Up Up Down Down Left Right Left R--ah, screw it
I woke up this morning to my father telling me not to bother to read the paper.
"Any reason why?" I asked him. The Globe didn't have the Sox score--I figured the game just went too late.
"They blew it," he said. Then he gave me a cup of coffee.
Mornings are when my blinders are still on, so I didn't start processing what he had said until he had a few sips of coffee and sat down. I thought for a little bit, and, after going over the particulars of the game, remembering how Seattle just had a fire sale and brought up Larry, Moe, and Bocachica to hold down the fort, I came up with this:
"Whuhbuh?"
Roughly translated:
"They were crusing when I went to bed! Sure, they missed an opportunity in the first with the bases loaded and one out and a crappy pitcher throwing wild, but this was a game they could win! They were playing the Mariners! What the hell happened?"
"Foulke blew it in the ninth, and they lost in extra innings."
That hit me pretty hard, and I'll tell you why. I expect Kevin Millar or Derek Lowe or Some Guy From AAA to blow a game with shoddy play. It's almost expected, and heck, if they don't, it's like a pleasant surprise. But Keith Foulke, as early as a month and a half ago, had a 0.31 ERA, and was the best assassin on a bullpen that had, for a while, given up no runs in 33 innings. You're telling me he gives up two home runs with one out in the ninth?
"Bull!"
My dad shrugged. "They suck, Joe."
By this point, I think, I had stopped blaming the loss entirely on Keith Foulke. They refused (and yes, I think that's an appropriate word choice here) to take advantage of horrendous pitching, letting Villone off the hook in the first inning after he hit and walked the bases loaded. Nomar's "swing-at-the-first-pitch" approach doesn't work so well when the guy you're facing hasn't thrown a strike all day. At very least, try to get a fly ball in the outfield!
I hate when we lose to bad teams. It's like letting the baddies take away all your health before you face the boss in any video game you'd care to name. You might as well hit the reset button.
"Any reason why?" I asked him. The Globe didn't have the Sox score--I figured the game just went too late.
"They blew it," he said. Then he gave me a cup of coffee.
Mornings are when my blinders are still on, so I didn't start processing what he had said until he had a few sips of coffee and sat down. I thought for a little bit, and, after going over the particulars of the game, remembering how Seattle just had a fire sale and brought up Larry, Moe, and Bocachica to hold down the fort, I came up with this:
"Whuhbuh?"
Roughly translated:
"They were crusing when I went to bed! Sure, they missed an opportunity in the first with the bases loaded and one out and a crappy pitcher throwing wild, but this was a game they could win! They were playing the Mariners! What the hell happened?"
"Foulke blew it in the ninth, and they lost in extra innings."
That hit me pretty hard, and I'll tell you why. I expect Kevin Millar or Derek Lowe or Some Guy From AAA to blow a game with shoddy play. It's almost expected, and heck, if they don't, it's like a pleasant surprise. But Keith Foulke, as early as a month and a half ago, had a 0.31 ERA, and was the best assassin on a bullpen that had, for a while, given up no runs in 33 innings. You're telling me he gives up two home runs with one out in the ninth?
"Bull!"
My dad shrugged. "They suck, Joe."
By this point, I think, I had stopped blaming the loss entirely on Keith Foulke. They refused (and yes, I think that's an appropriate word choice here) to take advantage of horrendous pitching, letting Villone off the hook in the first inning after he hit and walked the bases loaded. Nomar's "swing-at-the-first-pitch" approach doesn't work so well when the guy you're facing hasn't thrown a strike all day. At very least, try to get a fly ball in the outfield!
I hate when we lose to bad teams. It's like letting the baddies take away all your health before you face the boss in any video game you'd care to name. You might as well hit the reset button.
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