One of the drawbacks of being a working stiff like me is the fact that you can watch high class sporting events that take place during the normal work day. Such was the case with the epic Man U/Chelsea grudge match the other day. One of my friends kept me informed throughout with profanity laced tirades whenever Man U failed to convert or if Chelsea did convert. When he told me that the game was going to penalty kicks (probably the most cruel and arbitrary way to end a sporting event), I knew one thing for sure, the fans of the losing team was going to feel gut punched. While I do not share their pain over this lose, I feel I should do something. So, in honor of all the Chelsea fans out there, I’m going to give you my top 5 worst sporting event memories. Anyone else can feel free to join in to show support to our Chelsea loving brothers and sisters.
5) 1998 NBA Finals, Game 6, Chicago at Utah – I don’t watch the NBA anymore, but back in the mid to late 90’s, I loved it. I was a particularly big fan of the Utah Jazz (I have no idea why). So, when Utah regained home court advantage by beating the Bulls in Chicago in Game 5, I felt pretty good. With the Jazz up by 3 with less than a minute left, I felt really good. Then it all came apart. Jordan makes a layup to cut the lead to one, and then steals the pass from Stockton to Malone. With the ball for the last shot, Jordan throws defender Byron Russell to the floor to create an open shot, which he makes. No foul, since he’s the best playing in the league and Russell is some nobody. Let’s just say I was screaming colorful obscenities at the TV for many minutes.
4) UEFA Euro 2004 – Group B – France vs. England – I’m kind of strange when it comes to soccer. While I have no national allegiance to either team, I am a really big fan of the English National Team and completely despise France, so I knew this game had the opportunity to hurt. Things were going fine, nice flow to the match, and Lampard got a goal in the 38th minute to put England up 1-0. Good times. Then England decided to play not to lose and that always works out well. England was on the ropes most of the match after that, but kept France out of the net. It was all good until stoppage time, when Zinedine Zidane made not one, but two stoppage time goals (91st and 93rd minute), leaving England fans confused, distraught, and angry. Well, more so than normal.
3) Super Bowl XX – Patriots vs. Bears – This would be higher, but I was young and didn’t know any better. Basically, you have the nearly unbeatable Chicago Bears against the plucky New England Patriots. Everyone knew the Bears were going to win, except delusional Patriots fans. The Bears even performed “The Super Bowl Shuffle” prior to actually playing the game. The game, for Pats fans, was an utter debacle. Turnovers, sacks, negative offense plays, and even a safety typified the Patriots offense that day. The 36 point blowout left a young Trent Lane wondering where is all went wrong.
2) 1994 World Cup – Second Round – USA vs. Brazil – My father had always tried to get me interested in soccer, but I found it boring and confusing. However, when the 1994 World Cup game to country, I finally understood it and loved it, especially the shocking US victory against Columbia. The second round match featured the upstart American squad against the powerhouse that was Brazil. As a relatively new fan, I had high hopes. Those hopes exploded at the same time as Tab Ramos cheekbone. It’s late in the first half, and the US team is hanging around, harassing Brazil. Then, while Ramos is harassing Leonardo, he unleashed a vicious elbow that dropped Ramos like a sack of potatoes. Leonardo got the red card, but the damage was done. As I watched the main offensive weapon of the US get taken off the field, I knew it was only a matter of time. That time was the 72nd minute, when Brazil finally got the only goal of the game. The game instilled a deep loathing for the Brazilian team in my heart.
1) 2003 ALCS – Game 7 – Red Sox at Yankees – I’m not going to rehash this because then I might start sounding like Bill Simmons, and nobody wants that. All I will say is that Pedro should have never come back out in the 8th. After the game, I was staring blankly at the TV, wondering how defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory. I wondered around the next day a little dazed, a little hallow, and a lot angry. Probably like Chelsea fans feel right now.
Sorry guys, its tough, but we’ve all been there. Buck up, you’ll get through it.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Middle Relief Implosion in 5, 4, 3...
If Justin Masterson has learned anything from his two big league starts, it should be that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Of course, Masterson learned this lesson the hard way.
It seems every year, Red Sox fans are tempted by a young pitcher with great stuff who we hear wonderful things about. The kids get their chance and seem to shine. When Papelbon started his first game a few years ago, we all expected big things. Next came Jon Lester, who also started off with flair. Of course, we all know what happened with Buckholz last season. So, as fans, we all expected big things from Masterson. In his spot start in April, he did what he needed to do. He controlled the game, gave 6 solid innings, and left with the lead. Basically, the team said “thanks for the innings, take a seat on the bench and we’ll get you the win.” There was one flaw in that strategy. Actually two, they were Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen. I trust a week old cheese sandwich more than I trust those two. It got so bad that when Lopez came in last night, I turned it off. I was wondering if Francona had a personal grudge against Masterson or something. But Masterson learned his very important lesson from the April debacle.
This time, he was able to get an extra third of an inning out of his start. Not important you say? Not so fast. By getting that one out and getting yanked, he has established the mood of the inning and then disrupted it. In between innings, a batter is just sitting there swinging a bat knowing he has a few minutes. Once the inning starts, you know you’re on deck as long as the guy ahead of you is at bat. As a batter, you get disturbed by a pitching change (even if it is for Lopez or Delcarmen). Also, you are only trusting your sketchy middle relief to get 2 outs, which is definitely better than 3. Let the record show that the only run scored of the game, while charged to Masterson, was because Delcarmen soiled himself on the mound (or as baseball people would say “he pitched”).
Basically, I think all Red Sox starting pitchers know that in order to ensure the win, they need to pitch as least 7 full innings. Then, you are entrusting the game to Papijima. While not as solid as last year, they still get the job done most of the time. Going deep is fine for Beckett, but it’s the others that are a mystery. Dice-K has the stamina, but he also has control issues that hike his pitch count early. Wakefield is getting old, Lester doesn’t seem consistent, and Buckholz is still getting cuffed around the park at times. Also, when you bring up guys like Masterson and Colon, you don’t know how they’ll fare or how long they can last (Masterson because of pitch count issues and Colon because of injury issues). That is going to be the issue tonight, with Colon making his first start. Can he go deep into a game? My guess would be probably not. If he pitches well, you’ll get 5 to 6 innings tops from him. Of course, based on his size, he looks more capable of destroying downtown Tokyo than shutting down the Royals, but hey, I hear Godzilla had a nasty splitter.
It seems every year, Red Sox fans are tempted by a young pitcher with great stuff who we hear wonderful things about. The kids get their chance and seem to shine. When Papelbon started his first game a few years ago, we all expected big things. Next came Jon Lester, who also started off with flair. Of course, we all know what happened with Buckholz last season. So, as fans, we all expected big things from Masterson. In his spot start in April, he did what he needed to do. He controlled the game, gave 6 solid innings, and left with the lead. Basically, the team said “thanks for the innings, take a seat on the bench and we’ll get you the win.” There was one flaw in that strategy. Actually two, they were Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen. I trust a week old cheese sandwich more than I trust those two. It got so bad that when Lopez came in last night, I turned it off. I was wondering if Francona had a personal grudge against Masterson or something. But Masterson learned his very important lesson from the April debacle.
This time, he was able to get an extra third of an inning out of his start. Not important you say? Not so fast. By getting that one out and getting yanked, he has established the mood of the inning and then disrupted it. In between innings, a batter is just sitting there swinging a bat knowing he has a few minutes. Once the inning starts, you know you’re on deck as long as the guy ahead of you is at bat. As a batter, you get disturbed by a pitching change (even if it is for Lopez or Delcarmen). Also, you are only trusting your sketchy middle relief to get 2 outs, which is definitely better than 3. Let the record show that the only run scored of the game, while charged to Masterson, was because Delcarmen soiled himself on the mound (or as baseball people would say “he pitched”).
Basically, I think all Red Sox starting pitchers know that in order to ensure the win, they need to pitch as least 7 full innings. Then, you are entrusting the game to Papijima. While not as solid as last year, they still get the job done most of the time. Going deep is fine for Beckett, but it’s the others that are a mystery. Dice-K has the stamina, but he also has control issues that hike his pitch count early. Wakefield is getting old, Lester doesn’t seem consistent, and Buckholz is still getting cuffed around the park at times. Also, when you bring up guys like Masterson and Colon, you don’t know how they’ll fare or how long they can last (Masterson because of pitch count issues and Colon because of injury issues). That is going to be the issue tonight, with Colon making his first start. Can he go deep into a game? My guess would be probably not. If he pitches well, you’ll get 5 to 6 innings tops from him. Of course, based on his size, he looks more capable of destroying downtown Tokyo than shutting down the Royals, but hey, I hear Godzilla had a nasty splitter.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Oh No No, Another Bad Sports Pun
Come on, everyone loves sports puns, especially one’s that are worthy of the Boston Herald (note, I haven’t seen the Herald yet today, so I can’t make loads of fun of the headline they gave Lester’s no hitter). I have two things to say about the no hitter, all while trying to put a spin on it that hasn’t already been beaten into the ground by sports writers, radio hosts, TV hosts, fans, bloggers, and crazy homeless people.
The first is that Lester was masterful. He had utter command, mixed his pitches, and seemed to be toying with batters. I was shocked that he was able to blow away hitters in the late innings. I loved when he would throw the high heat with 2 strikes, thereby changing eye levels, setting up hitters for that filthy curve that fell off the table. Who knew that Ellsbury’s diving catch in the 4th would carry so much importance? The thing about Lester is, you knew he had something like this in him, you just wondered if it would ever emerge. He never seemed to want to dominate hitters, or at least, never seemed to have the consistency to do so. The theme of this game was getting ahead of hitters and attacking harder than Sonny going after Carlo in “The Godfather”. In the past, he either lacked the confidence or consistency to do exactly that. We’ve seen flashes of this during the early season, making you wonder if the kid would finally settle down. Just two weeks ago, I told a friend that Lester would be a solid number 3 pitcher and that was his ceiling. If he can pitch like he did last night (not no hitters, but dominating for a good portion of the game), he could prove me dead wrong. This time, I wouldn’t mind being wrong.
The second was something that creeped into the head of every Sox fan watching the game. The “hey, wait a minute, this kid had cancer” thought process. Which is fine to mention once or twice, but it has started to overshadow the accomplishment. Now, I’m not belittling cancer or cancer survivors, my family could change our last name to Cancer, so I know what it does. I’m just saying that Lester does not want to be “the guy with cancer who threw the no hitter.” I think he just wants to be “the Major League pitcher who threw a no hitter.” He’ll never forget the fight he won, he’ll give inspirational speeches and visit kids in the hospital, but he doesn’t want any special treatment or special accolades because of it. I don’t think there was one story I saw that didn’t mention it. And here I am, mentioning it. Even I forget sometimes.
My basic point here is, let us appreciate this performance for what it was, a truly masterful performance by a young kid who will hopefully have a bright future. Let’s not think about the fact that he was on the trading block all winter long in a possible Johan Santana deal. Some things are better left forgotten.
The first is that Lester was masterful. He had utter command, mixed his pitches, and seemed to be toying with batters. I was shocked that he was able to blow away hitters in the late innings. I loved when he would throw the high heat with 2 strikes, thereby changing eye levels, setting up hitters for that filthy curve that fell off the table. Who knew that Ellsbury’s diving catch in the 4th would carry so much importance? The thing about Lester is, you knew he had something like this in him, you just wondered if it would ever emerge. He never seemed to want to dominate hitters, or at least, never seemed to have the consistency to do so. The theme of this game was getting ahead of hitters and attacking harder than Sonny going after Carlo in “The Godfather”. In the past, he either lacked the confidence or consistency to do exactly that. We’ve seen flashes of this during the early season, making you wonder if the kid would finally settle down. Just two weeks ago, I told a friend that Lester would be a solid number 3 pitcher and that was his ceiling. If he can pitch like he did last night (not no hitters, but dominating for a good portion of the game), he could prove me dead wrong. This time, I wouldn’t mind being wrong.
The second was something that creeped into the head of every Sox fan watching the game. The “hey, wait a minute, this kid had cancer” thought process. Which is fine to mention once or twice, but it has started to overshadow the accomplishment. Now, I’m not belittling cancer or cancer survivors, my family could change our last name to Cancer, so I know what it does. I’m just saying that Lester does not want to be “the guy with cancer who threw the no hitter.” I think he just wants to be “the Major League pitcher who threw a no hitter.” He’ll never forget the fight he won, he’ll give inspirational speeches and visit kids in the hospital, but he doesn’t want any special treatment or special accolades because of it. I don’t think there was one story I saw that didn’t mention it. And here I am, mentioning it. Even I forget sometimes.
My basic point here is, let us appreciate this performance for what it was, a truly masterful performance by a young kid who will hopefully have a bright future. Let’s not think about the fact that he was on the trading block all winter long in a possible Johan Santana deal. Some things are better left forgotten.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Forgiving Grady Little, Sort Of
Yesterday, the Boston Celtics vanquished the Cleveland Steamers, er Cavaliers, to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. I, not being a basketball fan or watching any basketball whatsoever, saw this as no surprise. I was actually happy (since these means I might be able to score Red Sox tickets). However, the fans around here are treating this like it’s as shocking as the Giants beating the Patriots.
I’m a sports fan. I watch the Sox, the Pats, college football, World Cup Soccer, and various other things and make a fool of myself rooting for my favorite teams. I grew up in New England and went to college around here. I just don’t get the Boston sports fan. I understand the fatalism, but that should have been injured after the Rams/Pats Super Bowl and killed after the 2004 World Series. Yet, after Game 4 of the Cavs/Celtics series, people were walking around bemoaning the fact that the Celtics suck and they can’t match up and they need to “get it together”. The Celtics were the best team all year long, but had some defensive liabilities on the floor (cough * Ray Allen * cough). LeBron James is, arguably, the best player in the NBA. What do you think was going to happen? LeBron wasn’t going to roll over and the Celtics seem more than willing to grab their ankles when they go on the road. However, the Celtics still had home court advantage, and that seems to be a monstrous advantage.
Yet, no one wanted to think about that. They were too busy crying about the injustice of it all. It seemed to be happening wherever I went. Does this happen elsewhere? Not the whole “I love sports with a passion” thing, I get that, but the whole fatalism of it all, expecting the worst from your sports team. That doesn’t make sports fun. People were wandering around work like someone had shot their dog. I had that look once that didn’t involve a firearm and a beloved family pet. It was after Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003. The infamous Grady Little Game. There is still a part of me that gets a little bitter thinking about it. But I realized something that night, or a few weeks later when I finally got over it. It was a flawed team that didn’t deserve it. The fact that they got that far was a miracle in itself. Plus, I didn’t have fun watching that series. I was all tense and angry, just waiting for the worst to happen. How is that fun?
It isn’t. But I learned something a year later during that 2004 ALCS. Just watch a team you love and that is all the fun you need. It was Game 4 and the Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees. I thought about not watching, but I thought to myself “you know what; I’m going to watch because I want to see the best Red Sox in my lifetime finish their season.” Eight games and a World Series trophy later, I saw my team walk away winners. The lesson I learned was to never give up on your team until it’s all over, because you never know. All the bandwagon jumpers need to learn that lesson, or they might jump off the bandwagon too early.
I’m a sports fan. I watch the Sox, the Pats, college football, World Cup Soccer, and various other things and make a fool of myself rooting for my favorite teams. I grew up in New England and went to college around here. I just don’t get the Boston sports fan. I understand the fatalism, but that should have been injured after the Rams/Pats Super Bowl and killed after the 2004 World Series. Yet, after Game 4 of the Cavs/Celtics series, people were walking around bemoaning the fact that the Celtics suck and they can’t match up and they need to “get it together”. The Celtics were the best team all year long, but had some defensive liabilities on the floor (cough * Ray Allen * cough). LeBron James is, arguably, the best player in the NBA. What do you think was going to happen? LeBron wasn’t going to roll over and the Celtics seem more than willing to grab their ankles when they go on the road. However, the Celtics still had home court advantage, and that seems to be a monstrous advantage.
Yet, no one wanted to think about that. They were too busy crying about the injustice of it all. It seemed to be happening wherever I went. Does this happen elsewhere? Not the whole “I love sports with a passion” thing, I get that, but the whole fatalism of it all, expecting the worst from your sports team. That doesn’t make sports fun. People were wandering around work like someone had shot their dog. I had that look once that didn’t involve a firearm and a beloved family pet. It was after Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003. The infamous Grady Little Game. There is still a part of me that gets a little bitter thinking about it. But I realized something that night, or a few weeks later when I finally got over it. It was a flawed team that didn’t deserve it. The fact that they got that far was a miracle in itself. Plus, I didn’t have fun watching that series. I was all tense and angry, just waiting for the worst to happen. How is that fun?
It isn’t. But I learned something a year later during that 2004 ALCS. Just watch a team you love and that is all the fun you need. It was Game 4 and the Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees. I thought about not watching, but I thought to myself “you know what; I’m going to watch because I want to see the best Red Sox in my lifetime finish their season.” Eight games and a World Series trophy later, I saw my team walk away winners. The lesson I learned was to never give up on your team until it’s all over, because you never know. All the bandwagon jumpers need to learn that lesson, or they might jump off the bandwagon too early.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Is Perrilloux Cajun For Vick?
A little college football for all you out there. First and foremost, Ryan Perrilloux got booted off the LSU team today for unspecified reasons (cough * drugs * cough). This guy has been playing fast and loose with the rules ever since stepping foot on campus. He was involved in fights at nightclubs, using fake ID’s (to try to get into a casino), and was on the fringes of a counterfeiting investigation. Plus, he skipped team meetings and classes and showed up late to workouts. WHAT THE HELL?!?! Did anyone both to tell this punk that he was destined to be the starting QB of one of the best teams in the country? I hate when great athletes piss away talent (the Vick Disease). How tough is it to go to class, stay away from unsavory people, and show up on time to practice? Someone buy this kid a fucking watch. He lead LSU to victory in the SEC Championship Game last year and now the closest he’ll get to the team is selling programs on game day. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
I’m more than a little worried about my Clemson Tigers. I know at the end of last year I was all balls out about there chances this year, but know I’ve had the long, cold New England winter to think it over. Sure, they have most of their offensive firepower returning, but there are still question marks. The first one is there offensive line. It’s more suspect than the President Roslin’s health on BSG. Second is the extremely inexperienced linebacking core. Third, and most importantly, this team can’t handle high expectations. When they get into must-win situations, they fold faster Peyton Manning against the Florida Gators. I mean, look at the BC game last year for a prime example. I just want Rob Spence to remember one thing. DON’T FORGET TO CALL WIDE RECEIVER SCREENS AND INTERMEDIATE PASSES. For some reason, he’ll start calling fly patterns to Aaron Kelly followed by 1 yard dives by James Davis. Gee, it didn’t work the first 20 times you called it, how about mixing it up!
One more note. I noticed that Mark Sanchez got named USC’s starting QB. I guess the stink job he posted last year wasn’t enough for Carroll to put in Mustain at QB. I mean, God forbid we get a little competition in camp. I wouldn’t trust Sanchez to start my car, let alone start for USC. I have a bad feeling about this. The Pac-10 will be inconsistent at best this year. I just have a feeling. All the pimping I did for the conference for the past 5 years will be worthless. Thankfully, no one listened to me back then. Now, I have a faithful audience of two people. You guys rock.
I’m more than a little worried about my Clemson Tigers. I know at the end of last year I was all balls out about there chances this year, but know I’ve had the long, cold New England winter to think it over. Sure, they have most of their offensive firepower returning, but there are still question marks. The first one is there offensive line. It’s more suspect than the President Roslin’s health on BSG. Second is the extremely inexperienced linebacking core. Third, and most importantly, this team can’t handle high expectations. When they get into must-win situations, they fold faster Peyton Manning against the Florida Gators. I mean, look at the BC game last year for a prime example. I just want Rob Spence to remember one thing. DON’T FORGET TO CALL WIDE RECEIVER SCREENS AND INTERMEDIATE PASSES. For some reason, he’ll start calling fly patterns to Aaron Kelly followed by 1 yard dives by James Davis. Gee, it didn’t work the first 20 times you called it, how about mixing it up!
One more note. I noticed that Mark Sanchez got named USC’s starting QB. I guess the stink job he posted last year wasn’t enough for Carroll to put in Mustain at QB. I mean, God forbid we get a little competition in camp. I wouldn’t trust Sanchez to start my car, let alone start for USC. I have a bad feeling about this. The Pac-10 will be inconsistent at best this year. I just have a feeling. All the pimping I did for the conference for the past 5 years will be worthless. Thankfully, no one listened to me back then. Now, I have a faithful audience of two people. You guys rock.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
