Oh, the highs and lows of a baseball game…
Granted, it’s not even June yet so the games don’t matter a whole lot, but I experienced the following emotions in last night’s Mets-Giants game:
Mets no hit thru 3 by the latest phenom, Tim Lincecum, while Perez gives up 2 HR in 1st inning to trail 2-0 - crap!
Mets break thru, take 3-2 lead after 6 - yeah!
Giants tie up game in 7th - crap!
Mets get RISP in 9th, Vizquel/Fransden make incredible play to send game into extras - crap!
Mets survive scare in 10th when, runner on 1st, double bounces into the stands, forcing lead runner back to 3rd, runners then stranded - Yeah!
Giants get go ahead run in 12th - crap!
Mets get leadoff walk to Reyes in bottom of 12th, balked to 2nd, bunted to 3rd, only one out - yeah!
Beltran grounds to 2nd with infield in, no run, 2 out - crap!
With Delgado batting, Reyes balked(!) in to tie game- yeah!
Delgado hits GW HR - YEAH!!!
All for a mid-week game in May.
Yeah, I’m not too obsessed with baseball…
May 31st, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Quick question: If ARod is bush-league for yelling at the 3B as he ran by, forcing him to miss the pop-up… is Reyes bush-league for dancing and clapping off 3B, forcing Benitez to balk? One is assailed for his actions, and the other is celebrated. I’m wondering… aside from their salaries, what’s the big difference?
May 31st, 2007 at 3:53 pm
I’m inclined to agree with you - there isn’t much difference. It does seem a bit paradoxal of baseball rules; a balk is defined as an attempt to “deceive” the runner and therefore is not allowed. However, why should a runner be allowed to try and “deceive” a pitcher by fake running/clapping hands/etc.??
I suppose there is a (very) weak argument that the fake dash/hand clapping/etc is “part of the game”, whereas yelling at a fielder is not good sportsmanship. But that argument is weak at BEST. Probably non-existent, in actuality…
May 31st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Agreed - and that’s the point. Some arbitrary body has deemed one act of unsportsmanship “part of the game”, yet a similiar act of unsportsmanship to be “bush league” and *not* part of the game.
Also, I submit that if the role was reversed and ARod was at 3B and a Blue Jay yelled at him while running by… and ARod reacted like the Blue Jay 3B, then we’d hear about “oh, Arod - stop whining and play the game!”