I hate football

 

Image via - https://www.facebook.com/115371355174841/photos/a.136513513060625/115373011841342/?type=1&theater

I hate football - both in it's simplistic, lineal two lines of men crashing into each other over and over, but even more so in how it is packaged - macho advertisements about 4km/gallon bubble-panelled anti-aerodynamic styling pick-up trucks; run over any obstacle like a tank with your extra fat tires; ride through the streets like a School of the Americas death squad graduate looking for commies ... .

Baseball on the other hand is the intellectuals game - time enough between moments of intense action to contemplate the nature of the universe - that type of thing. 

So last Sunday I went to the local to watch the Minnesota game at 1pm; as I arrived it looked like there were a bunch of people there to watch the exciting Blue Jays run to the playoffs too! 

I was so happy to have a crowd of BB fans to watch with! 

I grabbed a table in front of the TV that was showing the baseball pre-game show, and took control of the remote control in order to begin providing the service of muting commercials for everyone.

As the 1st inning progressed, more people began to arrive and the blue Jays were breaking out to take a 5-0 lead. Just then the assistant manager grabbed the remote off the table in front of me with body-language aggression (I thought it was about volume adjustment by patrons was against bar policy). The manager began to set-up a second TV just over my shoulder to a football match.

I was sure that the table next to me was there for the Jays game and continued to watch ... slowly the volume of the BB game and the Football game began to become unequal such that pretty soon the football was so loud I began to feel like 'we' baseball fans were not wanted. I kept looking to my friends at the table next to me, wondering when they were going to complain they couldn't hear the baseball game. 

They looked back with hollow eyes that conveyed nothing.

Just then I went out to the sidewalk to have a smoke, as I was pulling on my Drum, one of the couples who were watching next to me, walked by on their way out and the guy said right to me, 'Thanks!' ... I couldn't figure out why he would say that. 

I went back to my seat. Now the volume of the Football game is so loud it's uncomfortable to sit where I was sitting with the commercials blasting right in my ear - I decided to leave. As I was leaving it suddenly dawned on me that EVERYONE was there watching Football ! It was NFL Football day at the local! 

They even had a gambling pool going on!

Such a brutal, barbarian kind of place - instead of assaulting me with volume and subtle exiles from the group, all someone had to do was tell me what was going on and I would have left and grabbed a seat at the bar across the street (where there was a patio table right in front of a big screen set up in the garage door style window). Which is what I did. 

Even that guy's Thanks! was so subtle in it's snideness I didn't get it - and he was the bravest of the bunch. 

I guess it is true about penis size being indirectly proportional to the size of vehicle one uses.

:)

mh

Cleveland Indians at Chicago Cubs - world series game 3 - 7th Inning

Story of the game:

No Out SAC-bunt in the 7th of world series game three - #8 hitter, Center Fielder, Tyler Naquin's advances PR Michael Martinez to 2nd base after a lead-off base hit by #7 hitter, catcher, Roberto Perez (winning rbi via PH by Coco Crisp, batting in the 1 spot).

Chicago - Friday, October 28, 2016

Chicago Cubs Cleveland Indians 28 10 16

Cleveland Indians Chicago Cubs 26 10 16 Top 7 - No Out SAC-bunt [mlb advanced media]

Indians 1 - Cubs 0

Series:
Cleveland wins: 2
Chicago wins: 1



mh

World Series - Cubs defence is better, barring further Cleveland perfection ...

Watching World Series Game 3  - shaping up as a series for the history books?

Unfortunately, I saw the final score earlier today.

Once again I'm watching the game a day late (in this case - several hours after Game 4 has ended!).

[Edit - 16/10/30]

Kris Bryant leaps high in the air at 3B on loop base hit to left by Naquin in the 5th - Cleveland Indians Chicago Cubs 28 10 16 - screen capture mlb advanced media

That doesn't take away from my approach to this writing assignment ... That this is shaping up as one of the best World Series in history.

A Pitching and Defence juggernaut has marked this season's postseason; a condition I believe that the history of baseball hasn't seen since the 1960's (Koufax, Gibson, Marichal ...).

The Cubs defence is better, barring continued perfection from Cleveland pitching ... .

Saturday Game.



mh

Indians high after game one win

Indians line-up looked like they were very happy to win game one.

Perhaps they doth celebrate too much?

Gibbons summed up:



Gibbons summed up his feeling for the series in a way that reflected the way I felt he played the first game:

• Keyword - 'Relaxed';
• Save your bullets;
• Rest the Staff - Let Estrada pitch the whole game;
• Taking the pressure off - a streaking team:

• Which had won 6 in a row;
• Hasn't lost a game since the 3rd last game of the season, against Boston;
• Now facing a 7 game series against a very good team - that is also streaking.

Gibbons starts with gimpy Devon Travis at 2B, Travis hops off the field in the 5th inning; enter excellent defensive replacement Ryan Goins, into what is already a pitcher's duel.


Also Gibbons did not review Pillar's line drive ground-out to 2B in the 8th with 1 On and 1 Out (see article: http://baseball---blog.blogspot.ca/2016/10/sometimes-rhythm-sets-in-when-two.html).

So the Indians were very happy to win their 7th in row. Perhaps they shouldn't party too much. With an easy late September schedule compared to the American League East, they beat Kansas City 6 times in 2 series including the last three games of the season, but apart from those tête-à-têtes, the Clevelands lost two series in a row ... . All that is - is often not always perceived.

It's a crap shoot ... But perhaps it's an ebb and flow crap shoot?

I think Gibbons played it right.



mh

Sometimes a rhythm sets in when two pitchers are dueling ...

More on Gibby saving bullets; letting loose while the letting loose is available?

The Jays left 8 on base tonight. Blue Jays batting with RISP: 0-5 (Martin 0-2, Bautista 0-1, Travis 0-2)

This was just one opportunity that failed to produce a run ...

Pillars line drive to right with 1 On and 1 Out in the 8th gets picked by Cleveland's Kipnis at 2nd Base ... but the throw might have been late!

No review was requested.



The video manager of the Jays did not think this worth reviewing - or perhaps Gibbons didn't ask for an opinion?

Sometimes a rhythm sets in when two pitchers are dueling; if nothing breaks that field threshold, the first run scored in the ball game can become the last run scored in the ball game - the winning run.

That's what happened tonight, one call this or that, sends ripples though the 'ether' of a game like this.

If this play had been reversed (and there was a good camera angle to over turn it) - the Jays might have broken that threshold.

Was Gibby saving bullets; not sweating the details in this away game, 1 of likely 7 in this series?

screenshot via - http://m.mlb.com/video/v1206372783/alcs-gm1-kipnis-makes-an-incredible-diving-stop/?game_pk=487617

The rhythm in This game was fashioned by the great start of Corey Kluber (6.1IP), and the shut-down magic of relief pitching of Andrew Miller (1.2IP - and a 0.00 ERA over 4 games this postseason).

On the opposite side, Marco Estrada provided the counterpoint, with a near perfect eight-inning complete game.

screenshot via - http://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=361014105

TOR 0 - 2 CLE



mh

Baseball Talk: Martin, Donaldson talk baseball with reporters

Donaldson, Martin discusses calculated gamble home; team coming together.

Martin, Donaldson on teamwork


MLB advance media - Oct 9 2106 | Martin, Donaldson on teamwork | http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94814812/v1204837883



mh

Josh Donaldson - mad dash to home.

Josh Donaldson post game interview is excellent:

"Josh Donaldson with a mad dash to home."

..

Interview man (no accreditation) --- It's a sort series - but how was this team able to answer every time seemingly, and put numbers on the board?

Donaldson --- "If I had that answer we'd do it every day. We came out, I thought we executed pretty well. They took advantage of some of our mistakes; we took advantage of some of their mistakes - it was kinda a back-and-forth battle ... kind of what everybody expected, minus the fact that we were kind of able to get the last one; and that's baseball sometimes."

...

mlb advanced media - Oct 9 2016 | Donaldson on walk-off win | http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/94814812/v1204786183


Their pitching had a bit of a down-spout; our pitching played amoungst their best games of their years. Their middle of the order hit a bit of a slump in the first two games; our middle of the line-up batted about .400 over 28 innings.

Here's the Jays' team batting stats as of now:

5 game series; it's a crap shoot!

 :/

They're getting better as we go forward! 

If you click on the 'Postseason' tab at the top in the image above live at espn you can look at the Baltimore Wild Card game included.

The top four are the same top four - with the addition that the man in the middle has moved up from 10 to 8.

Bullpens were evenly matched I thought.

 ;)



mh