Boston Baseball
- Wade
I was sacked out on my couch Sunday afternoon. I'd spent most of Saturday trying to convince hundreds of grass seeds to grow, explaining to them that my front yard looks like an Iraqi desert and how it would be great to actually get something green in front of my house besides my car. This is round six in the battle of Wade vs. front lawn. So far, front lawn is undefeated.
But I digress. Due to my, ahem, "hard work" on Saturday, I felt justified in being a lump on Sunday. I found the Twins game, an afternoon tilt against the Red Sox at Fenway. Since I don't seem to curse the Twins like I do the Wild (i.e., they lose every game I watch), I settled back and listened to the dulcet tones of Dick and Bert.
The Twins were already down 4-0 by the time I tuned in. In hockey, coming back from a 4-goal difficult is miraculous. In baseketball, coming back from being down by 4 is expected. In baseball, well, you just don't know. That's one of the reasons why it's easily the best sport out there.
Along came the sixth inning, and the beloved Twinks start to get to starter Tim Wakefield. It's about time-- I could throw a pitch faster than him. Of course, there's that whole "knuckle" thing, but that's for a different gambit. Anyway, in a blink it's now tied at 4. Wakefield gets removed for reliever Mike Timlin, and the crowd gives him a hand for 5 2/3 innings of underhanding the ball to the catcher.
In the top of the seventh, Timlin flubs a bunted ball. The crowd boos. I guess I understand that. Dave Ortiz loses a foul pop in the sun, which looks quite blinding. The crowd boos. I see that, but Ort-dogg is used to playing in a dome, and as a DH. Gout LeCroy singles in two runs. Timlin is replaced by Jason Shiell, and is booed as he walks into the dugout. Hmm. Luis Rivas grounds to third-- the crowd bursts forth in sarcastic applause because Hillenbrand and Ortiz don't make an error. In a later inning, Jason Varitek hits for Jeremy Giambi-- more sarcastic applause, as Giambi hasn't done much this year.
I understand the whole Boston tradition thing. I get that their bullpen-by-committee has bullpen-blown-goats this year. And I realize that, well, folks on the East Coast aren't as likely to sit on their hands and say "Oh geez" when a player screws up. But even after the loss on Sunday, Boston was 20-11. Only 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees. Will Boston fans forever be ungrateful as long as they trail the Bombers? Are they that pissed off about Bill Buckner that their bitterness spills over into the next century? Angry that a 29-year-old is in charge of putting together their team?
I guess that, as much as I love the Twins, I'd like to think that I keep it in perspective? Blow a 4 run lead? Sucks. But if the team were still nine games over .500 in early May because of the loss, I think I'd keep my booing to myself. Of course, maybe that's because the Twins have had more postseason success than the Red Sox lately. You think? ;)
What do you think? Drop us a line at webmaster@simpleprop.com and give us some
feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
