Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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Sadly, Josh and the Cardboard Gods are on the 15-day Uninspired List when it comes to game threads, so he ceded the duties to me.
I could start writing like Jack Kerouac, but that presupposes that I have read Jack Kerouac. Or I could channel Bon Scott. But I don't like heavy metal.
So, you're left with me. Remember that the Griddle is nominally nonpartisan.
And I just relate stories like this: As I left Dodger Stadium Monday (not as depressed as the teeming thousands because that's just me), a woman was talking to her companion (presumably husband) and said "There can't be a Tampa Bay-Philadelphia World Series! It will get bad ratings! It has to be the Dodgers versus the Red Sox!"
AUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! No. The World Series is played between the AL and NL pennant winners. Just roll with it. It's not about TV ratings. Unless you happen to work for Fox.
But most of us don't. So just watch the World Series. You might enjoy it.
Back to the business at hand.
The Rays took a 2-1 lead in the series Monday after the seemingly invincible Jon Lester got vinced by a couple of big home runs by B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria. If I had a dollar for every time a supposedly invincible pitcher lost a game in the postseason, I'd have about $40 now built up over my lifetime. I could buy two transcripts of "Nightline" and have about $10 left over depending upon what kind of shipping I wanted to use! Woo hoo! I'm rich!
Andy Sonnanstine tosses his four-N SURname against Tim Wakefield and his knuckleball of death.
Just who dies is for all of us to find out.
Rays lineup:
1. Akinori Iwamura, 2B
2. B.J. Upton, CF
3. Carlos Pena, 1B
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Carl Crawford, LF
6. Willy Aybar, DH
7. Dioner Navarro, C
8. Fernando Perez, RF
9. Jason Bartlett, SS
SP: Andy Sonnanstine
Red Sox lineup:
1. J.D. Drew, RF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Mark Kotsay, 1B
7. Coco Crisp, CF
8. Kevin Cash, C
9. Jed Lowrie, SS
SP: Tim Wakefield
I'll be watching most if not all of this one in a neighborhood watering hole so as to be near numbing agents if necessary. But I did want to point out that AC/DC, especially when Bon Scott was leading the way, was not heavy metal but instead was straight-ahead and pure rock and roll in the tradition of Chuck Berry, Sun Records, T. Rex, etc., but with a sort of neanderthalic volume and simplicity that helped this commenter tremendously with its violent clarity when the confusing hurricane of puberty touched down lo these many years ago.
There is plenty of auspicing to go around.
1) people not liking a break
2) people not wanting games played simultaneously
3) people not wanting games played during the day
Desperate times I guess.
Isn't Brad Auspice the catcher for the Astros?
:-)
Aybar has played some second and third this year. I suppose Aybar put on some weight during his drug rehab.
That's not the choir I wish to preach to.
- K. Youkilis flied out to deep center
- J. Bay safe at first on third baseman E. Longoria's throwing error, J. Bay to second
- M. Kotsay singled to center, J. Bay to third
- C. Crisp grounded into double play second to shortstop to first, M. Kotsay out at second
0 runs, 1 hits, 2 errors
The McCourts want to be the Red Sox, not the Rays though.
Francona brings in Javier Lopez to replace Manny Delcarmen
Wilker brings in Bacardi 151 to replace Jim Beam
The others were Billy Hatcher in Game 2 of the 1990 World Series, Dane Iorg (???!!) in Game 6 of the 1982 World Series, and Pete Rose in Game 1 of the 1976 NLCS.
First of all, it's 7 and two thirds, not 7 and one third, and second of all, you can't close the book on him until we know if Youkilis scores.
"Close the book" is not synonymous with "leave the game."
Thanks,
HK
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