Sunday, July 16, 2006
Frustration in Fourteen
Thanks to having to work yesterday, I was able to follow the Mariners through the joy of ESPN Gamecast. If you think its tense watching an extra-inning game, try watching a little yellow dot head from a mound icon to a home plate icon, while you are trying to figure out if its a strike or not. And reading 10 meaningless statistics (B Molina 2005 w/RISP: 26 for 101 (.257) 1 HR 8 RBI), while hoping it will turn into the sentence "Incoming pitch has been hit in play..." and then trying to guess if the little yellow dot which is heading toward the wall and getting fatter to indicate it is airborn is going to be a game-tying home run in the 8th (it was!)
I think I'll rest my eyes today and watch on the satellite, now that Fox can't blackout my market and try to force me to watch a GD Yankees-White Sox blowout (can't we switch games to the 14-inning thriller - nope).
I didn't get to see the early double-HR combos which caused us to fall in such a hole, but reading articles this morning, it sounds like Adam Jones may have been at fault for both doubles due to poor jumps. The difference in the game was in those non-catches, and Vernon Wells stellar D robbing the M's in the 13th. I just can't find it in me to be mad at Jones, but it shows you some of the value of Jeremy Reed who likely would have made those plays.
The worst part of yesterday's loss had to be knowing that our closer was going to come in to face the NEXT batter when the game-winning hit off of rookie Emiliano Fruto happened. This just adds to the irritation factor. When your best reliever doesn't get into the game in a 14-inning nail-biter, that looks like you are just NOT TRYING. C'mon Hargrove! Please, Mr. Bavasi, find a way to make this joker of a manager disappear.
Kudos to the bullpen for a great effort, and to the Mariner bats for coming back on the likes of Roy Halladay and bullpen. A prime chance to catchup to the West leaders was lost, and now we must bounce back and take game three of this series and build some momentum toward facing the Yankees tomorrow (thankfully, we get to face Sidney Ponson on Tuesday).
As for me, its back to work!
I think I'll rest my eyes today and watch on the satellite, now that Fox can't blackout my market and try to force me to watch a GD Yankees-White Sox blowout (can't we switch games to the 14-inning thriller - nope).
I didn't get to see the early double-HR combos which caused us to fall in such a hole, but reading articles this morning, it sounds like Adam Jones may have been at fault for both doubles due to poor jumps. The difference in the game was in those non-catches, and Vernon Wells stellar D robbing the M's in the 13th. I just can't find it in me to be mad at Jones, but it shows you some of the value of Jeremy Reed who likely would have made those plays.
The worst part of yesterday's loss had to be knowing that our closer was going to come in to face the NEXT batter when the game-winning hit off of rookie Emiliano Fruto happened. This just adds to the irritation factor. When your best reliever doesn't get into the game in a 14-inning nail-biter, that looks like you are just NOT TRYING. C'mon Hargrove! Please, Mr. Bavasi, find a way to make this joker of a manager disappear.
Kudos to the bullpen for a great effort, and to the Mariner bats for coming back on the likes of Roy Halladay and bullpen. A prime chance to catchup to the West leaders was lost, and now we must bounce back and take game three of this series and build some momentum toward facing the Yankees tomorrow (thankfully, we get to face Sidney Ponson on Tuesday).
As for me, its back to work!
