Baseball Thread VI

dontrelle willis just hit a grand slam. jesus. the marlins are fun to watch, their recent slump notwithstanding.

 

Didn't want to start a new thread 'cuz this is about baseball ...

So today during Game 2 of a Senior Babe Ruth doubleheader, a warm late afternoon cooling down, peaceful as a post-coital snuggle, just one of those prime, quality moments — life on the baseball field — the pitcher guns a fastball straight down the goddam chute. You could have built a pipe from his belt straight into the catcher's glove down the heart of the plate and that's where the ball went. Great pitch. Maybe the pitch of the entire doubleheader.

The catcher holds the ball. Frames it like a Picasso. Just waits for the ump to call Strike 3 and ring the guy up. I've never seen a catcher frame the ball this long. 2 seconds. 3 seconds. 4 seconds. 5 seconds! Everyone in the park — both dugouts and all 18 people watching — awaited the expected call.

But the ump just froze. Didn't move. Didn't flinch. Didn't say a goddam word. It was the freakiest fucking thing ever.

The pitcher rung the guy up on the next pitch. Between hitters the ump took off his facemask. His cheeks were beet-red. The catcher came back to the dugout saying how the ump said he wanted to call the strike but just couldn't say anything. He's a strange fellow to begin with, and this example only enchanced that image. As the field ump in the first game, he called a very strange balk.

But such is life. It was still a beautiful late afternoon for baseball.

And now Sox v. Sox are on NESN.

 

The granny came off none other than Jose Lima, who threw a three-inning, seven-run gem. Why is this man still drawing a paycheck to play baseball of any kind? Willie Randolph should have gone out to the mound with a one-way plane ticket after Lima gave it up.

 

Yeah but at least he's now the unquestioned worst pitcher in baseball now that Scott Erickson is mercifully unemployed.

 

Meanwhile, Darren Oliver comes on in relief, throws five scoreless innings and lowers his ERA to 2.15, but can he get a spot start? Noooo. Let's call up Jose fuckin' Lima again. I don't get it. Is it because his wife has a nice rack?

 

Have I mentioned in the last week how shitty it is to be a Phillies phan?

 

Philly's defense was just terrible tonight (at least three botched DP's, not to mention several other follies, including a perfect strike from Abreu that somehow squirted past the catcher).

 

Abreu deserves better. Methinks Philly should trade him to Detroit for Kyle Sleeth (who was a No. 1 draft pick two years ago).

;D ;D

 

The amazing thing is that there's a LOT of phans that agree with you. He takes so much shit from the WIP crowd that it's ridiculous. As much as I love watching him play, I'm ready to see him go somewhere else and win. Of course, the Phils' record of return on deadline deals (Schilling, Rolen) is pathetic, too. Maybe Gillick will be better.

 

This pitcher McCarthy for the White Sox is eerily like Orel Hershiser in a good way.

I grew up watching Orel. McCarthy is the same number and has the same mannerisms and delivery.

 

And he just gave up two bombs in the 9th to put the game out of reach

 

Yeah, just saw those. But hey, Hershiser was break-even for the first 2-3 years in the league before he went nuts in 1988.