Posts Tagged ‘baseball’

Question on the floor: Is it a coincidence that the Giants win their first world series in 56 years AFTER Barry Bonds leaves the team or not?

Was it Karma, pitching or both?

Update: It’s election day so lets add a poll

defeating the Reds 4-0 in only the 2nd no-hitter in post season history.

Boy the 21st century has sure been good for the Phillies but remember it’s still only one win and Cincinnati hasn’t come here to roll over.

…from the game.

It was 2002. It was the All Star Game and it was an exciting matchup, until the powers that be decided that it wasn’t worth finishing the game. They didn’t want to risk the pitchers/players when the pitchers ran out.

I could forgive greed and other idiocy, I could not forgive not being willing to play to win. I vowed I would not watch, or follow baseball period. I loved the game, still was playing in my tabletop game but would not watch.

I kept that promise all through the end of 2002 and even as though the Red Sox made the playoffs in 1993 I didn’t watch a single game that season. When the series began against the A’s I still didn’t watch. When they lost the first two I didn’t give a damn, until some guy at work kept saying it’s all over it’s all over. The Red Sox are finished etc.. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore:

“Look”, I said, “there is a reason why the series is best out of 5. Until the A’s actually win that third game they haven’t won anything.”

When they won game three and the fellow at work kept saying didn’t matter, I became more insistent saying that not only would the Sox win game 4 but game 5 too. I watched game 4 and I was hooked, just in time for the series with the Yankees.

Even worse I was working a late shift during game 7 and the TV died just before the bottom fell out on Pedro. It came back just in time for Boone to hit the ball out of the park.

That was painful, much more painful than being down 0-3 the next year, that was annoying but it wasn’t the same.

It was the last real Red Sox pain I ever felt… after 2004 it is impossible for me to be hurt by the Sox again.

I will have 2004 and 2007 till the day I die and nobody can take it away from me or anyone else in Boston!

Saw a tweet today from Reesdansie that said: America Held hostage day 588. I think that is unfair.

Held hostage implies that it was against our will, we did this to ourselves.

However with Manny on the brain it led me to this SI article from a few years ago of really bad free agent signings:

1. Hampton, $121 million, Rockies (and Braves). The deals for him and Denny Neagle ($55 million, five years) set the Rockies back five years. On the other hand, the complicated trade to send him away and get the Rockies on the path to the World Series was a stroke of genius. The Braves, who got him from the Marlins in November 2002, two days after Colorado dumped him, are known for wise pitching decisions, but this has to be their worst.

2. Carl Pavano, $40 million, four (long) years, Yankees. Never really looked interested. Changed agents more times than he actually pitched.

3. Albert Belle, $65 million, five years, Orioles. Brought surly mood, diminished power and bad hip to Peter Angelos’ brand of bad baseball

His list has 13 names on it with contracts worth a combined $925 million.

That is really the way we have to look at it. Barack Obama is a free agent who came with a lot of hype and the country got carried away with it, we thought we were getting the next Jackie Robinson, instead we got Pumpsie Green.

Bottom line Barack Obama is the most expensive free agent signing in history and he still has two years left on his contract!