LYNX: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Play of the game in tonight's 4-3 Lynx walk-off win over the ScranYanks (boxscore, play-by-play) was catcher Jason Jaramillo throwing out Ryan Christian at third base on a bunt play in the fourth inning.

It was a great play to watch unfold from the seats behind the third-base dugout and it set up a restorative nine innings for the Lynx and most of the 2,390 in attendance. (Thanks again, Carl Kiiffner at Ottawa Lynx Blog, for getting me out.) Everyone got to see a tight, entertaining ballgame on a comfortable summer night, the crowd was into it and the local nine got out with a walk-off win on Brennan King's bases-loaded sac fly in the bottom of the ninth inning. In terms of the overall minor-league baseball experience, it rated very well.

Anyways, about J.J.'s play. Christian had just doubled for the first hit given up by right-hander Charlie Weatherby III (who was nine up, nine down prior to that) when Scranton's Jeff Francia dropped down a great bunt, right in no man's land up the third-base line. Jaramillo might have had him at first, but had the presence of mind to fire a strike to third instead and pick off Christian, who'd strayed too far after rounding the bag.

Saving that run loomed large later on for the Lynx and no doubt the Pat Gillick (sitting behind home plate) took notice of Jaramillo's heads-up play. Weatherby (two earned runs over six) also pitched with confidence, although he ended up with a no-decision. The Lynx kept at it, tied the game twice -- Chris Roberson bunted safely with two out in the seventh and took second on a bad throw to set up Joe Thurston's game-tying single. In the ninth, Carlos Leon led off with a full-count walk off lefty reliever Ben Kozlowski (2-6), and as so often happens, that was unforgivable in this game, as Roberson got another hit and Thurston walked to set up the winning sac fly.

Leon also tripled in the first Ottawa run and had a nice night at shortstop. Righty reliever John Ennis (4-2) pitched a scoreless ninth to receive credit for the W.

Getting out to the park tonight, sitting down close with the whole diamond before you, all that green grass, a real sense of intimacy with the ballplayers, was just the tonic on an otherwise nondescript Tuesday (although yes, if I was really a Sports Journalist I would have tried to score some quotes from Gillick). It confirms, yet again, which group of sports fans in Ottawa have the best deal going, baseball for its own sake with a top ticket price of $11.