They say the first step of understanding addiction is to admit it.
OK. Here goes.
My name is Lisa G.
I am a baseballholic.

I fully admit that I said I wasn’t gonna pay any attention to the interleague games because I am 100% opposed to interleague play.

But yesterday, it was Roger and I had the radio on.
And in the 9th when it was Roger 3 Them 1 and Brad came in, after his third pitch gave up the second hit/first run, Milo Hamilton said that when he was coming into the clubhouse, so was Lidge and that Lidge told him he wasn’t gonna be able to pitch today. Now, either he told that to Phil and Phil sent him out anyway (and you SAW him turn into drab) and you KNOW he can’t tell the media – I TOLD that moron Phil that I hadn’t recovered and couldn’t pitch and LOOK what happened so he sez, oh, I felt fine, I just didn’t locate… OR Brad didn’t tell Phil that he couldn’t go out there and look what happened…

So today, after church, number 2 son has this innocent – type look on his sweet little mug and he sez – Mami, is Roy pitching today (kid KNOWS Roy is pitching today) and number 1 son, without waiting for the answer, sez, I LIKE Roy, too Mami and husband is trying not to grin and poor Mami doesn’t know how to explain WHY interleague is the work of the Seligula and should be boycotted on principle in which I firmly believe and number 2 son sez – Roy ROOOLZ and number 1 son sez – yeah, Roy ROOLZ and they look hopefully at me and husband finally grins and says, cmon, we’ll change clothes and go to the ballpark.

So I don’t put up a fight – husband is SO persuasive, you see, and off we go. I wasn’t worried about getting tickets – there wasn’t even a full crowd for Roger with a Nolan Ryan doll giveaway, so I KNOW there be plenty of seats, so Husband gets 4 elcheapos off a scalper (he was desperate and sold cheap) and we go in just as the first inning ends.

Plenty of seats – the place wasn’t even half full, as we had guessed, so we went to our usual seats in time to see Hillenbrand single off Roy.

Roy had it goin ON. He had incredible command of the FB, the occasional slider/change and the curve. The Jays swung because just about every pitch was a strike and they MOVED. And when the hitters swung, they hit mostly grounders – one INCREDIBLE stop and throw by Adam Everett, one GREAT stop and throw by Biggio (I swear his arm is getting almost as weak as Baggy) and Berkman spent a LOT of time picking throws out of the dirt – he’s not Baggy, who by the way, was in uniform in the dugout, but he’s getting better every day.

For 4 innings Josh Towers matched Roy and it looked like we were gonna go 9 innings without scoring. At the end of the 4th, Roy had thrown 27 pitches/23 strikes and Towers 31 pitches /27 strikes.

In the fifth, Hill hit a towering pop-up to shallow center that Biggio went back and made an EXCELLENT catch on – good thing, because even after all these games, Willy still is TERRIBLE at coming forward to get balls. In the bottom of the inning, Jason Lane led off with a 385′ HR to the Crawford Boxes – yes, Jason Lane is suddenly looking like the April Jason Lane again – don’t know where he disappeared to for those 5 weeks, but I’m sure nuff glad to see him back. Brad Ausmus hit what looked like a sure single to left, but Frankie Cat made an AWESOME sliding catch to rob him and the crowd gave him a hand. Like Barry Bonds said, sometimes you just gotta tip your cap to the other guy. Then Roy got hisself an infield single, Taveras hit a bunt single – they not used to guys that fast in the AL I guess but Burke FO to deep center.

Husband don’t even hand me the usual – well, at least we won’t get no-hit/shut out. He looks at me and says – if he hadn’t given up that hit in the second, I think we’d be looking at a nono the way he’s pitching. Ain’t NOBODY gonna be hitting that, NO. He hasn’t gone to a 3-2 even once. Me, I’m writing in my scorebook and Husband is explaining what’s happening to the kids and Roy keeps mowin em down 1,2,3 and suddenly it’s the 7th inning stretch and only 1 hr and 15 minutes have passed and Roy has thrown only 62 pitches.

So in the bottom of the 7th, it’s Jason Lane again and he doubles into the left center gap, Everett GO and he’s at third, Ausmus is IBB (they don’t know he can’t hit?), Roy bunts him to second (was the squeeze on and he just didn’t get the ball far enough down the 3rd base line), then Taveras, like 1 fer 60 with MOB (or something like that) beats out an infield hit, which the second baseman runs forward to get, overthrows first, Taveras goes to second and Lane and Ausmus score. We’re up 3 zip. Husband sez don’t worry, ain’t NOBODY hitting Roy tonight, no MAAM.

And in the 8th, it’s 3 up 3 down for Roy and he’s at 74 pitches. Towers gets sent back out to start the 8th – don’t know why – I know he’d only thrown 90 pitches, but he looked tired and there was NO comparison to the Towers of the first 4 innings. So he gives up a double to Biggio (nice baserunning and slides in under the tag) then walks Berkman. So he’s out, Justin Speiers in and gets a FO to right (nice catch, too) and a GIDP.

Then it’s the 9th and Roy gets 1,2 outs – screaming crowd of like maybe 22 thousand (they said 30K, but they LIE) watches him give up a double to Rios (that guy is GOOD, by the way) and then finally get Frankie Cat after 7 pitches.
Complete game, 2 hits no walks 3 Ks. 88 pitches (15 of them to Frankie cat for 2 AB) 65 strikes – WOW.
One hour and 50 minutes.

I’ve seen a LOT of pitchers duels this year and a LOT of low scoring games. But this is THE best pitching performance I’ve seen ALL year, both our pitchers and the opponents, with the Pedro Martinez game in NYC a REAL close second.

We’re walking back to the car. I am delighted (yes, my kidzz KNOW I’m a Roy fangrrrrrl) and saying couldn’t NOBODY hit Roy tonight. Number 1 son wants to know if Barry Bonds Himself could have hit Roy tonight and I didn’t have to think – No WAY, I say, not Pujols, not Derrek Lee, not Himself, neither.

Because tonight, Roy ROOLED!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I know yall thinkin, aintchu ashamed of yourself, goin back on what you said about not interested, not caring???

Sigh.

I HATE the idea of interleague play and I wish they’d stop it. But I’m glad I didn’t miss this performance. Even if it was against out hated enemies, the whosis…