Tagged: Uniforms and Memorabilia Hall of Fame History and Tributes Home Runs Hot Stove International Baseball Minor Leagues My Team(s) Players Playoffs

That was the week that was, in no small part

Let’s consider some hidden gems last week in baseball annals:

Michael Buffer voice: “Let’s get ready to ruminate…”

“I alone have escaped to tell thee”…(Coleridge-to-Tinker-to-No Chance, Wrigley Field 8/14/85).

Pity the poor Pirates —  The defense rests. And rests and rests. It’s bad. They just finished a stretch of at least one error in 16 of the last 17 games through April 20. Defense wins ball games. The Pirates lose ball games. Get it? And what ya gonna do next? Punt.

Addendum: The Bucs were one of Branch Rickey’s stops. Luck is the residue of design, he said. So, this is the residue of what?

Hidden Ball Trick Pony — Ronny Paulino discovered an interesting twist to catching the damn baseball already. The old rawhide ripped into ye olde throat guard and Houdini-like disappeared within the chest protector trick. Yeah, it happens every spring. Err, Paulino was no worse for wear although he took a while to produce the ball.

Hidden Ball Trick Pony Part Two — Maybe that’s how they do things in Havana, but Yunei Escobar seemed almost shocked his hidden ball trick didn’t fool anybody at Atlanta. That’s not how we do it this side of the Sugar Curtain, Charlie.

Final fallout from Padres-Rockies 22 inning affair — It only took 659 pitches for the Rockies to score that exciting — if you like to watch cricket, shuffleboard, or bass fishing, paint dry — 2-1 victory for the ages and it took the ages to do so, longest game in innings played since 1993 and eighth longest game in time played since 1920.  But that’s not even the good part. They don’t have no stinking curfew in the National League — The AL won’t even think about starting an inning after 1 a.m. — but they sure as shooting do at Lindbergh Field San Diego. Flights are not supposed to leave after 3 a.m. However, regional airport authorities special sauced the baseball charters. Home team first, the Padres left around 3:15 a.m. for Phoenix, followed by the Rockies to Houston. Unfortunately, with the time change and all, The Rockaroos got to Oil Town at 7 a.m., just in time for morning glory commute. Funskis! Of course, air rage. Rockies scored six runs in the top of the 1st Inning and cruised to victory. Padres, not so much. Another day, another loss to the high flying D-Backs.

Torii Hunter Bentley IV Jr. , Sir —  The new Bentley was a real trip for the guy who came from the ghetto to make it big. But it didn’t get very far. Rear-ended just a few blocks from the ballpark. A bit bruised and battered, nevertheless Hunter took the field and took it out on the Mariners (not so ancient, see Coleridge citation above) crashing into the fence as he robbed Richie Sexson of what would have been a game winning  home run in the 9th Inning.

Khalil Greene — Something is rotten in the state of the normally sure-handed and steady shortstop. Two errors in barely a week. Strikeouts and not much else at the plate. He just plain looks distracted.   Time for some consummate zen, Mojombo.

And so it goes…

If you have 22 innings in the office pool, why do you have…never mind, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here

Nothing says special than banging the drum slowly past 1 a.m. in the top of the 22nd Inning at Petco Park.

It helps to like singles. There’s been a zinglinion of them. And weak ground outs. And slow reflexes. And too many hot dogs for the bumbuns and birds.
OK, nothing makes sense anymore. Tulowitzki again. How many times has he strode the late. Eight, nine, one hit, many outs.
A sharp double to left-center after an error. Look out below. Rockies have a one run lead. At last, we can rest.
‘Tis the bottom of the 22nd, 22 innings and not much scoring. Honestly, they’ll have to stop playing. Go ahead and hit Greene at 1:15 a.m. Kip Wells and prepare to descend to the lower levels of Dante’s den. There will be no sacrifice bunting in the bottom of the 22nd. Are you kidding me. And Josh Bard, catcher has played all 22 and is now up hitting into a double play.
A walk. What does it take to kill the Kervoka. Come on Kip Wells. You are crazy wild. And finally strike three.
That handles that. A long time playing but where’s the humanity when it ends. My dog has died.

While I’ve got your attention in the 21st Inning, this thing has got to end

It’s obvious. Nobody is going to score. It’s like an episode of “Lost”. Many hours and innings ago, the pictures of the seeping people were old. It’s tiring just to watch. Kip Wells v. Glendon Rusch, sort of a greatest hit of the early 2000s. Who knew they’d be up and at ’em?

We MUST HAVE CLOSURE.  Too many left on base. Too many hopes and dreams mercilessly crushed. Who can stop this madness? Stop the rain.
I’m getting giddy. A single to left by Tony Clark. Jim Edmonds now. Oh my. That soft grounder to short isn’t going to help anybody.
So, we go to the lucky 22nd.
Frankly, live commentating MLB.com fans. This moment has timeless karma attached to its sad rump.
But I digress. Nothing says baseball more than playing beyond when you drop. The American League has a 1 a.m. curfew.
This is the National League. Mojumbo!!!