Sunday, September 18, 2011

AROUND THE HORN

***A BIG WIN***
It didn't look good for a while. Not with Bartolo Colon alternating throwing a devastating 'spill-over' fastball with a batting practice lob. Not with Robinson Cano running the bases without a care in the world...and a brain in his head. But then A-Rod, swinging the bat with confidence, lined a ball into the left field stands with two men on, and the Yank's bullpen taking control, they finally began to look like the team with the AL's best record. And Mo' was the icing on the cake.

***SPEAKING OF MO***
He finally caught Trevor Hoffman's record for the most career saves, but it never took that particular number for Rivera to be proclaimed as the best closer ever. One of the major reasons in my opinion, is that Rivera's saves were for a team that was always fighting for a championship. Every game seemed pressure packed, with some kind of title at stake. Not to belittle Hoffman, but Mo's saves were more than just a statistic; they not only won games, but also World Series rings. As Joe Girardi says, "Number 602 just puts the final stamp on the best." Amen.

***THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND GREAT***
There are a lot of 'good' teams and 'good' players, there is always the moment in a play or a game or a season, that separates the great and the not-quite great:
Against the Rays on Friday night, with men on 1st and 2nd, Upton hits a ball to shortstop and broke his bat in the process. The bat, the ball, the runner from second and even the third baseman all reached SS Mark Scutaro at the same time. Scutaro missed all four. Oh, yes a splintered bat is certainly a dangerous thing and it happened very fast, but the 'great' players handle it. Derek Jeter, for example, would have avoided the bat, caught the grounder, started a double play and built a birdhouse out of the pieces of the bat.
Maybe the Milwaukee Brewers are the team with the 2nd best record in the NL, but as a team, well that's a different story. With less than two weeks left in the regular season, Prince Fielder decides it's time to remind everybody that he won't be in Milwaukee next year. Frankie Rodriquez complains that the Brewers won't let him share the closer job with a pitcher who has saved 42 out of 44 chances this year. What's their motto? "There is no 'I' in team, but there is a 'me'?"
Then there's the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, Tony Romo, who suffers from what I call Nomar Garciaparra Disease. That's the ability to put up some impressive statistics but still find a way to make a crucial mistake when the game is on the line. Nomar's mistakes seemed to have gone unnoticed, but I remember him making great plays at shortstop all game, only to fail in the middle of a Yankee rally. Romo has made some glaring mistakes at crunch time ever since he began his career, but look at his numbers and you have to be impressed by them. He's still young enough to overcome this handicap, so we'll watch and wait.

***WHY DO I BOTHER LISTENING TO HIM?***
Tim McCarver is at it again. He started talking about a team with the best bullpen (I don't even remember who he was talking about) saying with a lefty-righty tandem like them in the bullpen, they shorten the game better than anyone else, including the Red Sox, the Yankees, etc. Two guys shorten the game more than Soriano-Robertson-Rivera? I don't think so. Last seasons save leader (Soriano), the leading strikeout artist among relievers this year (Robertson) and some guy named Mo', shorten the game better than anyone else. I wish they could do the same to McCarver's tongue.

***THEY SAID IT***
"The Cleveland Browns have started 12 of the last 13 seasons with a loss. There haven't been this many failed openers since I was dating." -- RJ Currie
"Tigers manager Jim Leyland had said he was wearing the same underwear during the team's 12 game win streak and didn't plan to wash or change it until they lost. This might explain the team's recent great pitching during the streak. No one wanted a visit on the mound." -- Janice Hough
"Health inspectors found food safety violations at Wrigley Field. This comes as a shock to Cubs fans. They always thought the nausea and vomiting was a result of the starting rotation." -- Alan Ray
"NASCAR is trying some new initiatives to go green, including planting trees and using ethanol fuel. Most controversial is the idea of having NASCAR drivers carpool in the race." -- Conan O'Brien
"The NCAA found Boise State guilty of numerous violations for prospective and enrolled student athletes totaling 63 young men. The athletic department has lost scholarships and was put on three-years probation, but the only post-season ban will be a year for the women's tennis team. Yeah, that'll teach them." -- Janice Hough

That's all for now, I'll try to do another posting later today.

CP-

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