I would say that it doesn’t get any better than this, but actually it could – the Astros used to be one of these teams.
sigh
I guess I am gonna root for the Brew Crew, although I could certainly handle it if the Dbax won. Man it hurt to look at Miller Park packed with screaming fans, starving for a pennant, starving for a WS they’ve never had. I remember it like it was yesterday – I mean, being one of those screaming fans in the seats, sure that this is the year we’d Go All The Way!!! Winning the pennant in spite of Lidge, losing the WS because of him – mostly.
Gonna be a long LONG time before that comes back to Houston – if it EVER does because this IS baseball and youneverknow. Look at KC, look at Pittsburgh…
Enough grousing – on to happy thoughts…
Best baseball day I can remember, besides Astros winning the WC on the last day of 04 or even beating the Braves for the first time in 05 and FINALLY beating the Cards, winning the pennant, is one summer day when I was a kid, I think in ’91, when for some reason, there were 3, or is it 4, baseball games on TV at the SAME time!!! Of course, this was Back In The Good Ol Days when ESPN and TBS and WGN and Fox all used to broadcast day baseball games. I remember sitting happily in front of the TV, holding that remote like a MAN, clicking from one game to the other. Braves, Astros, White Sox, someone else – was it the Athletics? What’s the difference – it was teh awesomeness.
Funny, I don’t remember who or what 11 year old grrrls were supposed to be into that summer – maybe Michael Jackson. But I sure nuff did keep my Dangerous obsession with baseball In The Closet…
So much easier when you are 11 to have the time to sit, entranced, watching baseball for hours. MUCH more difficult once you are a busy Mami.
The afternoon started off with the smallest market teams, natcherilly. So I got to watch Texan Yovanni Gallardo simply shut the Dbax DOWN. I understood – he’d done that so many times to us, too. Ian Kennedy had give up a couple of runs, and I guess he was tiring in the 7th – gave up a double to Ryan Braun (who is in a tight race with Matt Kemp for this year’s MVP and yeah, Kemp will probably lose because his team sucked and therefore, how could he have been “valuable”) and then, to my GREAT surprise, he pitched to Da Prince with first open. I thought right then – oh man, here it comes and sure nuff, he threw one down and in juuuuuust where Da Prince likes em and out it went.
Wonder where he’s gonna end up – probably in a C*bs uni if Uncle stays in Saint Looie. Yanks and RedSox already gots long term expensive solutions – and let’s be real, Uncle ain’t playin no 3rd base/LF full time. Anyway, I guess he could end up with the Nats, which would be INteresting. Giants now SAY they ain’t payin, seeing as how they are already out like 50 mill for the almost useless trio of Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand and Aubrey Huff; Angels are Mariners version 2 for signing extremely expensive FA who are flops – see Vernon Wells, and yeah, I know he was obtained in a trade for Mike Napoil, don’t ask me why in the name of the Good Church of Baseball that Scoscia, who really runs things there, prefers Jeff Mathis, who makes JR Towles look like Babe Ruth. Where was I? Oh yeah – they may or may not be expecting Kendrys Morales to return, so youneverknow, maybe Uncle or Da Prince will end up there.
The Dodgers? They have to find money SOMEwhere to sign Matt Kemp.
Anyway, speaking of Saint Looie, Lance put them ahead in the first with a 3 run homer off a FB that Roy Halliday threw down the middle. But after the Phils had seen Lohse twice through the lineup, they hit him – a 3 run homer and a 2 run homer and that was the end of the Cards. I see that they left Kyle McClellan off the roster. I was more than a little surprised, but maybe that’s because he kicked Astros butt this year and I might could not be real too unbiased about him.
The Cards this year have Uncle, Lance, Holliday – plus Yadi and Freese (when he’s not hurt) plus Chris Carpenter and a couple of good relievers – and let’s say I would be stunned – to put it mildly, if they survive this round. But then again, I was stunned that the 116 win Mariners didn’t survive the first round. It’s baseball and youneverknow.
So now, I’m watching the Rays trying to come back against the Rangers – they are in Arlington, the Hitter Heaven and baseballs B flyin. But actually, the Rangers are winning mostly because Big Game James Shields gave up 5 runs in the 4th, after shutting em down for the first 3 – HBP, single, single (both shallow grounders) another HBP, 2 run single, run scored on a passed ball swinging K and RBI groundout. 5 runs on like almost NOTHING. And then there was pitching change after pitching change – and in spite of Evan Longoria’s 3 run homer to center, it took the Rangers 3 hours and 33 minutes to finally end the thing. I HATE these long AL games with pitching changes every other batter and
reminds me of Millsie-poo.
Tigers are busy losing the rest of the rain delay game – or maybe it’s even Game 2 and they’ll make up Game 1 some other time, who cares.
Thing is – roofs are great. Too bad ours wasn’t retractable back in 05 – the *(%T*#%@! Bud Selig…
Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers
Ah, memories.
In 2005…I remember I was at my father’s house watching the end of the 2005 NLCS when the Astros clinched to send them into the World Series. Dad was on the phone and I was jumping up and down..screaming and hollering “THE ASTROS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES !”
Game Six of the 1986 NLCS…I was watching it and the Mets are DESPERATELY trying to win this game..it was pretty blatant how terrified they were of Game Seven..and MIKE SCOTT. “The Great Scott” I thought of him. The bullpen just couldn’t get it done. However the Billy Hatcher HR in extra ininings to tie it again was one for the ages.
But the most joyful moment ? It had to be beating the DESPISED Braves in the 2004 playoffs. I was like..FINALLY ! About fricking time after all those times those bastards ousted the Astros from the playoffs ! While I respected Bobby Cox…I’ve always loathed the Atlanta Braves. The only team I loathe more than the Braves would be the Yankees which is pretty hefty company for being the Most Hated Team in America.
Tommy “It takes Two Loads of the Laundry to Wash my Uniform” Lasorda’s comment about the Astros just renting first place. I’m glad he ended up eating those words.
Speaking of the Yankees..rooting for Verlander to help kick those ‘roid using pinstripe pansies to the curbside.
And Tiger Stadium is in a frenzy after Verlander struck out Posada…looking.
eric,
i was just a little grrrl game 6 1986 – if had to be an afternnon start because i got to stay up for the whole thing and after we lost, i was crying my little heart out and my daddy picked me up and held me and said – honey, it don’t matter, it’s just a game, it’s just a game.
actually, i think my favorite joyful moment was the last game of the 04 series – brandon backe made an unexpected start in place of roger clemens – and it was a Must Win game and the Box was absolutely INSANE with noise – crowd screamed the entire game and there were practically parties in the street right after – folks who didn’t get into the game were outside, waiting.
i hardly remember the braves series now – but i sure DO remember that it was a HECK of lot easier to beat them without glavine, maddux, smoltz.
the one i remember most vividly, of course, in the last game in 05 – the roger clemens pitches 3 innings in relief and chris burke wins it in the 18th and clemens, when surrounded by media thickern fleas on a Dog, pulled burke forward and said – well, how about this kid???!!!
i hate the yankees/redsox and am more than disgusted that bud selig and TV have decided to add more playoff games to pretty much guarantee both of em in the playoffs every year. i smirked when the redsox crashed this sept and they threw the manager to the wolves – not sure that the fans got their blood lust sated – they prolly after carl crawford for missing that sinking liner which lost the ballgame.
the boy ain’t never gonna live that down, any more than barry lamar ever heard the end of not throwing out sid bream
The 2001 Mariners did survive the first round. It was in the ALCS that they lost to the Yankees.
But of course, you’re completely right about how youneverknow.