Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Baseball...

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all." ~Earl Weaver

What a great quote. It is one of the things I do love most about baseball. You have to get the last 3 outs. there's no keeping the ball away, no running out the clock. The other team gets their "last licks" as we always called them on the sandlot(okay, it actually was a parking lot, but 'sandlot" is so much more evocative and poetic, innit ?).

So i guess I let the cat out of the bag, there, eh ? I'm a baseball fan. Actually, I doubt that's really news. i think I make frequent enough references to my beloved New York Mets(they're"...my favorite squadron.") in my posts, that you probably have picked up on it by now. And for a long time, i think i mostly just paid attention to the Mets. I mean, I would know what teams were doing well, and what teams were bad, and things like that. But lately, I find that I am more interested in the game as a whole. Or perhaps I have always been this interested, and I am only just noticing...That's probably the more likely scenario.

I don't know that I really have a point to this post(wow, the first time I typed that sentence, I misspelled EVERY word!I'm rather impressed with myself). I don't know if it's that I'm getting old, so baseball is one of the few things I can still follow, or what. But for instance, last night, Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, pitched a no-hitter, and I love when something like atht happens(even though a Met has NEVER thrown one...EVER..Several ex-Mets have{Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Doc Gooden, David Cone} but no one wearing a Met uniform has EVER thrown a no-hitter) because they always go through the history of when the last one was thrown, when the last pitcher for that team threw one. All sorts of minutiae, and I gobble it all up.

I guess I'm a baseball geek, huh ? Is that what this is ? My baseball geek confession ? So be it.

I love baseball.
I love the New York Mets.(And believe me, they are not always easy to love)
I hate the New York Yankees.
I think that whether he took steroids or not, Barry Bonds is an arrogant asshole.
So is Alex Rodriguez.
Manny Ramirez cracks me up.
I hate the New York Yankees.
I'm not super fond of the Dodgers either(they broke my Dad's heart when they left Brooklyn, those pigfuckers. I don't forget.)
Though I do miss the 6 dollar tickets to Dodger games.
I miss going to Wrigley Field as well.
I think the Cubs might be cursed, and I find it kind of funny and kind of sad at the same time.
I love the new York Mets.
I'm not fond of the Braves or the Phillies.
I am eagerly awaiting the return of Pedro Martinez.
Did I mention that I hate the New York Yankees ?

5 comments:

Jeff Janusch said...

I work at the firehouse across the street from Wrigley Field, and sometimes in the middle of the night when all is quiet in the stands, I can still faintly hear Lee Elia yelling.

Kos said...

Being the rabid Tiger fan that I am, you can imagine my utter joy at Verlander's accomplishment yesterday. People who don't know baseball just can't comprehend the monumental accomplishment of pitching a no-hitter. The last time a Tiger did it? Jack Morris, 1984. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the Tigers won the World Series that year (and I was lucky enough to go to a game). Know this: I share your animosity toward the Yankees to the fullest extent, and I'd be happy as can be if the Tigers met the Mets in the WS (with a Tigers victory, of course...)

Kos said...

Oh, yeah, I'm the other Jeff.

threecollie said...

I was 9 when The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club Inc. officially joined the National League. Been my favorite team ever since. I am no longer 9 but they are still great.

Paticus said...

Jeff- Thanks for the link. I had always heard about that tirade, but I had never actually heard the recording. that is priceless.

Other Jeff- I was just glad that the Mets did not get no hit, that's about the only thing that could make their current slide even worse. Though I certainly think it could get a whole lot worse this weekend. The Tigers looked tough against us. I think a return to the Series is a definite possibility. Sheffield was a great pickup.

Threecollie-Aaah, yes. The Mets inaugural season. Most losses in a season ever. A record I feel a weird sense of pride about. Thanks for the visit and the comment !!