Saturday, September 30, 2006
Individual baseball game take, 09.30.06
We all know the Clarion’s fetish for hometown, but out-of-town announcers. Well these guys hardly qualify for us here, as in Durham, North Carolina, where Atlanta, Georgia's Braves are by some measure our home team. We get their radio broadcasts on our local AM band. Interestingly, however, for TV and MLB.tv purposes the Baltimore Orioles are considered our home team.
Anyway, so the Clarion’s listening to some hometown Braves radio. The Braves are playing a game that matters, though not so much to them. It is the Saturday before the season ends. They are playing the Houston Astros, winners of eight of their last nine, still two games back of the collapsing St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals just two days ago had been threatening the legendary 1964 Philadelphia Phillies for the record for the biggest September lead ever blown. Now, they have righted the ship somewhat, won two in a row, having had the good fortune of getting to play the used car salesman’s Milwaukee Brewers. Poor Milwaukee, I hope you didn’t honestly get excited about this team at the beginning of the season. See what Alaska did to the father-daughter Murkowski’s, that’s what Wisconsin should do to the father-daughter Selig’s...a grateful nation thanks you in advance.
Anyway, the Braves are playing a game that matters, the Astros are playing for their season, facing elimination. Braves fans by the sound of it appear to be into the game. The Astros have eliminated the Braves in the playoffs two consecutive seasons. Revenge is a motive, plus for the first time in fourteen seasons Braves fans know, this is it. There are no playoffs in their future. They will be taking October off. What will John Smoltz do with himself?
So the Astros are pitching Andy Pettitt on short rest, and granted strange things can and do happen at this point in the season . Either from overzealousness, or from teams that are completely eliminated/clinched doing wacky things; scrubs playing, who knows, it is a little spring trainingesque, always, in the last week of the season. But the Braves-‘Stros should be the antithesis of that because the game matters. Two quickies that belie that and inspired this post:
ONE
Runners on 1st and 3rd and one out already, trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, the Braves number two hitter Marcus Giles lays down a sac bunt right back to the pitcher. ‘Scuse me? If I am the Cardinals watching that on TV in the clubhouse in St. Louis, I’m livid. What Marcus, you're giving yourself up? Yo, dude, there is already one out. Now there are two outs and a guy at second??! Swing away, Jackass. How about a bases clearing double or heavens to Betsy a freaking dinger. They don't pay you millions to make sure outs. My Dad would call it a Melvin Mora play.
TWO
Weirder than that. Leading off the top of the next inning Astros catcher, Brad Ausmus, singles. Pettitt is up in a position to lay down a situationally appropriate sac bunt. Fouls off his first bunt attempt. Takes a called strike. Then is apparently hit in the foot by the third pitch. The home plate ump orders him to first base, advancing Ausmus to second. Braves manager Bobby Cox comes out of the dugout to protest. The home plate ump, Alfonso Marquez, asks third base ump, Gerry Davis, for help, and he rules that the pitch hit the bat first and Pettitt is out for fouling off a two strike bunt.
The Braves announcers who initially thought this was going to be the right call, having heard, “two clicks” on the original play, get to see the TV replay. Skip Carrey always forthright, goes, “Oh my, that ball missed the bat completely, not even close.” Pauses, a beat and lays into an umpire like you never hear'em do in this era. Remember he’s the Braves announcer, not the Astros booth, whom the call went against and to whom it matters much more. Paraphrasing…How can that happen? How can an umpire just guess like that? There is no way he could have seen the ball hit the bat. There was no way Pettitt could have bunted it. Gerry Davis must just be going on sound…the other announcer Pete Van Wieren, adds, "Well ever since he joined Larry Young's crew (crew chief) strange things have been happening." Meanwhile Pettitt is apparently livid on the field, justifiably so and Phil Garner, the Astros manager, has to do all he can to keep him from getting ejected. The Clarion can’t recall the last time we heard that kind of pointed umpire criticism for a call that wasn’t against the broadcaster’s home team.
Ahhh, the vagaries of baseball. Every game its own individualized unique narrative.
Hours later, please note, the Clarion discovered there was even further drama in both haves of the ninth inning…
game summary
Also note, the Clarion apologies to the Tigers fans and acknowledges their team hung on and made the playoffs. Be thankful you are not Reds, Brewers, Royals, Pirates or Devil Rays fans, whose teams still permasuck.
Anyway, so the Clarion’s listening to some hometown Braves radio. The Braves are playing a game that matters, though not so much to them. It is the Saturday before the season ends. They are playing the Houston Astros, winners of eight of their last nine, still two games back of the collapsing St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals just two days ago had been threatening the legendary 1964 Philadelphia Phillies for the record for the biggest September lead ever blown. Now, they have righted the ship somewhat, won two in a row, having had the good fortune of getting to play the used car salesman’s Milwaukee Brewers. Poor Milwaukee, I hope you didn’t honestly get excited about this team at the beginning of the season. See what Alaska did to the father-daughter Murkowski’s, that’s what Wisconsin should do to the father-daughter Selig’s...a grateful nation thanks you in advance.
Anyway, the Braves are playing a game that matters, the Astros are playing for their season, facing elimination. Braves fans by the sound of it appear to be into the game. The Astros have eliminated the Braves in the playoffs two consecutive seasons. Revenge is a motive, plus for the first time in fourteen seasons Braves fans know, this is it. There are no playoffs in their future. They will be taking October off. What will John Smoltz do with himself?
So the Astros are pitching Andy Pettitt on short rest, and granted strange things can and do happen at this point in the season . Either from overzealousness, or from teams that are completely eliminated/clinched doing wacky things; scrubs playing, who knows, it is a little spring trainingesque, always, in the last week of the season. But the Braves-‘Stros should be the antithesis of that because the game matters. Two quickies that belie that and inspired this post:
ONE
Runners on 1st and 3rd and one out already, trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, the Braves number two hitter Marcus Giles lays down a sac bunt right back to the pitcher. ‘Scuse me? If I am the Cardinals watching that on TV in the clubhouse in St. Louis, I’m livid. What Marcus, you're giving yourself up? Yo, dude, there is already one out. Now there are two outs and a guy at second??! Swing away, Jackass. How about a bases clearing double or heavens to Betsy a freaking dinger. They don't pay you millions to make sure outs. My Dad would call it a Melvin Mora play.
TWO
Weirder than that. Leading off the top of the next inning Astros catcher, Brad Ausmus, singles. Pettitt is up in a position to lay down a situationally appropriate sac bunt. Fouls off his first bunt attempt. Takes a called strike. Then is apparently hit in the foot by the third pitch. The home plate ump orders him to first base, advancing Ausmus to second. Braves manager Bobby Cox comes out of the dugout to protest. The home plate ump, Alfonso Marquez, asks third base ump, Gerry Davis, for help, and he rules that the pitch hit the bat first and Pettitt is out for fouling off a two strike bunt.
The Braves announcers who initially thought this was going to be the right call, having heard, “two clicks” on the original play, get to see the TV replay. Skip Carrey always forthright, goes, “Oh my, that ball missed the bat completely, not even close.” Pauses, a beat and lays into an umpire like you never hear'em do in this era. Remember he’s the Braves announcer, not the Astros booth, whom the call went against and to whom it matters much more. Paraphrasing…How can that happen? How can an umpire just guess like that? There is no way he could have seen the ball hit the bat. There was no way Pettitt could have bunted it. Gerry Davis must just be going on sound…the other announcer Pete Van Wieren, adds, "Well ever since he joined Larry Young's crew (crew chief) strange things have been happening." Meanwhile Pettitt is apparently livid on the field, justifiably so and Phil Garner, the Astros manager, has to do all he can to keep him from getting ejected. The Clarion can’t recall the last time we heard that kind of pointed umpire criticism for a call that wasn’t against the broadcaster’s home team.
Ahhh, the vagaries of baseball. Every game its own individualized unique narrative.
Hours later, please note, the Clarion discovered there was even further drama in both haves of the ninth inning…
game summary
Also note, the Clarion apologies to the Tigers fans and acknowledges their team hung on and made the playoffs. Be thankful you are not Reds, Brewers, Royals, Pirates or Devil Rays fans, whose teams still permasuck.
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