SIX IN A ROW
It seems like forever ago that I was in Houston drunk-dialing Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco with the proclamation: "Cubs win! Cubs win!"
Today, I was feeling moody and lethargic. Too moody to even watch an afternoon game at Wrigley. Though I'd have liked to, I couldn't blame this moodiness on the losing streak and had even been spared last night's ninth inning upset by the following note from Andrew:
Sometime around 4:30, I shuffled over to the computer and checked the Cubs score: 0 - 1, Phillies, bottom of the eighth. The stats showed two outs, a man on third, but Derrek Lee at the plate. I was too cranky to expect greatness, but, what the hell, it was Derrek Lee, national league player of the month for April, the rewarder of many impossible hopes recently. I logged in.
The Phillies were in the midst of a pitching change, so I get to see the entire at-bat. The first three pitches were balls. The fourth, a called strike. Derrek Lee hammered the next pitch into the stands. Suddenly, the Cubs led 2 -1.
Holy cow! Lee is amazing! Greatness when I wouldn't believe. I start to feel like a new man. This is it, the spark that will make the difference. Certainly even LaTroy Hawkins will be moved and inspired by this clutch hitting. Certainly he will show up with a little greatness himself.
He loads the bases...
...and then shows amazing versatility for finding new ways to lose.
With one out and the bases loaded, the Phillies' batter rips a pitch right back at Hawkins. He catches it! Two outs. But wait, that's not enough--and as I always say, Hawkins can usually get the first two outs, it's the third you have to watch out for--he wants a double play. He starts looking all over the place. Third? No. First? Maybe. First? Okay.
He throws to first, beans the runner in the back and the ball careens into the Phillies dugout. The Phillies runners stand around for a moment, almost bewildered by this turn of events. Then the umpires wave them forward. Take two. With a single throw, LaTroy Hawkins has walked in two runs.
Remember that moodiness and lethargy that I couldn't blame directly on the Cubs? Well now it's double and I'm going to blame every ounce of it on LaTroy Hawkins.
Today, I was feeling moody and lethargic. Too moody to even watch an afternoon game at Wrigley. Though I'd have liked to, I couldn't blame this moodiness on the losing streak and had even been spared last night's ninth inning upset by the following note from Andrew:
Aramis Ramirez was magical in the top of the ninth today. Too bad that dickhead Lee (the evil, twisted Milwaukee Lee) screwed everything up in the bottom of same. Was it just me, or did Dusty Baker seem frail and a little overwhelmed by the Cubs' bad fortune when he went out to save Hollandsworth's ejected butt?
Sometime around 4:30, I shuffled over to the computer and checked the Cubs score: 0 - 1, Phillies, bottom of the eighth. The stats showed two outs, a man on third, but Derrek Lee at the plate. I was too cranky to expect greatness, but, what the hell, it was Derrek Lee, national league player of the month for April, the rewarder of many impossible hopes recently. I logged in.
The Phillies were in the midst of a pitching change, so I get to see the entire at-bat. The first three pitches were balls. The fourth, a called strike. Derrek Lee hammered the next pitch into the stands. Suddenly, the Cubs led 2 -1.
Holy cow! Lee is amazing! Greatness when I wouldn't believe. I start to feel like a new man. This is it, the spark that will make the difference. Certainly even LaTroy Hawkins will be moved and inspired by this clutch hitting. Certainly he will show up with a little greatness himself.
He loads the bases...
...and then shows amazing versatility for finding new ways to lose.
With one out and the bases loaded, the Phillies' batter rips a pitch right back at Hawkins. He catches it! Two outs. But wait, that's not enough--and as I always say, Hawkins can usually get the first two outs, it's the third you have to watch out for--he wants a double play. He starts looking all over the place. Third? No. First? Maybe. First? Okay.
He throws to first, beans the runner in the back and the ball careens into the Phillies dugout. The Phillies runners stand around for a moment, almost bewildered by this turn of events. Then the umpires wave them forward. Take two. With a single throw, LaTroy Hawkins has walked in two runs.
Remember that moodiness and lethargy that I couldn't blame directly on the Cubs? Well now it's double and I'm going to blame every ounce of it on LaTroy Hawkins.
posted by Erik at
5:12 PM
3 Comments:
Man, I watched the entire game while working on my mom's Mother's Day gift. Aside from the fact that it was monumentally boring, even with Prior at the mound, I simply couldn't believe that the Phillies -- the bloody Phillies -- had managed to hold the Cubs at bay for basically the entire game.
If this were the Yankees, heads would roll. Where's my little black book? I'm calling Dusty right now!
By
Andrew, at 7:38 PM
Hey various styles,
Small Ball now includes a link to your most excellent Cubs site. You're a good writer and chronicler...if your site didn't, by its very nature, consist of so much bad news, I'd go there daily (thanks for the RSS feed). :>
By
Andrew, at 2:03 AM
Things could be worse, we could be Rockie fans.....well.....best i could come up with in this massive state of baby bear depression!
By
Anonymous, at 11:45 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home