Baseball 2017 Rewind Part 3

October

10-1-17--The core of the championship-winning Royals come off the field together for their last game of the season.

10-4-17--The Rockies and the Diamondbacks had an epic Wild Card game.  Even the disappointed Rockies thought it was a great game afterward.  This was just an appetizer for what was coming in the World Series.

10-9-17--The Astros squeaked out a win on a rainy afternoon in Boston to advance to the ALCS.

10-11-17--The Yankees eliminated my World Series pick, the Indians.  Joe Girardi’s job is saved.

10-12-17--The Nationals were eliminated by the Cubs and take over the mantle of “Baseball’s lovable losers.”

10-13-17--The Astros took Game 1 of the ALCS over the Yankees behind some stellar defense.  I took several potshots at the Fox Sports coverage.

10-14-17--The Astros took Game 2 as Jose Altuve went first to home in the ninth with the winning run.

10-20-17--Kate Upton pitched the Astros into a decisive Game 7 with the Yankees. 

10-21-17--The Astros advanced to the World Series by beating the Yankees.  Gary Sanchez and Joe Girardi’s jobs are on thin ice.  (Joe would actually get fired a couple days later.)

10-25-17--Game 2 of the World Series between the Astros and Dodgers became an instant classic.  Both teams had ample chances to win the game late, but dramatic, clutch hitting kept it going in extras.  This game may never be topped.

10-26-17--Yu Darvish had a nightmare-ish start for the Dodgers in Game 3.  If this series goes the distance, I’m sure he’ll redeem himself.  [I wasn’t trying to be ironic there.  I was honestly sure he would at the time.]

10-29-17--With the series tied, a probable pitchers’ duel between Dallas Keuchel and Clayton Kershaw was on tap for Game 5.  Nearly five and half hours later, the final score would be 13-12 Astros.  You really can’t predict baseball.  Game 2 of this series just got bumped to the second greatest World Series game.

November

11-1-17--Much of the drama of Game 7 was spent by the second inning as George Springer homered in the fifth run against Yu Darvish.  With what had happened in the previous six games, nobody was really sure there wouldn’t be a Dodger comeback, but the Astros held it and won.  If you’re a baseball fan, you can scarcely believe your luck in watching these great post-season games over the last few years.  I certainly can’t.  

Baseball 2017 Rewind Part 2

August

8-1-17--Ray’s pitcher, Chris Archer, and Astros’ mascot, Orbit, began hostilities with a declaration.  Tim Hagerty was looking forward to the team’s first meeting with the New Orleans Baby Cakes.

8-3-17--War broke out between Archer and Orbit with water balloons.  People get wet.  Meanwhile, Joey Gallo on the Rangers put a couple of batted balls in orbit.  Our first meeting between the Chihuahuas and the Baby Cakes was canceled for rain.  The question of which team with the worst name would win had to wait.  On the blog, I took a shot at Colin Kaepernick and did not receive a +1 on a blog entry for the first time in years.  

8-4-17--Yesterday’s rainout caused a late double-header to be played tonight between the Chihuahuas and the Baby Cakes.  Very late.  1:35 am CST to be precise.  Even with a pair of seven-inning games, the second one went into extras, increasing the agony. 

8-6-17--Another rainout forced another double-header between the Chihuahuas and the Baby Cakes.  The pups ended up losing both games to the worst team in the PCL.  This was where they hit bottom.

8-7-17--Former Chihuahuas’ teammates faced each other in the majors.  Patrick Kivelhan took Phil Maton deep for a grand slam.  The Chihuahuas themselves got a great win over the Grizzlies.  This was where they started their comeback.

8-8-17--The Fresno Tacos ran out an unknown pinch hitter in the ninth.  Who was this mysterious identified player?

8-11-17--“Folk hero” Cody Decker made his return to El Paso with the Las Vegas 51’s.  Even better, he brought his fiancée, Jenn Sterger, who acted as co-host on local sports talk that afternoon.

8-12-17--So much for weather forecasting in Arlington.  Unexpected rain delayed today’s Rangers game, but after honoring Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez on field.  The Chihuahuas had a great comeback win in the ninth.

8-14-17--Cody Decker was still the talk of the town, and I posted a link to the video where Jenn Sterger was on El Paso Sports Talk.  Tim Hagerty had a great conversation with a Chihuahuas’ super-fan during the game.

8-15-17--I took another shot at Kaepernick and the sports media and ceased to receive any more +1’s on my blog entries (or at least ones that registered on my end because I keep seeing where people have done it, but it doesn’t show on the blog stats).     

  

8-16-17—Here, I made the prediction that the Chihuahuas’ alternate identity next year will be the Chimichangas.  It was another big series with the Isotopes, this time for second place.

8-18-17--Tim Hagerty made a rare opinioned take on El Paso Sports Talk, saying he didn’t like a Tom Petty song.  With Petty’s death a couple months later, no doubt Tim, being such a nice person, feels terrible now.  The Chihuahuas took second place from the Isotopes.

8- 19-17--The Padres sent down Hunter Renfroe to the Chihuahuas today.  He would proceed to go crazy on Triple-A pitching for the rest of the season.  This was the Padres’ best move of the year.

8-21-17--Eclipse Day!  Tim Hagerty was in the path of totality, but missed it.

8-27-17--The Rangers were swept by the A’s, the worst team in the AL West.  They were now done for the season.

8-29-17—A 13-10 Chihuahuas win.  They were closing in on first, but after a second half freefall, the Bees were matching the pups, win-for-win.

8-30-17--Tim Hagerty was joined by a sponsor in the booth and a huge Chihuahuas fan.  After 14 hard innings, the Chihuahuas refused to lose.

8-31-17--The Chihuahuas finally took first place.

September

9-2-17--The Stadium Network debuted locally here.

9-3-17--The Chihuahuas clinched the division.  Tim Hagerty had the day off before the day before, so they had to wait for him to get back.  They were 8 games out halfway through the season with no more games scheduled against the leader.

9-4-17--The Chihuahuas lost the last game of the season in completely horrific fashion.  I’m still not over the shock.  Thankfully, it didn’t matter and didn’t carry over into the playoffs.

9-8-17--The Chihuahuas moved on to the PCL Championship series.

9-14-17--Delayed by weather, Game 2 of the PCL Championship series was a day game.  It was an improbable 0-0 in the eleventh, before the Memphis Redbirds won it on a solo home run.

9-15-17--The Cleveland Indians 22-game winning streak came to an end.  The Dodgers, whom SI jinxed by calling “The best team ever,” also had an incredible losing streak during this time.  Not baseball-related, but I loved the Boise State/Minnesota volleyball game that night.

9-17-17--The PCL Championship came down to a decisive Game 5.  The Chihuahuas lost, but it was an awesome season.

9-26-17--I’m done with the NFL.  Long live baseball!

9-30-17--Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants pitched his last game and retired.

Baseball 2017 Rewind Part 1

With the season done and endless days of winter ahead, let’s take a look back at the season.  I already recapped Aggie baseball and softball (5-30-17).  This will focus mostly on the El Paso Chihuahuas and their great run this year, along with some MLB (and some random sports stories).

April

4-20-17--The Chihuahuas lost a game where they got 17 strikeouts and led 5-0.

4-27-17--Link to a great article about the Rockies’ walk-up music.

4-30-17--A Salt Lake City Bees pitcher was ejected before the game started over where he was sitting the bullpen.

May

5-4-17--I got to listen to the radio call of a Padres game.  The guys were great.  I need to make sure to listen to them every time I can.

5-5-17--The Rangers played an absurdly long game against the Mariners.

5-16-17--Hard loss in a long game for the Chihuahuas.

5-29-17--Joey Gallo for the Rangers hit some great home runs this year, but tonight he had a truly awesome foul ball.

June

6-1-17--The Chihuahuas didn’t win tonight, but had a heck of a comeback.

6-2-17--Sam Dyson was released from the Rangers.  Shin-Soo Choo posted a poignant message about it.

6-5-17--This may have been the first in a season-long series of epic games between the Chihuahuas and the Albuquerque Isotopes.  The pups almost lost after getting a huge lead.

6-7-17--A ninth inning comeback for the Chihuahuas.

6-8-17--And they do it again to the Isotopes in the ninth.  Up until the late season playoff drive, these were the best Chihuahuas’ games of the season.

6-9-17--Here, the Rangers started a three-game sweep of the first place Nationals on the road.  They had a 10-game winning streak in May, and the Nationals were in the middle of a difficult part of their schedule, but this felt like the Rangers’ best performance of the season.

6-13-17--Tim Hagerty and Steve Kaplowitz had fun calling a Chihuahuas’ game.

6-18-17--This night was the Mexican League Baseball Home Run Derby.

6-19-17--And then the Mexican League All-Star Game.

6-20-17--Seldom does the PA get mentioned in a baseball post, but this time the Fresno Grizzlies’ guy went overboard with the sound effects.

6-24-17--El Paso Chihuahuas versus Albuquerque Isotopes for five and a half hours in one epic throwdown.

6-25-17--Carter Capps was ejected for “illegal” pitches in a Chihuahuas’ game.  Still talking about yesterday’s game too.

6-26-17--And more about that epic game.  It was that unbelievable.  

July

7-2-17--New Ranger, Pete Kozma, had quite an adventure on the base pads one inning.

7-8-17--Tim Hagerty had a long, interesting chat with a Chihuahuas’ staff member.

7-9-17--The Chihuahuas finished a three-game sweep of the Salt Lake City Bees in this 10:00 am start game, right before the All-Star break.  This ended up being a huge series victory as it brought the pups within five of the division-leading Bees.  It was the last time they played each other this season, and the Chihuahuas made it count.

7-11-17--MLB All-Star Game.  It was a fun event this year.  I was e-mailing my Aunt Judy during the game.  She was excited about her favorite player, Yadier Molina, hitting a homer.

7-13-17--This Chihuahuas’ game was noteworthy for the bizarre walk-up music promotion by the home team.  Tim Hagerty was fascinated by a Single-A game, however.  It went 20 innings before being suspended for rain.

7-14-17--We lost Tim Hagerty for two days with laryngitis.  No offense to the replacements, but it was awful.

7-23-17--“The Rangers turn a double play, and the Rays score the tying run.  Everybody’s happy.”  I still can’t get over Eric Nadel’s commentary of this Rangers/Rays game.  I remember this being a fun game.

7-24-17--There were an odd series of events that led up to this, but the Omaha Storm Chasers ran out of pitchers in tonight’s game against the Chihuahuas.  Tim Hagerty was aghast.

7-25-17--It was the “Christmas in July” promotion in Philadelphia.  In a tremendous production, a scene from A Christmas Story was re-enacted with the Philly Phanatic putting his tongue on a light pole.

7-29-17--The Yankees scored a run on a triple-play.  You read that right.  (Technically, that happened the night before.)

7-30-17--Adrian Beltre hit career #3,000.  The Rangers’ season was not a complete waste.

7-31-17--The Rangers traded Yu Darvish and Jonathan Lucroy, functionally ending their season.  The team actually played fairly well after this for a while.  It makes you wonder.  Twins management did the same in dumping players and ended up in the playoffs anyway.  I love my comment at the end.  Me and Tim Hagerty were about ready to give up on the Chihuahuas’ season as well.

2017 World Series Recap

Let’s face the music.  It’s time to review my pre-season preview (3-30-17).  The Red Sox did win their division, but were as “soft” predicted.  I was all wrong about the Blue Jays, and the Yankees weren’t on my radar.  I did have the Indians and Astros winning their divisions.  Those were easy picks.  Oopsie.  The Mets sucked, but the Nationals did turn out to be post-season losers again.  The Cubs and Dodgers were also easy divisional picks.  Though a completely off-handed comment, I do give myself credit for calling it with the Dodgers ending up with the best record in the baseball.  The only thing I got right in my post-season predictions was calling the Astros “my backup pick,” but I was really convinced this going to be the Indians’ year.  The Astros had burned me last year (3-25-16), so I was going to be reluctant to pick them outright again.

This World Series was the battle between two Sports Illustrated cover jinxes.  Let’s start with talking about them.   

I finally read the Dodgers article in this issue the day after the season ended.  My reading pile has been huge this summer.  I just never got to it and didn’t care about the Dodgers, regardless of how good they were.  (This was also the last issue of my free SI subscription.)  The story inside was actually mostly about Justin Turner.  It was about his relationship to the team, and theirs to him.  This article was mostly remembered for its bad timing.  The Dodgers were experiencing an abysmal losing streak when it came out and asked if they were the greatest team ever.     

  

I re-read this now famous, 2014 Astros article right after reading the Dodger article.  I remember seeing this issue on the newsstand and now regret not buying it (since it’s worth serious money), but I did download an online copy of the article at the time instead.  This article was more in-depth about team, as it was trying to explain why the Astros were so bad (three 100+ loss seasons in a row).  The players did not “tank” for those seasons; management did, by putting a Triple-A level team on the field.  There was a plan, characterized as an Astros’ version of Moneyball, and it detailed how it could potentially result in a championship.  I think the cover and the hypothetical 2017 season in review were mostly to get attention, if not tongue-in-cheek.  They were close on calling the Astros’ record for the year, but had them beating the Cubs in the 2017 World Series (which also came close to happing). 

George Springer and Carlos Correa were prominently mentioned, but it was striking how many other prospect names were highlighted, who did not make the team or stay with them.  Jose Altuve was a “diminutive second baseman” with a good batting average, and Dallas Keuchel was a “maturing” pitcher.  They were just nice little pieces in the puzzle, not potential stars.  (Alex Bregman wasn’t even on the radar.)  The Astros’ plan was by no means foolproof.  Their plethora high draft picks were not guarantees of future big league stars.  It was a good strategy in retrospect, but could have been a compounding disaster if they’d had any bad luck or poor attitude with their core guys.             

I’d like to think that that audacious SI cover actually inspired the team into a self-fulfilling prophecy.  That was nearly the only media prediction about the series that came true.  It seemed like the Dodgers should have rolled right over the Astros, even with their close records.  The Dodgers had just stomped on the World Champion Cubs, while the Astros had barely beaten the upstart Yankees. 

In team composition, the Dodgers had the edge in the relief pitching, but starting pitching, hitting, and fielding were actually a toss-up.  Still, the Dodgers had the celebrities, the bigger media market, and a much bigger payroll.  These are critical elements in building a championship-winning team, so they would be the favorites.  (I don’t know what the sarcasm emojj is.)  It’s worth noting that the Astros beat the three highest payroll teams in the majors (the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox) in the playoffs.  We can at least breathe a sigh of relief that the championship this year wasn’t outright purchased.   

Looking back on the Series, I really can’t quite find a pattern to discern the path to victory for the Astros.  I don’t see the instrument of the Dodgers’ downfall either.  (No, don’t say “Darvish” or “Dave Roberts,” unless you’re a bitter Dodgers fan grasping for straws.)  Two of the seven games (2 and 5) were absolutely back-breaking for both teams’ pitching, while being totally clutch for their hitting.  The other games were fairly normal by comparison. 

The day after Game 7, I listened to ESPN Radio to see what they had to say.  (Why do I keep listening if I hate these guys?  Mostly because they provide me with endless fodder for this blog.)  The two dummies I heard started off their show expressing disappointment.  The wrong team had won and Game 7 wasn’t epic like the earlier games.  Pshaw.  The hosts then went so far out of their way to take a shot at Papa John’s Pizza, they had to take a bus to get there.  As a major sponsor, Papa John’s isn’t happy with the NFL taking a knee and driving down ratings, so the company and pizza in general must now be targeted.  (Really, they thought all pizza itself was now tainted.)  It was a “great” 10-whole-minutes of World Series analysis before they went back to their endless loop programming of talking about LeBron James and the NFL. 

Somewhere in the middle of their bored tirade, they took a shot at Dodger manager, Dave Roberts, for starting Yu Darvish instead of Clayton Kershaw.  No matter how well one team plays than the other, there has to be a scapegoat for the losing team.  A team can’t just be beaten, that’s not controversial enough.  There was no doubt in my mind, Darvish should have started.  What was more likely: Darvish having another career-worst outing or Kershaw flaming out on short rest in the playoffs again?  Clayton Kershaw had two great outings in the Series, sandwiching one really bad outing.  Even in one of the good outings, he basically had no pressure on him pitching those four scoreless innings in Game 7. 

 

Yu Darvish did have two of the worst starts of his career.  There’s little sugar-coating that.  I didn’t hear anybody mention this, but he was the only Dodger pitcher that the Astros were well-acquainted with from his time with the Rangers.  Also, the coaching staff did extensively tinker with his throwing motion when he got to LA.  Add some World Series pressure to that and maybe that’s why Darvish started coming apart. 

Astros’ star starting pitching wasn’t that great either.  Dallas Keuchel lost his first game to Kershaw and didn’t last in his second outing (but it wasn’t like anybody else did in Game 5 either).  Justin Verlander got a loss and a no decision.  Verlander also complained that the balls this season were juiced.  It’s hard to argue against that possibility.  I saw him throw back several balls in his last game to the umpire.  Manager AJ Hinch didn’t want to use either of these guys in Game 7 on short rest out of the bullpen. 

Relief pitching was a notable difference.  Kenley Jansen seemed so automatic this season for the Dodgers, but overwork may have done him in as the Astros found him quite hittable.  Houston went into the series having already basically lost their closer, Ken Giles.  Hinch had to go away from inning-by-inning specialists and two-inning closers.  He went long with Brad Peacock and Charlie Morton going several innings to finish games.  I don’t think this will start a trend, but it worked here in a pinch.

On the hitting side, I’ve seldom seen better hitting and less effective hitting out of the same two teams playing each other.  The Dodgers seemed like the better hitting team overall in the series, while the Astros lost games going nearly stone-cold (but never shut out).  Had Games 2 and 5 played out in a less epic fashion, surely the Dodgers would have won the Series.  Los Angeles wanted those two games really bad, but Houston wanted them more.  Who can really explain the motivation of players in such events?   

The MLB lucked out with another great post-season.  Hopefully, this will be the norm and fans will keep watching in October, even if their favorite team has been eliminated.  Maybe someday, the league championships will be back on over-the-air TV, instead of a three-digit cable network.  We can forget pace-of-play improvement in baseball.  Fox was monetizing dead time with micro-commercials.  When do we start getting the epilepsy-inducing Max Headroom Blip-verts? 

Lastly, we can at least all feel good for the city of Houston.  After the hurricane and the flooding, thankfully the Astros gave them something to rally around.  It’s just a game, but the people there needed something to cheer about while rebuilding.  It’s great to see a sport that brings communities together (unlike some other sports).  

Sports Journal November 1, 2017

11-1-17

I feel like I’m about to summarize WWII by starting with a short discussion of the Spanish Civil War.  The tyranny of linear time, however, forces my hand.  You’ll see what I mean.  Days like today, I really question the format of this blog.  I started my evening at work with an unexpected upgrade (at least on my part), so my important viewing plans were disrupted badly in the early evening, which accounts for some spotty coverage. 

Aggie Soccer finished their season with a .500 record overall and in conference after they’d lost their last game on Saturday.  Their first game in the WAC Tournament was a rematch with Seattle U, whom they’d beaten in Seattle earlier in the month.  I was able to watch via the WAC Digital network, but other obligations kept me from watching most of it.  That was okay, as it turned out to be a 3-0 revenge-fest for the Redhawks.  I saw their last goal.  Aggie goalie Dmitri Fong was on the ground, getting kicked, while still trying to recover the ball in the box.  She made a really heroic effort.  Audrey Chavez was back and playing on what was described as an “80% hamstring.”  These girls are tough.  The hosts highlighted Aileen Galicia in the pre-game show and singled her out during the match for her good play. 

That’s all for Aggie Soccer this season.  I think the program has really improved, and I enjoyed watching them (a major admission for a non-soccer fan).  The girls are very easy to root for, especially after meeting some of them.  I’m looking forward to seeing them again next year (hopefully).  [Late update: Coach Freddy Delgado’s contract was not renewed after the season.  This is shocking given the team’s good showing this year and beating their rivals, the UNM Lobos (who were a good team) and the UTEP Miners for the first time.  Maybe he asked for a larger raise than the school could afford.  I hope the girls aren’t too upset and that a good, new coach can be found.  Good luck to Coach Delgado, unless he goes to one of our rivals.]   

 At the same time this was going on, the raison d'etat of my existence, Game 7 of the World Series between the Astros and the Dodgers, was being unwatched by myself because of work-related obligations.  The hardware upgrade was disrupting my schedule, but at least I got pizza out of it.  I got in bits and pieces at the beginning of the game.  The Astros started off well, as George Springer doubled in the first at bat of the game.  An error drove him in.  Jose Altuve drove in Alex Bregman on a fielder’s choice.  2-0 Astros.  I missed all of that. 

I did see Yuli Guriel’s at bat against Yu Darvish, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher.  Guriel’s mockery of Darvish hadn’t endeared him to the LA fans.  You could tell every time he was coming to bat just by the boo’s.  In the last game, the camera men were zooming in on angry Asian fans in the crowd.  Congrats to the MLB for not affecting World Series play with a PC suspension.  Darvish, you’re a class act.  Yuli, buy an atlas.  Japan isn’t in China.  For his part, Guriel tipped his helmet to Darvish before the at bat by way of an apology and a “thank you” for not asking for an immediate suspension.  What could have tainted this World Series, instead reinforced sportsmanship.  A 13-pitch battle ensued, which ended in a fly out.  Clayton Kershaw was already warming up in the Dodger bullpen. 

Darvish didn’t settle in after that in the second inning.  A walk, a double, and a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Astros’ pitcher, Lance McCullers, added another run, but a two-run homer in Springer’s second at bat chased Darvish from the game.  5-0 Astros.  Given what had happened in the previous six games, nobody took this as a comfortable lead.  Kershaw came out to start the third.  Some ESPN Radio hosts insisted before the game that he needed to be used tonight to “save his legacy.”  Obviously this was media code for “not make us look so bad for hyping him up before the series.” 

It wasn’t exactly a great starting pitching performance on the other side.  After McCullers had hit his fourth batter of the game, he had to come out, leaving two on.  Later, he said was completely spent and was pitching with nothing working.  Brad Peacock came in and closed the inning.  The Dodgers were getting their chances, but weren’t cashing them in.  Kershaw would go four scoreless innings, thus deflecting criticism away from Darvish and on to manager Dave Roberts.  The sports media could now second guess who the Dodger starter should have been and make themselves look good for backing Kershaw all along. 

Andre Ethier came off the bench for a pinch hit single to score a run in the sixth, but that was all the damage, 5-1.  Strangely, Kenley Jansen started the seventh.  I think the rationale for bringing in the Dodger closer so early was to face the heart of the Astros’ order.  Charlie Morton came in for the Astros in the sixth.  He did a good enough job that when his spot came up in the ninth, he batted for himself.  The bottom of the ninth featured three listless at bats by the Dodgers.  No more heroics for this series.  The Dodgers were spent.  The Astros won the game 5-1 and the series 3-2. 

And . . . exhale. 

I had actually been on pins and needles since the end of last night’s game, wondering what was going to happen tonight.  After winning two of the best of World Series games ever, it would have been a shame if the Astros hadn’t won the series.  It would have been like that “Shot heard ‘round the world” footnote that the “Giants win the pennant!” but didn’t win the series.  After Game 5, I don’t know if me or anyone else could have taken another heart-stopper.  Being a fan is stressful.  It could certainly be worse.  I heard that a lot of money was bet on the Dodgers winning Game 7, including somebody making a $14 million bet.  Part of me hopes that didn’t really happen, that it was just a gag story.  Speaking of stress, my co-worker Mike somehow got blamed and yelled at by his girlfriend for the Dodger loss.  He wasn’t even watching.

There were remote shots of 17,000 people in Houston at Minute Maid Park for a viewing party, cheering their heads off.  Charlie Morton got awarded the win for the game.  He was choked up and emotional afterward.  With five home runs in the Series, George Springer was the MVP.  Carlos Beltran finally got a ring, along with fellow veterans Justin Verlander, Brian McCann, and Evan Gattis.  They can retire happy now whenever they decide they’re done.  The future still looks bright for the youngsters on the Astros.      

Then the crowning moment.  I was watching a serious Carlos Correa being interviewed on the field by Ken Rosenthal, still marveling how bad his beard looks.  Carlos said, “I want to take the next big step in my life,” and suddenly he turned to his shocked girlfriend and went down on one knee to propose.  Look at the women in the background.  That was me.  It was so romantic.  Ahhh.  The perfect ending to this World Series.

(Yeah, this is why baseball is great.  NFL players just go down on one knee on camera to protest America, and they only propose to girlfriends who can take getting slapped around.)

Sports Journal October 31, 2017

10-31-17

I need to revisit Aggie football on Saturday (10-28-17).  My co-worker, Mike, was there and brought back a story.  His girlfriend’s son had expressed some interest in going earlier in the week, but hadn’t said anything by Saturday.  As Laiza had just put a batch of brownies in the oven and they were about to settle in to watch the World Series, the boy came in and said him and his friends wanted to go to the football game.  Unpleasantness ensued, but off to the game they went.

Once there, they found out that the flyers being distributed around town were not free tickets, but rather coupons for $10 tickets.  After some more chaos because a couple of the kids lost theirs, it was $50 for them to all get in.  Not a bad price for five people, but not free.  Our place of business had offered free tickets to a couple of games earlier in the season.  I mentioned on Friday to Mike that the final home game was going to have $5 tickets, so I can understand the irritation over having to pay.  They did not see any farm animals or displays from the AG day event at the stadium.  They might have gotten there just before the game started. 

The game went well enough at first with the Aggies keeping it close or being ahead.  However as the game went on, the temperature began dropping and the wind picked up.  Having been there myself, it does get colder there than the temperature reading would indicate.  They were freezing.  Meanwhile, the boys had wandered off.  After searching around the stadium, Laiza and Mike found them behind the eastside club section, sliding down the hill there.  Mike thought that looked like fun and was about to join them, but Laiza started yelling at them to stop and to go back to their seats.  Like real Aggies fans, they left as soon as the team went down by a couple of scores late and returned home to watch the end of the baseball game. 

I was surprised that Laiza wanted to see the World Series, since she’s a boxing fan, not a baseball fan. She’s rooting on the Dodgers.  Perhaps that July Fourth trip to see the fireworks there made her a big fan.  Mike was worried about watching tonight’s game with her, since it was a possible closeout game for the Astros.  He didn’t want to bear the brunt of her wrathful disappointment. 

Yesterday morning, some ESPN Radio jerkoffs were mocking the notion that baseball is back as a popular sport.  Take a knee, guys.  (On the other hand, that was Joe Buck saying, “Baseball is back.”  Not exactly a worthwhile source.)  One of the hosts was talking about falling asleep during the game.  They spent much of their time defending Clayton Kershaw, who before the game, the sports media had been claiming was “the greatest pitcher ever.”  Now they’re calling him a playoff choker, again. 

The TV view at Dodger Stadium was not promising for Game 6 between the Dodgers and Astros, with Astros one win away from the championship.  Anywhere else, it looked like a sure rain storm was coming.  In southern California though, it only resulted in a light misting halfway through the game.  There was reportedly a section full of Astro fans there.  The announcers speculated that Dodger fans had sold their tickets.  Several celebrities and former Dodger greats were shown in the crowd.  Kate Upton was in a box.  She was there to cheer on tonight’s Astros’ starter, Justin Verlander.  Whew, boy.  Yikes.  Justin, however this series turns out, you are the winner.

While I’d be very busy with month end stuff later, early in the evening I had time to watch without much distraction.  Of course I was out of the room when George Springer got the scoring started in the third with a solo home run, 1-0 Astros.  A sponsor was giving $20K for hurricane relief for every home run.  I don’t think they knew what they were signing up for.  Verlander was looking good.  By the fourth, he had gotten his seventh strikeout. 

In the fifth, the Astros loaded the bases with two outs.  Dave Roberts took out Dodger starter, Rich Hill.  The crowd groaned in disapproval, but the Astros didn’t score.  In the sixth, the Astros got two on, but still didn’t get anyone across.  The Dodgers were now on their third pitcher.  In the bottom, Chris Taylor doubled in a run with two on, and a Corey Seager sacrifice gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

For the seventh, Verlander was lifted for a pinch hitter, while the Dodgers went to their fourth pitcher.  The Astros left two on again, but it was Joc Pederson who added to the Dodger lead in the inning with a home run, 3-1 Dodgers.  At this point, I got busy with work and actually lost track of what inning was being played.  Kenley Jansen came in as the Dodgers’ fifth and final pitcher.  He closed out the game and got the save.  3-1 Dodgers final.  The bad news for me was that the Astros lost.  The good news was that my co-worker wasn’t killed in a domestic disturbance had they won.  Anyone with a prediction for Game 7 clearly hasn’t been watching this series.  There’s no telling what’s going to happen.

Sports Journal October 29, 2017

10-29-17 

I was exhausted Sunday morning.  It must have been all of the channel switching Saturday night.  I watched the F1 race from Mexico this afternoon.  There was a massive, enthusiastic crowd there.  The grid girls were made up for Dia de los Muertos, which wasn’t an improvement.  On the grid walk, Will Buxton talked to the race promoter for Mexico and the US race in Austin.  The promoter mentioned this was NBC’s last season for F1 and genuinely thanked them for their efforts in showcasing these two races and gave Will a hug.  Will gave it back and was momentarily choked up.  It was a rather since moment in a very insincere sport.

Lewis Hamilton had all but wrapped up the championship before this race, but did manage to make it interesting as he and his nearest competitor, Sebastian Vettel, collided on the first lap.  Vettel made a frantic charge after repairs to no avail.  Hammy won his fourth championship.  Max Verstappen actually won the race.  During the race, Nico Hulkenberg was ordered to park the car immediately on track by his engineers.  He was told to get out quickly and to make sure and step on the hood before getting on the ground.  There was some malfunction with the brakes’ energy-return system which had created a dangerous charge in the car and they wanted him to be grounded before getting out.  It’s a new world in racing.          

Houston, Game 5, World Series, Astros, Dodgers.  I had a static-y radio call going for the night with the lousy TV call muted.  There was also a 10-second delay on the TV, so it was a bit of a strain watching the game, but nothing compared to the stress of the events that unfolded.  I’m still in shock the morning after this game.  After Wednesday’s “greatest World Series game,” nobody was expecting something even better to come along this weekend.  These two teams are playing just like they won over 100 games in the regular season and didn’t want to lose.  Any recap of Game 5 is going to be insufficient.  Like the battle of Clontarf between the Irish and the Vikings, its recounting cannot be trusted to historians and should instead go straight to the bards and mythologists.

This game was an obvious pitchers’ duel between staff aces, Clayton Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel.  Further, the home plate umpire (didn’t catch his name) was known for a wide strike zone.  Real wide.  Batters were complaining throughout the game, and judging by the TV strike zone, they were fully justified.  Announcers were saying this was hastening the day of the electronic strike zone.  If I was writing recaps before the event like actual sports writers, I’d have this a 0-0 tie in the ninth with Kershaw working on a 10-inning no-hitter.  

That narrative exploded in the top of the first as the Dodgers put up three runs.  Logan Forsythe drove in two of those runs with a hit.  In the fourth, Austin Barnes drove in Forsythe, who’d doubled, and this drove Keuchel from the game at 4-0 Dodgers.  On the Stadium network, they were doing a replay of last year’s Game 7 with the Cubs and Indians, but I decided to stick with this game.  It seemed all but out-of-hand for the Astros, but Kershaw showed his vulnerability in the bottom.  Carlos Correa drove in a run, then Yuli Gurriel blasted a three-run homer to tie the score at 4. 

The Dodgers came right back on a suspect Astros’ bullpen with a Cody Bellinger three-run homer to make it 7-4 in the fifth.  Kershaw had gotten two outs in the bottom, but after letting two on, he was taken out.  Speaking of suspect bullpens, Jose Altuve came up and cranked a three-run homer to the balcony in left center, 7 all.  The tension ratcheted up as George Springer in center misplayed a single which resulted in a Dodger run, 8-7. 

Springer bounced right back (mentally strangling myself for that pun) with a home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie it.  The hits continued.  Altuve doubled in Alex Bregman and Correa hit a two-run homer, 11-8 Astros.  Eighth inning, Corey Seager doubled in a run, 11-9.  In the bottom, Brian McCann homered 12-9.  Has everyone scored and hit a home run tonight?

Ooops, not Yasiel Puig.  In the ninth, he hit a two-run homer off Chris Devenski, working in his second inning.  The ball went into a section of Astros fans.  A guy grabbed it from the lady who caught it and threw it back, as the other fans tried to restrain him.  Turned out it was her brother-in-law.  She said she was going to throw it back anyway.  Barnes doubled.  Down to their last strike, Chris Taylor singled him in to tie the game at 12.  Kenley Jansen came in for the bottom and gave up a double Gurriel, but he was left stranded. 

By this point, you could see the capacity crowd in Houston was exhausted.  It was after midnight there and they’d been put through an emotional wringer.  The players themselves had to be operating on sheer will.  Joe Musgrove worked a scoreless top of the tenth.  With two outs in the bottom of the tenth, Jansen hit McCann to put him on and a walk moved him to second.  At this point, Derek Fisher was put in as a pinch runner for McCann.  This put the Astros in a real spot, as their backup catcher was their DH.  This was going to cause problems if the game continued past this inning.  Alex Bregman hit a swallow single to center.  Fisher went flat out with the pitch, around third, and slide uncontested into home.  After five hours and 17 minutes, Astros win 13-12.  Scream, cheer, cry, collapse, do whatever seems appropriate to you, it was over.

In a post-game interview, Bregman put the turning point of the game in the fourth.  The infielders gathered behind the mound and just told each other to “Play loose.”  Incomprehensibly with the events following that advice, they were playing like they’d already lost and were just trying to have fun.  I suspect after they’d tied the score, things got more serious.  He finished the interview shouting out, “How about Houston!” to acknowledge the fans and the city.  During the post-game, a crowd of insane fans were shouting out, “Beat LA!”  I should try to analyze this game, but no way!  We’re going to wait until after the series to try and make sense of this, if that can even happen.