Game # 12, Braves at Cubs, 5/9/2012

My final Chipper Jones in person game. Wah.

Reed Johnson had his little son at the game. Here's the funny thing--Reed was later traded to the Braves. They just resigned him for the 2013 season.

Adrian Cardenas warming up. Angela was upset until she found out he was starting in left for Alfonso, not at second. Darwin would be playing.

Tony Campana, our center fielder. I did not miss Marlon.

I love how much he loves the game.

Ian Stewart. At this point he had begun following me on twitter, and I felt pretty good about myself. Then he unfollowed me and it was awful. I felt worthless. I am back to my normal amount of self-loathing now.

Darwin!

Joe Mather

Okay, so I guess Steve Clevenger hasn't been rehabbed in AAA yet because here he is.

 Before the game, Chipper Jones was honored on the field and presented with a Braves flag. That says a lot about a player, that he is honored by an opposing team.

 

Paul Maholm, who would also later be traded to the Braves, was excellent. He shutout the Braves and only allowed three hits in seven innings in his fourth straight win.

Darwin and his gum-chomping were back in Angela's good graces.

Chipper always steps on third at the end of warmups each inning.

David DeJesus

Chipper

 Ian

 Chip 

Bryan LaHair singled. I think he was on his long reaching base streak--27 games, I want to say.

 Ian.

 Close play at home! Starlin tried to make a triple a in-the-park homer but he was thrown out. It was exciting, though. Still 0-0.

 I forget that Chipper is a switch hitter, one of the last left in the game.

James Russell chatting with the legend

 Barney singled in this pitcher's duel, but Maholm hit into a double play to end the sixth, still scoreless, inning.

 Michael Bush sang the stretch.

 I took a lot of pictures of Chipper.

 In the bottom of the 7th, LaHair singled in DeJesus for the first run of the game, and the Cubs led 1-0.

 James came in in the 8th to relieve Maholm, and the outfielders talked about dinner plans.

 At some point, Reed Johnson came in.

Chipper Jones

 Rafael Dolis came in and ended it all in the ninth, Cubs winning 1-0.

 After the game, we caught up with owner Tom Ricketts.

 This woman in the Barney getup is wonderful. She is, clearly, a huge fan of Darwin. Later she talked to us about her autism, and how she gets severe depression and meltdowns. When that happens, she watches Darwin Barney tapes to cheer up.

Then we met Alfonso Soriano

 Obviously, we talked to Steve Clevenger, as usual.

 Then we chatted it up with Rafael Dolis.

All my photos of Chipper Jones' final game at Wrigley may be seen at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150882034568786.414747.511233785&type=3