So I come home from my Wednesday night line dance class figuring that I would get to see the end of the Phillies game. When I turned it on, the Fightins had a 3-1 lead with Doc on the mound. It turns out I was wrong in my assumption that a stroke mark in the W column was a foregone conclusion. I won't bore you with the details of what you already know but, if I hadn't fell asleep after the 15th inning, I could have seen what amounted to a nine-plus inning contest. I'm sorry I missed the end, but at least the good guys did go on and win.
I ought to get the credit out of the way early in the post - so here goes... As you know, I am quick to be critical of Superstar when he swings at pitches too low and too outside to be strikes in any league, and he had a few of those swings in his seven (!) at-bats. He did manage two hits, including a monster home run that tied the game. It was a no-doubt-about-it shot from the moment the ball hit the bat - and it couldn't have come at a better time in the game. My biggest credit to Superstar is not the home run (he gets paid a lot of money to hit home runs) but for his play at first base. There was a stretch where J-Roll had to make long throws in a hurry and every one of them were balls that Howard had to dig out of the dirt, saving Rollins ass and getting critical outs during the extra inning portion of the game. Superstar obviously gloves low balls better than he hits them and deserves a good looking out from Rollins.
It was not a night where the padding of batting averages took place. Ibanez? 1/8. Ruiz? 1/7. Polanco? 1/8. Rolen? 0/7. Hernandez? 1/7. Brandon (I can't stop chirping) Phillips? 1/7. The big hitter for the good guys was Valdez who came in at 3/6 (more on Valdez in a moment). So, what does that tell us? To me it means that both teams are still suffering from ED of the bats, and that some unlikely heroes emerged from both squads' relief corps.
Herndon got out of a bases-loaded jam and went on to give the Phillies two and a third innings of spotless relief. He was asked to man up and he certainly was up to the task last night. His reward for the great performance was a ticket to Allentown to make room for Contreras, who is being activated today. Nobody ever said life is fair.
I haven't looked this factoid up, but I believe that the last time Danys Baez tossed five innings was when he was playing little league. So much for the need to stretch guys out before having them pitch multiple innings. Baez, who is 33, threw five shut out innings and deserves a big "Yo!" from all Phillies fans. He's got to be feeling it today but, even when Charlie told him his night/morning was over, the guy did not want to come out. His balls were bigger than his brains, but you have to love his heart.
I'm writing this while listening to today's game, so I am pleased to report that Ibanez has just hit a three run shot giving the Phils a 4-0 lead at the end of three.
I must also give some credit to J.C. Romero for his brilliant pick-off of Brandon Phillips. Phillips, who was on second at the time was too busy yapping to notice that he was picked off - it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. That pick-off was the only out Romero was able to get. I could be wrong, but against three batters he managed but one strike, walked two, and hit Phillips with a pitch to the wrist. My only complaint is that he didn't hit the guy in the head. Romero brought nothing last night (apart from another example to prove that he might have the best turn-to-second in baseball) and, if wasn't a southpaw he would be paying the toll at exit 33 instead of Herndon.
I missed the best part of the game, though I have since seen the replays of Wilson Valdez pitching and getting the win. The guy, who has never thrown a single pitch at any level of organized baseball, brought a 90 MPH fastball and a curve to the mound, and managed to hit Scott "Get-me-outta-Philly" Rolen with a pitch, earning Valdez a standing O from those fans still at the park. Valdez ought to retire after getting the win with just four pitches in relief on top of getting three hits. It will forever be his finest hour, and he will be remembered in Philly sports lore for a long time to come.
LIVE UPDATE - I crowed too soon when Ibanez hit his shot. In the top of the fourth, Yanish got his first hit of the series driving in Cairo & Bruce making it 4-2. Somebody needs to break Bruce's kneecap - the guy is a registered Phillie killer.
I'm hoping that today doesn't go into extra innings since I am having facial twitches listening to T-Mac & Wheels. If their play-by-plays were broadcast to Afghanistan or Pakistan, the Taliban would drop their arms and surrender en masse. War crime trials would be called for against the Phillies broadcast team.
Of course, there is more to the world than sports.
I doubt if you ever turn on CNBC in the AM to watch the show Squawk Box, given how you must feel about the market in this era of rampant greed and corporate evil. Given that most of the hosts & guests are assholes with an agenda to push, I don't normally watch it anymore now that I'm no longer in that sleazy business. I did from time to time check the show out when there was news of interest, and to see Mark Haines report it.
Haines, who died last night at the all-too-young age of 65, was the voice of reason and cynicism who could always be counted on to smell out the bullshit being dispensed by money managers or CEO's, and to ask these dickheads the tough questions. Haines had no agenda except getting to the truth. He was not afraid of anyone, including Jack Welch, who was, at the time of Haines hiring, CEO of CNBC's parent company, GE. My favorite Haines story was the time he was interviewing Barney Frank who, like most politicos, would not provide a straight answer to a tough but fair question. Haines kept on asking the same question until an enraged Barney Frank took off his mike and stormed off the set.
The one time KYW-TV anchor will be missed.
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