far be it from me…

10 comments on “far be it from me…”

1. Girardi alleges that Nova was impaired/injured and that forced bringing in a relief pitcher to start the third after Nova had retired three straight to end the second.

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   • oh well… it’s not like possible over-managing cost them anything… you were right, of course, about the inning with Cano’s infield single being the Ys’ real chance…

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2. I have to admit that I thought the Yankees had them right were they wanted them 3-2 late. Valverde came through. Weird for baseball. It’s practically a law of nature that a guy who hasn’t blown a save all year would end up blowing his first one to the lose the whole year. Weird. Sorry, Phrog.

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   • Dennis Eckersley. Although I don’t know that his record was perfect that year.

     According to Wikipedia, no one has ever come forward to with Gibson’s home run ball.

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3. a very hard loss, because it was hard to lose this game.

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4. I think we should all root for the Brewers now. I don’t know why. It just feels right. This won’t help you guys pull for them but I’ve had a softspot in my heart for Fielder ever since he lost weight giving up red-meat and everyone blamed his subsequent short-lived power outage on that. The only hurdle is that this last game with the D-backs. Hard to root against a team like that. I never liked Gibson so that part is easy. But once they beat Arizona then it will get good. Pulling for them against the Phillies is a no-brainer. Then it’s the world series and we’ve already developed a dislike for those two teams, and even if that’s not all together true for CK, it’s a win just to get CK to care.

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   • Since I don’t know anything about the Brewers, it wouldn’t be hard to root for them with my usual unshakable loyalty… But, unlike you, I like Gibson and have always pretty much liked him, and, like most Dodger fans, I was completely in love with him for a while in 1988 and intermittently ever since, so have no problem rooting for him to do well. So… I’ll root for a D-backs v Tigers WS, and, if that’s how it turns out, my heart will be torn, torn I tell you, torn.

     Well, except that after finally watching Verlander pitch, I was disappointed that there were no sonic booms or visible smoke trails when he threw his fastball. Is it my imagination, or does he somehow manage to throw the ball 100mph without looking like it? Unlike Nolan Ryan or, say, Jonathan Broxton?

     Now, I vividly remember Orel Hershiser when he was on his shutout streak… there was something almost psychedelic in the way the ball moved right where he needed it to go. After that year, I think I’ve said this to you before, Scott, there was just no way any Dodger team was likely to rise up to that level again, capturing the hearts of fans. They’d already done the imitation Yankees, sheer team talent thing during the Garvey-Lopes-Cey-Baker-Russell-Buckner-Fernando years… Lots of people date their fall to the the Pedro Martinez trade, others to letting Piazza go, but for me, the last burst of fandom was the year they threw it away against the hated Giants. It all started with a blown save by Todd Worrell, and climaxed with repeated failures to score critical runs despite loading the bases with no outs.

     Have never cared about baseball much since – and the steroid years confirmed it. But there’s a small chance that, if the Dodgers sort things out, keep Kershaw and Kemp, and surround them with functional players, I might not just pay attention, but actually get engaged. It’ll be hard though – no guarantees – especially if Vin Scully finally retires…

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5. Again, you think like a baseball fan. I think you will give into it as we age. It always puzzled me how the Dodgers let Piazza go. I suspect (and this is just totally Scott being Scott) that Piazza’s sexuality became a problem for Lasorda. Remember when Piazza died his hair? He was let go right after that.
   Obviously, if Arizona wins today I’ll pull for them to win the whole thing.

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6. Cardinals are quite a team at this point. I’ve always thought Furcal was one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen. I suspect him of taking stuff that compromised his connective tissue, but man can that guy throw. In real life, at Dodger stadium, he used to gun warm-up throws that seemed like they were shot out of a cannon. Again, I’d never seen any infielder throw like him. Not even close. So I turned on the game late, just in time to see Furcal gun one for a big out. He can hit too. Cardinals could win the whole thing.

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   • When healthy, he seemed like a strong MVP candidate and one of the best all-round players in baseball. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, he never stayed healthy for very long. He was part of my last attempt to get re-interested.

     This time around, I’m liking that they seem to have brought pitching back, or anyway that there are a lot of good pitchers around.

     But it is kind of stupid that the Phillies are out of it now.

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