Monday, April 10, 2006

Royal Pain/Papi Pleasure

With the Royals coming to New York, I couldn't help but think of a game last year that was one of the most terrible jobs of the season. I was driving up to Fenway, and had the pleasure of hearing Jon Sterling describe the action as the Roy-boys blew a 7-3 ninth inning lead to the yanks. To think--had KC held the lead, the Red Sox would have finished a game ahead of the yanks. Nauseating. I realized I'd never seen the botched double play that would have ended the game, or any of the rest of the yanks' ninth inning "rally." So I went on mlb.tv to the archived game. What Sterling didn't tell me was: That the pitcher, on the bad throw to second on a play that should have ended the game, stepped on the rosin bag, causing the errant throw. That the shortstop still could have caught the ball for the second out, but simply missed it, having expected it not to be thrown so low and to his right. That the yankee hits that followed all scraped the leather of Royal fielders' gloves. This inning is pretty much the epitome of what my dad dubbed (probably before I was born) a "TyR," or "Typical yankee Rally."

To witness this classic TYR, and the reason we didn't win the division in 2005, click here (if you have mlb.tv), then find the 8/27/05 game, and scroll ahead to the 3 hour and 18 minute mark. Note: You won't be subjected to yankee announcers, as it's the Kansas City feed. But to hear the frustration of two men who have to watch 162 Royals games...wow.

This game totally went under the radar at the time, and watching this inning gives you an idea of what I've been going through for years watching Mr. Dunbar repeatedly drop turds in my Coke.

Now it's 2006, though. 2005 is done. Opening Day at Fenway will be here in a few hours. We've got Papi on our side for the rest of the decade. The pitching and defense are solid. Here's to a gold 2006.

Comments:
I remember listening to this game, also. It was almost as bad as the one where Tampa had something like an eight run lead in the eighth inning and gave up thirteen runs to lose the game.

It's like it's not enough *we* need to have a good bullpen, but we need so many bullpen prospects that we can trade them to the rest of the AL so teams can hold a freaking lead against the Yankees.

Additionally, Sterling makes me want to drink gasoline.
 
Great point about relievers! Ha! I remember that other game, too. I had just gotten to my car in a parking garage outside Jacobs Field, after watching the Sox beat the Indians, when the inning started (yes, WCBS 880 comes in pretty clearly out there). It took an hour to get out of the lot, and the whole time I heard the yanks just keep scoring. At one point, I lost the station. Expecting the inning to have ended after, say, eight runs, I was shocked to hear Sterling say the number 20 when saying the score. That was a bad one.
 
The game with the botched double play is one I remember as if it was yesterday. I was listening to the game at that particular moment, in bed, and was so infuriated, I jumped out of bed, unable to sleep for hours, If I'd had a blog then, the keys would have turned blood red with my emotions. Good job Jer.
 
Last Year's yankees were surviving on Charity from other teams;

Basically, they SUCK.
 

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