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After yesterday’s 13-6 blowout by the Yanks over the Sox, today’s game promised to be a pitcher’s duel, as so often seems to happen after hitting dominates a game, but especially because of the two quality starting pitchers facing each other. A.J. Burnett (Yanks) and Josh Beckett (Sox) lived up to expectations and pitched their teams into an amazing contest. And what a contest–14 scoreless innings until A-Rod broke out of a 70-or-so at bat homerless slump by crushing a game-winning shot into the Red Sox bullpen in left field in the bottom of the 15th. What a great game! As much as I despise Boston, the play of the game was J.D. Drew’s catch of Eric Hinske’s line shot to right field in the bottom of the 14th. Great catch! And both bullpens did a great job, too. I actually felt kind of sorry for the young Japanese pitcher who gave up A-Rod’s game-winning blast–I have an affinity for Asians. :rolleyes:
The whole game, all 5 1/2 hours of it, was an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The Yankees extended their lead to 4 1/2 games over Boston in another great hallmark game in the decades-old battle between the two teams. If this isn’t the BEST rivalry in ANY sport, then I don’t know what is. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
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Loyal Reader OGM left a comment a few posts ago asking what my forecast might be for the rest of the baseball season in the American League East. Well, as I see it, it’s going to be a 3-way dogfight (minus Michael Vick) between New York, Boston and Tampa. The AL Wild Card spot will definitely go to the team finishing 2nd behind the Yanks. :laugh:
Actually, I have some big worries about the New York Nine. They’ve been playing exceptional ball since A-Rod returned from hip surgery, going something like 44 or 45 wins against only 22 losses, the best record in baseball, by far, in that time span. However, down the line, like in September, during the heat of the pennant chase, problems loom with the starting pitching.
For one, it looks like Chien-ming Wang’s season might be over. Second, despite his stellar pitching of late, Joba Chamberlain’s starts might be curtailed because of a possible leash put on the amount of innings the team wants him to pitch, thus limiting his playing time. Next, Andy Pettitte’s durability, at age 37, is questionable. Finally, A.J. Burnett has a history of injury problems. Overall, the starting pitching seems to be in doubt. That really worries me as the season winds its way thru the dog days of summer. (The glass is half empty.)
On a brighter note, the bullpen has been spectacular, led by the super-human presence of Mariano Rivera and augmented by great performances by the likes of Phil Hughes, Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, et. al. (The glass is half full.)
Hopefully, all will be ok. I think in the long run, if the pitching holds up, this very well could be one of the great Yankee teams, harking back to the glorious champions of the late 90s and satisfying all of their fans worldwide by returning to and winning the ‘09 World Series. The chemistry is there and the late inning heroics are a thing of joy. The one dark cloud is the starting pitching . . . and, oh yeah, one other thing . . . they’re only 0-8 against the Red Sox this season. That either means they’re due or the Sox have their number. (Half full or half empty?) Whaddya think, OGM? More later.
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After having to do much paperwork, getting a physical and going on numerous shopping expeditions, I’m finally getting packed to leave for Thailand tomorrow. I’ve had a great time in Montana, short as it’s been, hanging out with relatives and friends and visiting some old haunts. The temperatures in the state are comparable to those found in tropical locales, but without the accompanying humidity, so the heat is not unbearable. Here in Missoula yesterday, though, the skies were extremely hazy, due, perhaps, to the forest fires that have popped up around the state. Despite that, my friend Randy, who lives in Arlee, Montana, and I drove 67 miles up to Elmo, on Flathead Lake, to take in the Elmo Powwow and then drove back down to Missoula to watch the Missoula Osprey baseball team lose to the Casper Rockies, 6 to 3. Missoula has an almost-new ballpark on the banks of the Clark’s Fork River, a very nice location to watch a game, though the seating is a bit tight on the legs. We had box seats right behind home plate, thanks to our friend Susan, who gets complimentary tickets from the bank where she works.
Today, I’m going into Missoula to have lunch with Susan and another friend, then it’s back to Arlee to finish packing and doing some last-minute laundry, and finally, a short trip to a nearby Raspberry Festival. Sounds interesting, eh? It’s been fun, but I can hardly wait to arrive in the Big Mango, Bangkok. I hope to post as often as possible in the next few months and I may try to upload some photos. I’m leaving my Digital Rebel behind and taking my new, more portable Canon SD800 IS along. Everyone have a great summer! More later.
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Yeah, everyone’s gone, more or less. Many of the Dominican players left after practice yesterday to spend the weekend in their hometowns and most, if not all, of the foreign players hopped on the team bus to spend the day in Santo Domingo. I, however, am staying here to work on this week’s lesson plans. I have to go to Santo Domingo tomorrow or Tuesday to apply for my work visa and do some shopping for supplies, books, etc. I’ll go to SD next Sunday with the players or into Boca Chica.
There are some strange, but beautiful, insects here. A few nights ago I saw a large one that looked like a bright green leaf, and last night I walked onto the balcony and noticed a small beetle with glowing eyes. I don’t know if they glowed from some internal mechanism or if they soaked up the light from the overhead bulbs on the balcony. I turned the balcony lights off and the eyes still glowed, sort of a radioactive green color. Very beautiful.
What happened to the Tigers last night, all you Detroit fans? They better get on the ball. Maybe Big Mo (momentum) has deserted them after their long lay-off.
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