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  Sunday, March 2, 2003

Baseball, One Last Time.

*sigh*

I'm now winging my way back across the continent, sunburnt and overdosed on baseball. We packed up the house this morning about ten and headed down to Phoenix Municipal for today's rivalry between the A's and the hated Giants. Okay, so they're not the Yankees (who are right up there next to the hated Lakers on my list of teams the world would be better without), but they are the crosstown rivals, so off we go.

There was an article in this morning's Sacramento Bee about Phoenix Muni. They've had drainage problems after all the storms in Phoenix and as a result, the A's have had to move a game (not to mention lose the revenue) due to the field being more like a swamp than a ballpark. This has the A's more than a little frustrated. Today there were parts of the field that still looked a bit wet and it's clear to me that the Stadium itself could use a bit of an overhaul. The site itself is very convenient (5 minutes from Sky Harbor) and could support a good ballpark, if Phoenix is willing to pony up with the cash to make a stadium to support the A's.

The game started off a bit rocky, with starter John Halama getting a slow curve sent into somewhere around next Tuesday by a patient Barry Bonds. I will give Halama credit, he didn't mess around up there, he threw two great strikes to Barry Bonds, which is a darn sight better than most other teams will throw. It may have meant a 27.00 ERA for Halama, but he earned my respect. The A's responded in kind in the bottom of the first, nibbling starter Moss to death. They got three more of a homer by Scott Hatteburg in the bottom of the second, adding insult to injury.

Let me preface the following section with the following:
<mode="rant" subj="Morons Who Watch Baseball">

There was this guy in the seats next to us who was a Giants Fan (Heee-rike ONE!) who was being generally talkative during the early innings at the game. I'm all for talkative fans, One of the parts of baseball that I truly enjoy is the camaraderie amongst fans of the game, it's wonderful to go and talk baseball with somebody during the game. However, this guy was clearly not one of the fans involved.

He launched into a tirade about Halama pitching to Bonds, how it would come back to sting him (and it did, two pitches later) and that he was a fool for doing it. Having watched both Friday's and Saturday's game, I realized that it was the manager calling the pitches out there, not the pitcher. Sure enough, Bonds sent one long and boy did he gloat.

He derided the pitching staff and my protection of the pitcher. He said "You don't do that in Spring Training." Except, you DO. That's what the Spring is all about. You pitch to the scary hitters. You throw them big, meaty, beautiful curveballs and sucker fastballs. Why? Because you have to learn to face these guys early. You can't just stand there and walk 'em. Why? The playoffs. Because eventually you DO have to face these mean ugly guys who eat pitchers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and occasionally, an afternoon snack. He whined about walking guys and looking at third strikes (Hee-RIKE Two!), and how they'd be on the bus to Fresno or Sacramento after too much longer. Nope. That's not how it works. In Spring Training you finesse as a pitcher, in search of that control that you'll need in August and September. You search for that outside corner, you get used to high and tight strike. Most importantly, you call the pitches your manager feeds you.

And worst of all, he didn't know the difference between an infield hit and an error. It so happened that one of the giants midged a little tiny dribbler toward second. Esteban Germàn came charging in from deep second and misplayed the ball. The runner was safe. However, it didn't matter if Germàn came cartwheeling in Jet Li-style and made the toss, he'd still have been safe. Hence, No Error. (Heeee-RIKE three. Sit down, you jackass and go on back to Fresno)

I think what killed me most was that this jackass got to stay and watch what was turning into a beautiful game (7-4 in the bottom of the sixth) while I got in the truck and went to the airport to come home. That alone got my ire. That and the foul ball the guy next to me got because I was keeping score and didn't have my glove on. That, right there, will make me dread the next 29 days until the O's home opener against the Indians. All I will see when I sleep is the spinning ball, its stitches spiralling ever closer, and the knowledge that my glove lay a scant three inches away. That and the derision I earned from the jerk next to me who gave me hell for not using my glove.

Bite me, pal. Your squad is second rate.

</rant>

That being said, we saw some exciting things.

  • Buddy Hernandez may only be 5'9", but he threw six pitches and got the A's out of one heckuva jam in the 6th inning. He played at Greenville last year, logging 59 innings, 20 some walks and get this, nearly 90 strikeouts. He came in there and with six pitches, having been called out of the bullpen after Yarnell went out with an injured thumb, and made the Giants look like bigtime suckers.
  • Chavez has kept some of his goatee, contrary to my report the other day
  • Tony Torcato is the real deal
  • So is Eric Byrnes.
  • The Giants need some serious help in the pitching department.
  • Bob Geren seems to be fitting in nicely as the A's catchers' coach.
  • Who the hell is going to play in the outfield for Oakland? You've got Piatt, Singleton, T Long, Byrnes, Gant, and others vying for starting slots. How much you want to bet we've got a platoon?
  • I saw five catchers in three days. Rose, Melhuse, Johnson, Hernandez and one other whose name we never got.

My prognosis for the A's is good overall. They've got a lot of younger kids out there who are making serious strides. I think this may be the year.
8:57:10 PM  comment []