I ended up turning back and not going to the game for various reasons. On the way home, a guy approached me.
“Hey man, hey man, hey bro. You got some change to help out a homeless, hungry guy?”
I took the sandwich out of my pocket. “I have a sandwich. Do you want a sandwich?” He had, after all, said he was hungry.
Interested but also a bit surprised, he peered at my sandwich. He must have seen the lettuce and made an assumption. “Um, is that vegetarian?”
“Yeah, it is. It’s good.”
“Nah, man. I’m not a vegetarian.” He pointed at the takeout joint across the street. “I’m trying to get some Chinese. You got some change for some Chinese food?”
7:20 My mlb.tv is all messed up on the desktop, so I can’t watch the game on the TV, so I’m on the laptop. I tuned just in time for the first pitch, and since then it hasn’t gone so great. Joba walked the leadoff on a full count and his since given up a run. At the moment there are two outs with a man on first, Blue Jays up 1-0. He’s already thrown 24 of his 70 pitches. Not a good start.
7:23 3-1 to Matt Stairs. This 70 pitch limit in itself isn’t what’s absurd, it’s the fact that everyone knows it, including the Blue Jays. Is anyone in the world surprised that their hitters are laying off everything, trying to push Joba to 70 by the second inning? Granted he has to throw strikes to get them to not do that, like any starter does, but it’s ridiculous to tell the other team how many pitches you are allowing your starter.
7:27 Another walk, his third. I don’t want to say that I know he’s nervous or uncomfortable, but he’s not locating.
7:27 They’re calling the pen. This could be a very short blog post. Although, Dan Geise is warming up in the pen, who just got called up and will be interesting to watch too, especially in what will be a long relief role.
7:29 K to end the inning on 99 mph heat. According to the hype, the first three batters were supposed to go down that way, on 9 total pitches for the inning. I, naturally, am let down.
7:31 Damon with a leadoff triple. He’s been on a tear lately. I don’t have the numbers because I’m trying to squeeze in dinner in between tops of innings, but I’ll get them later. (Michael Kay just mentioned in a very timely manner that Damon is on a 12 game hitting streak. Thanks, Mike.)
7:34 Jeter hits a slow roller to third. 0-1 with RISP tonight for the Yank. If I made this a drinking game I would get so loaded. Not just tonight, but every game. Last night they were 3-16
7:35 Joba on the bench in a hoodie. He’ll be back in the second. He looks like a basset hound.
7:38 Halladay hit A-Rod with a curveball. He doesn’t seem like the guy who would hit someone on purpose. I don’t mean that in a “He wouldn’t protect his guys” kind of way, but just in a “He seems too efficient” kind of way.
7:39 Matsui singles in Damon. 1-3 RISP. He’s been on fire too. Also no numbers for him at the moment.
7:40 Giambi singles in A-Rod, 2-1 Yankees, 2-4 with RISP. Alright!
7:41 Cano ends the inning. Let’s see how Joba does with a lead that’s not in the 8th inning. They say he has great mound presence and everything, but I can’t imagine the amount of pressure he’s feeling right now.
7:47 Two away after a flyout and a strikeout. He seems to have calmed down. He also seemed to have controlled his emotions a little after the strikeout. This at bat represents the first time he’s faced the same batter twice in the same outing, and the first time he’s pitched more than 40 pitches in one outing. He’s at 54.
7:48 Flyout, 1-2-3 second for Joba. I wonder what it’s like to get hit by a 99 mph fastball.
7:53 I hate sideline reporters.
7:55 Damon doubles as the sideline reporter airhead interviews Joba’s dad. What a waste of time and attention those interviews are.
7:58 Jeter flies out. He’s 0-2 with RISP.
8:04 The Jays waited Joba out and he’s out in the third. Dan Geise makes his debut in a minute.
8:16 Bottom third, 2-2. Geise looked alright. Quick delivery.
8:19 Matsui goes the other way, so he’s 2-2. He is pretty consistent but always manages to stay under the radar. I wonder why.
8:20 Giambi and some of the guys started growing moustaches a week or so ago, and since Giambi started hitting better, he decided to keep the stache. He looks pretty ridiculous.
8:22 It’s not David Eckstein’s fault that he’s on my crap list, I suppose, it’s baseball announcers and writers from a few years ago who labeled him as “scrappy.” I think this is a stupid description. It’s supposed to mean it’s someone who plays hard, usually is pretty good on defense, hits lots of singles (or so it seems, anyway), maybe they steal some bases. It for some reason gives me the impression that the person falls down a lot while they field or run. The reason why it’s silly is because it always seems to describe someone who is short or skinny. In other words, it’s a skinny guy who plays hard. Why don’t we just say that they play hard? “Scrappy” is discriminatory and I won’t stand for it.
8:29 Eckstein is up to bat now, and Michael Kay just said “He doesn’t look like a great player, he doesn’t have great skills, but he was a World Series MVP.” How can those both be true? You can’t be in baseball if you “just try hard”, which is what announcers seem to say about “scrappy” Eckstein. He is clearly a good player to be in the majors, obviously to win a World Series MVP.
8:33 Al Leiter doesn’t know the difference between “less” and “fewer”.
8:35 I just realized that there’s only one out in the top of the 4th, and the game is already an hour and a half old. So much for a reasonable bedtime tonight. Damn patient hitters. More importantly, this half inning has gone on for so long I haven’t been able to refresh my refreshments since the last commercial break, long, long ago.
Post game The game got out of hand when the Yankees bullpen came in the game. Geise took the loss, giving up one. Veras gave up two and Ramirez gave up four as the Yanks fell 9-3.
Even though he didn't pitch last night, I think this is appropriate to post. From ESPN's Page 2:8:03 Joe Torre looks stoic, emotionless, half-asleep. Good to know he hasn’t changed.
8:09 Joe (Morgan…crap, this could get confusing) just claimed that it’s ok that Santana hasn’t been Cy Young-caliber thus far, because he’s just been winning games, and evidently the point of the game is to win. Good thing we didn’t start a drinking game to Morganisms because we’d be starting early and I have to work tomorrow.
8:10 Jersey Matt just pointed out that Matt Kemp is not white, and we are all surprised.
8:12 I am happy to see that the Yankees aren’t the only team this season with supersized, ugly patches on their uniforms that are commemorating their doomed stadium: the Mets have one too.
8:15 Thirty seconds after Jersey Matt and I finish going over the Jeff Kent-Ryan Thompson-David Cone trade, Jon Miller decided to mention it as Kent strikes out. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +1.
8:18 Joe Torre looks like he wants to kill Matt Kemp for getting picked off and having a 0% chance of outrunning Jose Reyes in a rundown. Or he looks like he doesn’t care. Either one.
8:27 Why does Jon Miller feel the need to call players safe and out the same way an umpire would? I don’t mean just making the call, but the cadence. Jose Reyes was just safe by at least 900 feet at home, and Jon had to yell “HAFE!” or whatever the hell he said to let us know that Reyes was safe. By the way, you’re announcing this game on TV, Jon. We can see too.
8:32 The girl in the Planters cashews commercial makes me want to throw up a little.
8:51 Lou Piniella’s recognition in that commercial of his reputation of his temper and penchant for getting thrown out of games completely takes away for me the legitimacy of his in-game tantrums. Who knew that you could sell out on your tantrums?
8:59 Jon Miller just reminded us of the Mets’ historic collapse last year. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +2
9:00 David Wright tells us that if the Mets stop losing and start winning, and win enough, they could win a championship. He’s from Norfolk, Virginia.
9:01 Jersey Matt wonders why Willie Randolph apparently spends all the time and energy on growing a dirty porno moustache when he should be spending it on managing. In the mean time, Joe Torre looks please with Willie’s lack of emotion. Teacher and student.
9:18 Ryan Church homered to score the fifth Mets run this inning, so the Jersey Matt blood pressure counter is back to zero. However, Jersey Matt is keeping score and is going to be upset if the Mets bat around and it messes up his scorecard. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +1
9:19 The Dodgers are intentionally walking Chavez to complete the bat around. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +2
9:20 No one has gone out to talk to the Dodgers pitcher. Ah, there goes Joe. Only after 5 runs and an IBB.
9:26 Peter Gammons’ in-game reports have become narrations to graphic novels. Why?
9:42 Jon Miller just declared, before interviewing Willie Randolph, that the Mets, with a win tonight, are going to make it 3 out of 4 games against…the Mets. This was 5 minutes after I was lazy and didn’t report that Joe Morgan clarified for us that Joe Torre had won a batting title when he was a player. As opposed to when we was a manager, or maybe when he was out of baseball altogether, which is when some people win batting titles. I won a Cy Young yesterday when I was drinking at noon and watching The Sopranos.
10:48 Santana was chased in the 8th, and now the Dodgers have the bases loaded with 2 outs, and Schoeneweis is pitching for the Mets. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +4
10:49 Schoeneweis remembers where the strike zone is and gets out of the inning. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +3
10:56 “It’s good to be a Red Sox in this day and age.” The statement doesn’t bother me so much as the grammar.
11:05 Mets win, 6-1. Jersey Matt blood pressure counter: +1, because the Mets are still a .615 team playing .500.
