Baseball Notebook for August 18, 2016

I keep missing the big story.  When you watch games on TV you miss so much, for example, Orbit doing a rhythmic gymnastics routine during the Cards/Astros game Wednesday.  I tell you, as much as I like Chico and Pistol Pete, Orbit is da bomb.  He ends up on the MLB video roll all the time for a good reason.

The MLB Network game was the Cleveland Indians vs. the Chicago White Sox.  I’d been wanting to see the Indians ever since I said something about them being the anointed ones.  I can almost see it happening for them, if the plane carrying the Cubs crashes into Lake Erie.    

“I love you, Jason!” some guy yelled out during Kipnis’ 6th inning at bat.  While there may have only been 13,000 for the game (it looked reasonably full, except for the upper deck), they were quite vocal at times.  (And the guy with the drum was there.)  Properly inspired, Kipnis whacked a unique double.  The ball wedged into the space above the left field wall cushions and the video board.  I’d say it was the most improbable shot ever at the Jake (the team’s misfortunes started when they sponsored the stadium), but I think I saw another ball in there and the announcers didn’t seem too fazed by it.

Oh my God, is that Mike Napoli!  I couldn’t believe that was him at first base.  The man’s dropped like 30 pounds.  Not sure about the beard though.  It’s so thick, it looks like there’s a fake, plastic beard glued to his face.  Then there's Tyler Saladino on the Sox with the worst mustache ever.  It's what a handlebar mustache looks like if its not waxed.  Messy as hell.  Regardless, the Indians did not disappoint.  Though they went down 3-0 early, the Tribe managed to claw back into the game and won it on a sac fly in the 9th, 5-4.

While all this was going on, I was missing the finale of the Chihuahuas and the Sky Sox in Colorado Springs.  After the 1st inning, it was 5-4 Sky Sox, and there were three pass balls.  In the 3rd, it was 9-4 Sky Sox.  In the 8th, it was 13-5 Sky Sox, at which point I decided I didn’t want to know what the final score was going to be.  (That was the final.)  Right now, the only thing in the dogs’ favor is that there’s only a bit more than two weeks left in the season and their opponents are going to have to win for a week straight to beat them out of the division lead.
 
The Rangers and Rockies were off today.  They deserved it.