesn't mean all that much, not to the players, at least. The fans loved it. Deivi Cruz, who relinquished the #1 shortstop position to Omar and is now a backup for 2nd base, played briefly and extremely well, including that surprise homerun that excited all of us. Before that, Omar also hit a homerun and played the infield with a precision that was breathtaking. A young no-name named Donaldo Mendez relieved Omar a few innings in and proceeded to match his Jedi master play for play, including a near-homerun that put him on third base. That was pretty thrilling, watching this unknown variable perform like a rock star and surprise everyone in the process. Seems like the Giants have quite a few cards up their sleeves.

"Kirk Reuter opened on the mound, and Matt Herges and Scott Eyre got some time in the sun. The pitching staff, which remains a question, seems to have their shit together. With such strong field defense, a match by the pitchers would be pretty damned awesome.

"My day reached maximum coolness when, at the Albertson's grocery store, I ran literally into Deivi Cruz, who was toting a gallon of orange juice and some fruit. I told him he played a great game, an observation for which he seemed genuinely grateful.

"Tomorrow's a day off from games. Dad and I are going to poke around the Phoenix area, seeing what we can see. Then, the final day of baseball when Giants meet Rangers."