Hurd By The Bay

One subject only today. Dallas Braden’s perfecto. The buzz is still loud more than 24 hours after it happened. Carl Steward and Susan Slusser did a wonderful job capturing the moment in a way only news writers know how to do, and terrific columns from all over the country.

It inspired a wonderful question on a sports-talk show, whose host is perhaps the best in the business (more on that in days to come). Here it is: When was your last perfect day?!! For my money, it was the same day as Mr. Braden’s. Got to spend an entire afternoon cooking with a person who cares about me more than any other. (Cooking, by the way, is a pastime that eludes most of us who are married or devoted to the game.) For years, the only place my mother and I didn’t struggle with our

relationship was in front of a baseball game, and we saw some mighty special things (Nolan Ryan's sixth no-hitter; Rickey Henderson's record-breaker.) To do so all these years later without even a radio in the background was a wonderful experience. Then to turn on the TV to see the final two outs — well, it seemed there was something (divinely inspired.)

Another question, this one by me: What would be the coolest thing, besides a perfect game or no-hitter, in baseball to see in person? My top three:

1. Four home runs in a game (Can’t imagine)
2. Cycle (covered Eric Byrnes’)
3. An extra-inning affair in Game 7 of the World Series (I should be so lucky).

Not crazy about this nonsense about “the 209.” Good for Braden for having pride in his roots. But shouldn’t we all make a better attempt to understand each other in a way that goes beyond identifying ourselves by area codes? Or, to put it another way, nobody on the A’s infield or in the stands or in the Rays dugout was concerned with Braden’s nationality, background or area code when he threw his final pitch. I was always told baseball mirrors life and that life mirrors baseball.