Thursday, October 07, 2004
80 Degrees in St. Louis
I'll be blogging throughout the night; so keep checking back.
The night is still young, but it already feels long.
I'd like to think I'll make it to the end of this Cardinals-Dodgers game, but I'd only be kidding myself.
Last night's late run really has me dragging tonight... But it's a good dragging. It's an October baseball dragging.
Dodgers are up 1-0 in the first on a home run by Jayson Werth. This is what he did this year:
290 ABs, .262, 16 HR, 47 RBI
In his third season of major league action this was by far the most action Werth has seen. In the previous two years with Toronto, he had 46 and 48 ABs respectively -- veritable cups of coffee.
Cards have two on and two outs with Edmonds up and two strikes...
Weaver got out of it, K'd (or is it K'ed?) Edmonds. 1-0 L.A. after one.
After a bad three out of four games to start the playoffs, baseball is on a nice run. Twins-Yanks last night was a semi-classic. Boston-Anaheim was intense, and was a better game than the final score indicated. And the Braves were able to rally late and win in extras to keep their season alive.
Update
Bradley, an Albert Belle for a new decade, led off with a walk.
Who was/is the easiest player to root against?
I know a lot of people root against Bonds, but he doesn't necessarily offend my senses. I can't remember anything in particular that he did that really upset me or made me think he was a terrible person. He seems pretty disingenuous in the times he's tried to be a nice guy in front of the press. He sounds like kind of a distant guy in the clubhouse. But I don't remember any cases of domestic violence, drug busts or anything of that nature that surfaced in the press.
Some players can do really stupid things like spit on a little girl and throw some guy throw a plate-glass window, and they'll still maintain their popularity. See: Charles Barkley.
Some guys are such bad cases, you cease rooting against them and start feeling sorry for them. Case in point: Steve Howe.
Although I never rooted against him, I didn't mind watching Roberto Alomar fail after seeing him spit in John Hirschbeck's face ten years ago. That was one of the more vile things I've seen on a baseball field...
Other guys that I don't mind seeing perform poorly:
Kobe Bryant -- And it has nothing to do with having sex with cheerleaders. Phony, phony, phony.
(Cards have runners at the corners with no outs in the 2nd)
Ray Lewis -- I really don't like this guy. A couple things. Although many players exaggerate their entrance onto the football field, watching this guy is like watching a flamboyant wrestler entering the arena. I always like to view professional sports as something more than Entertainment with a capital $. When I see Ray Lewis enter a football field, it all feels like hyped-up entertainment, and I resent him for that.
By the way, did anyone notice how much Ray Lewis was whining about being double-teamed on Monday night? Then John Madden proceded to point out that he really wasn't getting double-teamed that much. I won't miss this guy one iota when his career is finished.
(From MLB.com: With Jason Marquis batting, throwing error by Jeff Weaver on the pickoff attempt, Edgar Renteria scores. Reggie Sanders to 2nd. 1-1)
J.D. Drew -- A friend of mine harbors much ill-will for guys who don't sign with the teams that draft them: John Elway, Eli Manning and J.D. Drew. I always liked Elway, and I don't have much of a problem with Peyton's little brother. But I never liked Drew. I just don't like his on-field demeanor, and he was just plumb over-rated coming out of college.
Here's a player I liked that a lot of people did not:
Rickey Henderson -- Now that it finally looks like his career is over, although I guess we won't know for sure until he's in a convalesent home, I can honestly say I miss watching this guy play. He was a great player to have in baseball during the time that I was getting introduced to the game as a kid. Was a dynamic and electric player who could dominate a game. People didn't like his attitude and the fact that he was ego-centric. But I never thought he was a bad guy; he was just a bit spacey.
Cards just got two two-out extra base hits off Weaver, and are now up 3-1... A Womack triple scored Sanders and a Walker double knocked in Womack.
3-2 on Puols. Walker on 3rd now thanks to a wild pitch.
Ground out. 3-1 after two.
Update
I'm on one couch and my wife is on the other. She's watching The Apprentice. I'm following the game in the corner of this computer screen.
After two nights of being engrossed in a baseball game on TV, I decided this wasn't a night to go off to The Cave. It's all about picking your spots when following sports... You know what I'm sayin'?
Weaver's leading off the 3rd. One out.
I'm 50/50 whether I think the Angels are going to push Boston past tomorrow... It's funny. Before that series started I was thinking how it was probably the best LDS candidate this year to go five games. Then you see Schilling go out and win, and Pedro go out and win, and you're like, "Of course. How could the Red Sox not go up 2-0 with those two guys pitching?"
Dodgers have two on with two out (walks to Werth and Finley) and Beltre's up. Neither of these pitchers are lighting the world on file, but they're still breathing.
Pop out to Pujols. End of inning.
It's blogs like this that remind me of this blog's small space on this planet... and its insignificance. Right now, this moment, it's a pasttime to help keep my eyes open. And a place to write about a baseball game.
Two quick outs for Weaver in the 3rd. Weaver: 59 pitches, 36 strikes.
1-2-3 inning against Rolen/Edmonds/Renteria.
Green just led off the 4th with a HR to right. 3-2 Cards now.
Bradley followed with a HR of his own. 3-3.
Here's a write-up from MLB.com's Mark Sheldon:
Although I wasn't bummed out like this guy about the fate of Joe Mauer this season, as a baseball fan I was pretty disappointed that The Next Great Catcher had such a nightmarish rookie season, and might be a catcher no more.
After a walk to David Ross, LaRussa gave Marquis the hook and has brought in Cal Eldred.
Marquis' line for the night:
3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER (responsible for man on first), 4 BB, 0 K, 3 HR
He threw 89 pitches, which is a ton for 3+ innings of work.
Iszturis is up with two outs.
I see that billboard for "Casino Queen" beyond the outfield in Busch Stadium, and all I can think about is the opening riff to this song.
(I'm watching the TV feed now, btw...)
Two on, two out for Werth. 3-0 count now and the Cardinals faithful are getting a bit antsy.
Bases loaded for Finley; Werth walked.
Eldred walked 17 this year in 67 innings of work. Tonight he's already walked two.
Ball 1 to Finley.
Ball 2.
I'm starting to feel like Harry Doyle.
Ball 3 and not even close. What the hell is up with Cal Eldred?
Complimentary 3-0 strike.
My $$$ is on Ball 4...
Strike two. Swing and a miss.
Got out of it. Fly ball to center. Big pitch to get out of it.
I'll be blogging throughout the night; so keep checking back.
The night is still young, but it already feels long.
I'd like to think I'll make it to the end of this Cardinals-Dodgers game, but I'd only be kidding myself.
Last night's late run really has me dragging tonight... But it's a good dragging. It's an October baseball dragging.
Dodgers are up 1-0 in the first on a home run by Jayson Werth. This is what he did this year:
290 ABs, .262, 16 HR, 47 RBI
In his third season of major league action this was by far the most action Werth has seen. In the previous two years with Toronto, he had 46 and 48 ABs respectively -- veritable cups of coffee.
Cards have two on and two outs with Edmonds up and two strikes...
Weaver got out of it, K'd (or is it K'ed?) Edmonds. 1-0 L.A. after one.
After a bad three out of four games to start the playoffs, baseball is on a nice run. Twins-Yanks last night was a semi-classic. Boston-Anaheim was intense, and was a better game than the final score indicated. And the Braves were able to rally late and win in extras to keep their season alive.
Update
Bradley, an Albert Belle for a new decade, led off with a walk.
Who was/is the easiest player to root against?
I know a lot of people root against Bonds, but he doesn't necessarily offend my senses. I can't remember anything in particular that he did that really upset me or made me think he was a terrible person. He seems pretty disingenuous in the times he's tried to be a nice guy in front of the press. He sounds like kind of a distant guy in the clubhouse. But I don't remember any cases of domestic violence, drug busts or anything of that nature that surfaced in the press.
Some players can do really stupid things like spit on a little girl and throw some guy throw a plate-glass window, and they'll still maintain their popularity. See: Charles Barkley.
Some guys are such bad cases, you cease rooting against them and start feeling sorry for them. Case in point: Steve Howe.
Although I never rooted against him, I didn't mind watching Roberto Alomar fail after seeing him spit in John Hirschbeck's face ten years ago. That was one of the more vile things I've seen on a baseball field...
Other guys that I don't mind seeing perform poorly:
Kobe Bryant -- And it has nothing to do with having sex with cheerleaders. Phony, phony, phony.
(Cards have runners at the corners with no outs in the 2nd)
Ray Lewis -- I really don't like this guy. A couple things. Although many players exaggerate their entrance onto the football field, watching this guy is like watching a flamboyant wrestler entering the arena. I always like to view professional sports as something more than Entertainment with a capital $. When I see Ray Lewis enter a football field, it all feels like hyped-up entertainment, and I resent him for that.
By the way, did anyone notice how much Ray Lewis was whining about being double-teamed on Monday night? Then John Madden proceded to point out that he really wasn't getting double-teamed that much. I won't miss this guy one iota when his career is finished.
(From MLB.com: With Jason Marquis batting, throwing error by Jeff Weaver on the pickoff attempt, Edgar Renteria scores. Reggie Sanders to 2nd. 1-1)
J.D. Drew -- A friend of mine harbors much ill-will for guys who don't sign with the teams that draft them: John Elway, Eli Manning and J.D. Drew. I always liked Elway, and I don't have much of a problem with Peyton's little brother. But I never liked Drew. I just don't like his on-field demeanor, and he was just plumb over-rated coming out of college.
Here's a player I liked that a lot of people did not:
Rickey Henderson -- Now that it finally looks like his career is over, although I guess we won't know for sure until he's in a convalesent home, I can honestly say I miss watching this guy play. He was a great player to have in baseball during the time that I was getting introduced to the game as a kid. Was a dynamic and electric player who could dominate a game. People didn't like his attitude and the fact that he was ego-centric. But I never thought he was a bad guy; he was just a bit spacey.
Cards just got two two-out extra base hits off Weaver, and are now up 3-1... A Womack triple scored Sanders and a Walker double knocked in Womack.
3-2 on Puols. Walker on 3rd now thanks to a wild pitch.
Ground out. 3-1 after two.
Update
I'm on one couch and my wife is on the other. She's watching The Apprentice. I'm following the game in the corner of this computer screen.
After two nights of being engrossed in a baseball game on TV, I decided this wasn't a night to go off to The Cave. It's all about picking your spots when following sports... You know what I'm sayin'?
Weaver's leading off the 3rd. One out.
I'm 50/50 whether I think the Angels are going to push Boston past tomorrow... It's funny. Before that series started I was thinking how it was probably the best LDS candidate this year to go five games. Then you see Schilling go out and win, and Pedro go out and win, and you're like, "Of course. How could the Red Sox not go up 2-0 with those two guys pitching?"
Dodgers have two on with two out (walks to Werth and Finley) and Beltre's up. Neither of these pitchers are lighting the world on file, but they're still breathing.
Pop out to Pujols. End of inning.
It's blogs like this that remind me of this blog's small space on this planet... and its insignificance. Right now, this moment, it's a pasttime to help keep my eyes open. And a place to write about a baseball game.
Two quick outs for Weaver in the 3rd. Weaver: 59 pitches, 36 strikes.
1-2-3 inning against Rolen/Edmonds/Renteria.
Green just led off the 4th with a HR to right. 3-2 Cards now.
Bradley followed with a HR of his own. 3-3.
Here's a write-up from MLB.com's Mark Sheldon:
MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins catcher Joe Mauer departed for Florida on Thursday with
hopes that he can still help his team during the postseason.
Mauer visited
with the team's doctor and was fitted with a new brace for his surgically
repaired left knee. He was also given clearance to play in an Instructional
League game on Friday at the organization's complex in Fort Myers.
Although
no games were planned in Florida over the weekend, the team will still have the
21-year-old sharpen his timing at the plate.
"We're going to set up live
game situations for him where he can get at-bats," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
said.
For Mauer to be added to the active postseason roster, Minnesota must
advance past the Yankees to the American League Championship Series.
"If he
does what we probably think he's going to do, rip the stuff out of the ball like
he always does when he's hitting," Gardenhire said, "we'll see what happens if
we get through this round and get to the second round."
Mauer
would likely replace injured second baseman Luis Rivas, who is sore from bone
chips in his right elbow.
Out of action because of recurring knee soreness
since July 15, Mauer has stepped up running and sliding drills while preparing
for a possible return. If activated, he would not catch in games and instead be
limited to pinch-hitting or designated hitter duties.
Mauer's rookie season
has been limited to 35 games because of torn knee cartilage suffered April 6. He
returned for six weeks before going back on the disabled list after the All-Star
break.
Still, coaches were amazed how well the former 2001 No. 1 draft pick
continued to swing the bat during batting practice sessions. The team thinks its
bench would be stronger with Mauer on it.
"He's not a bad guy to have
around," Gardenhire said.
Mauer batted .308 with six homers and 17 RBIs in
the regular season.
Although I wasn't bummed out like this guy about the fate of Joe Mauer this season, as a baseball fan I was pretty disappointed that The Next Great Catcher had such a nightmarish rookie season, and might be a catcher no more.
After a walk to David Ross, LaRussa gave Marquis the hook and has brought in Cal Eldred.
Marquis' line for the night:
3.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER (responsible for man on first), 4 BB, 0 K, 3 HR
He threw 89 pitches, which is a ton for 3+ innings of work.
Iszturis is up with two outs.
I see that billboard for "Casino Queen" beyond the outfield in Busch Stadium, and all I can think about is the opening riff to this song.
(I'm watching the TV feed now, btw...)
Two on, two out for Werth. 3-0 count now and the Cardinals faithful are getting a bit antsy.
Bases loaded for Finley; Werth walked.
Eldred walked 17 this year in 67 innings of work. Tonight he's already walked two.
Ball 1 to Finley.
Ball 2.
I'm starting to feel like Harry Doyle.
Ball 3 and not even close. What the hell is up with Cal Eldred?
Complimentary 3-0 strike.
My $$$ is on Ball 4...
Strike two. Swing and a miss.
Got out of it. Fly ball to center. Big pitch to get out of it.
Initial October Offering
I started this blog back in January or February of 2003. This is the first post I've written in the month of October.
Tonight I couldn't resist.
It's approaching midnight on the East Coast. And while one Northeast team just completed its playoff game, another is in the middle of a game in southern California.
Tonight's Game 2 between the Yanks-Twins, the first jewel in a post-season comprised of duds to this point, was reminiscent of another Game 2 in an LDS series. Nine years ago, actually.
Baseball is unforgiving in how long it can keep your stomach in knots. Minutes and innings, and then more minutes and innings. Your stomach stays in knots, the hair gets a little thinner, the night becomes a little longer. And I wouldn't trade that feeling for gold.
My friend called me in the top of the 12th, about 35 seconds after Torii Hunter drilled a high fastball to give the Twins a one-run lead.
The conversation consisted of fragments of thoughts and analysis that probably betrayed just how frazzled we were. My present thought: just get either one of the first two guys on base. (They did.)
His general thought: they're done. (They're not.)
The Angels have the lead-off man on in a tie game in the 5th.
I guess it's a moot point to discuss whether or not the Yankees would have been done if they lost tonight. Probably. But I wasn't ready to concede the series, even if they had been down 2-0. I was in 2001; I thought that series was dead, dead, deadskie. I didn't even think it would come back to New York from Oakland. But not to the Twins. Not this year.
Oh man. Anaheim just popped up a sac bunt with 1st and 2nd and 0 outs...
Erstad up.
HBP. Bases loaded.
Youknowwho is up.
And he delivers again. Two-run double up the gap in right-center. 3-1 Anaheim.
Yesterday's game was such a dud. It's nice to see this game living up to the series' advanced billing.
I probably won't make until the end... It's now past midnight, and the eyes are getting heavy. I've been doing very little besides watching baseball for five hours...
Anderson just ripped a ball down the first base line -- right to Millar, which he caught and then nonchlantly stepped on the bag for the unassisted DP. End of inning.
Joe Benigno is starting his overnight show on WFAN in New York... The sign that it's approaching the wee small hours.
Did I mention that this is my favorite month?
I started this blog back in January or February of 2003. This is the first post I've written in the month of October.
Tonight I couldn't resist.
It's approaching midnight on the East Coast. And while one Northeast team just completed its playoff game, another is in the middle of a game in southern California.
Tonight's Game 2 between the Yanks-Twins, the first jewel in a post-season comprised of duds to this point, was reminiscent of another Game 2 in an LDS series. Nine years ago, actually.
Baseball is unforgiving in how long it can keep your stomach in knots. Minutes and innings, and then more minutes and innings. Your stomach stays in knots, the hair gets a little thinner, the night becomes a little longer. And I wouldn't trade that feeling for gold.
My friend called me in the top of the 12th, about 35 seconds after Torii Hunter drilled a high fastball to give the Twins a one-run lead.
The conversation consisted of fragments of thoughts and analysis that probably betrayed just how frazzled we were. My present thought: just get either one of the first two guys on base. (They did.)
His general thought: they're done. (They're not.)
The Angels have the lead-off man on in a tie game in the 5th.
I guess it's a moot point to discuss whether or not the Yankees would have been done if they lost tonight. Probably. But I wasn't ready to concede the series, even if they had been down 2-0. I was in 2001; I thought that series was dead, dead, deadskie. I didn't even think it would come back to New York from Oakland. But not to the Twins. Not this year.
Oh man. Anaheim just popped up a sac bunt with 1st and 2nd and 0 outs...
Erstad up.
HBP. Bases loaded.
Youknowwho is up.
And he delivers again. Two-run double up the gap in right-center. 3-1 Anaheim.
Yesterday's game was such a dud. It's nice to see this game living up to the series' advanced billing.
I probably won't make until the end... It's now past midnight, and the eyes are getting heavy. I've been doing very little besides watching baseball for five hours...
Anderson just ripped a ball down the first base line -- right to Millar, which he caught and then nonchlantly stepped on the bag for the unassisted DP. End of inning.
Joe Benigno is starting his overnight show on WFAN in New York... The sign that it's approaching the wee small hours.
Did I mention that this is my favorite month?
