Sports Journal 9-22-13

You know, this long baseball season is a grind on bloggers too.  I am worn out with this.  I wasn’t even going to write anything this week, but darned if a few interesting things didn’t happen while I was watching.  I’m not sure how much of the playoffs I’ll be watching.  My usual World Series vacation has been preempted this year, so I’ll have to catches glimpses of it at work.  In other words, my sports blogging is probably winding down for the year.  (You don’t want me doing football coverage.  Really you don’t.) 

Saturday started with the at least novel matchup of the Yankees and Giants.  The game had some slim playoff interest for the Yankees, who won it 6-0.  The Giants, well, they were in attendance.  The crowd was fairly listless, along with the broadcast coverage from Matt Vasgersian and Tim McCarver.  I’m really hoping Tim takes Joe Buck into baseball coverage retirement with him.  During the coverage, this was the first time I’ve heard the Giant’s terrible season blamed on the World Baseball Classic, which many of their players participated in.  I don’t know enough to comment.  I’m just completely shell-shocked at this point by their performance.    

The Cubs 3-1 win over the Braves was a nice close game, but the coverage actually made it a good watch.  Len and JD had a couple of good guests and kept things moving well, even if there wasn’t a lot of action on the field.  Actor, David Cross, performed a Hall of Shame caliber rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame, actually apologizing to the crowd afterward.  The crowd did get to sing the victory song after the game.  My favorite moment was a singing Cubs fan holding his hand over the mouth of a dejected Braves fan.   

In the Sunday rubber game rematch, the Braves would win 5-2.  During the game, the Marlins beat the Nationals, thereby clinching the division for the Braves.  The many Braves fans in attendance started doing a low-key Tomahawk chop, while the team had a round of congratulations in the dugout.  After winning, they spilled out on the field in a more exuberant celebration. 

The highlight of the game for me was a rules question involving interference during a steal attempt.  Len and the ump had it right, but JD went to the rulebook anyway to look it up.  After about five minutes, they found it and read it.  I was terribly grateful that I wouldn’t have to look it up myself first thing when I got home.  (Yes, I really do think about those things.)  Anthem singer, Wayne Messmer, performed the 7^th inning stretch.  Of course, he belted it out.  I think this scheduling was making up for Saturday’s performance (which they re-showed).  Late in this game was also the first appearance this season of Loud Drunken Heckler Next to a Field Mic.  I wonder where he’s been all year?

In other baseball news, dad told me that the new El Paso Triple A stadium was going another $10 million over budget.  I think I remember them announcing that they were $10 million over in the first week of construction.  This is an additional $10 million.  This is going to turn out well.  I can feel it. 

Ogando and Shields went seven scoreless innings in the Ranger-Royal game today.  The scoreless tie was broken in the 10^th by the Royals with grand slam home run.  I’d feel better about this if I really thought the Royals were going to get into the playoffs.  There was a delay for a bee swarm in Anaheim.  This was followed by a plague of locusts, a rain of frogs, and the smiting of the Angel players’ firstborn.

Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte made their final Yankee Stadium appearances in a 2-1 loss to the Giants, who couldn’t even lose correctly this year and give these guys a pleasant sendoff.  (Yes, I’m discounting the possibility of the Yankees going to the post-season.  They couldn’t even sweep the Giants.)  I’m not getting into the “Should Pettitte make it into the Hall of Fame” debate.  All I’ll say is, if there’s a question about somebody getting in, that’s your answer.  Rivera is a great pitcher and a great guy, and thank God this season-long tribute is going to finally coming to an end.   

I had my first experience with the Global Rallycross series on Sunday afternoon, during and after the Cubs game (yes, I saw the Cowboys win, yea team).  I’d never heard of this series before.  Essentially it was World Rally type cars running a race like an off-road truck series.  Races were run in a series of short heats.  I like this format in that it keeps commercial breaks confined to times when they weren’t actually racing.  I kind of wish NASCAR would try this format in Nationwide and Cup, like they did at the truck race in Eldora. 

I recognized several drivers, including the winner Scott Speed, Travis Pastrana, and Brian Deegan (from the off-road truck series).  They didn’t seem to cover the cars well, but I saw a Fiesta, a Subaru, a Dart, an Escort (maybe, it was definitely a Ford), and even a Mini (an extended model). 

Even with the short races, it was an endurance contest.  The dirt and asphalt was chewing up and spitting out the cars.  The competitors themselves virtually finished off the field with close, hard racing.  The cars were four wheels, a roll cage, and a bunch of duct tape by the final race.  One guy was actually driving around on three wheels, holding on to fourth place in that race.  I’d like to see more of this, but without the distraction of watching a baseball game at the same time.  Definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of the three cute girls who were working the coverage.  (No Kelli Stavast though.  Sigh.)