April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5 2011 – Mets 7, Phillies 1
Last night’s game has me questioning my principles. It didn’t help that I had just had a discussion about them with my brother-in-law Chris yesterday afternoon on my drive home from work. Chris is a bit older than me and a lifelong Yankee fan, the kind that I really respect, who stayed true to the team throughout the 80s and early 90s when they were nothing like the dynasty they are now. We were rehashing the weekend’s games from both sides of the New York fence, and when I was talking faster than usual – caught up in the joy of Sunday’s slaughter of the Marlins to win the series – he seized the opportunity to point out how I always say that I don’t like watching one-sided games, even when it’s my team that’s doing the slaughtering.
I countered by saying that my logic was sound and my principles unvarnished since this was the rubber game of a difficult series, coming off a devastating opening night loss and a hard fought win on Saturday night where the score was up and down like a rollercoaster and the game not decided until the 10th. After two games like that, a big win on Sunday still made for a good game, exciting in the context of the series if not the game. Besides, he’s also the kind of Yankee fan that admits that while the Yankees winning 162 games year in and year out would be boring, he’d be comforted by it. In the end he conceded my point and I felt the surge of confidence that comes with the sudden (but always fleeting) feeling of being right. And then came last night’s game.
Click here to read the rest of: “On Principles of Slaughter”
Posts: Game Journals, From the Couch
March 24, 2011
3/23/2011 – Mets 3, Cardinals 5
We turned the game off early last night in favor of watching the next episode of Battlestar Galactica on our Netflix queue. I didn’t particularly mind when Kate suggested it and said, “I just can’t get into Spring Training games.” And I knew what she meant. I don’t think I’ve watched all 9 innings of more than 2 games this entire Spring. I don’t turn it off the second the starters leave the field, but I will admit that once it gets to be a field full of guys with jersey numbers north of 90, it is hard to keep my interest.
Click here to read the rest of: “A Meaningless Game”
Posts: Game Journals, From the Couch
March 22, 2011
3/19/2011 – Mets 7, Nationals 4
There’s nothing quite like lounging around in bed on a Sunday morning with a beautiful brunette and watching baseball. Even if she does spend more time looking at her Max and Ruby book than watching the game. Kate was away at her Aunt Linda’s surprise 50th birthday party out on Long Island (I remember her 40th which makes me feel old – that and she looks like she’s aged 2 years and I look like I’ve aged 20) so the girls and I had a slumber party where we played My Little Ponies, watched Curious George, and ate popcorn.
When my oldest daughter Caelyn knocked on the door at 6:30 the next morning I wasn’t quite ready to get up having stayed up late watching one of my favorite movies, The Matador, and then not getting to sleep due to a nagging cough. Luckily she thought that watching the Mets with me sounded good, as long as she could bring some toys and books. My younger daughter Lily takes after her mother and was quite content to keep sleeping.
Click here to read the rest of: “In the Booth”
Posts: Game Journals, From the Couch, Rants and Raves
March 14, 2011
3/11/2011 – Mets 10, Marlins 0
3/12/2011 – Mets 0, Braves 12
3/13/2011 – Mets 13, Cardinals 3
Only the Mets could somehow end up with two baserunners caught in a rundown on the same play, one from first to second and the other from second to third. But that’s exactly what happened during this past Friday’s game. For a second there I thought the whole thing was going to descend into complete absurdity like a Benny Hill skit or the end of the first Naked Gun movie, but the Marlins chose to get the lead runner out and that was that. Despite that one moment of hilarity, it was the Marlins that provided the real comedy of errors. They were up to five errors by the fourth inning, two of them very uncharacteristically made by Hanley Ramirez. It was like watching the 2010 Mets play the 2009 Mets. Very surreal indeed.
Click here to read the rest of: “Enrico Palazzo! Enrico Palazzo!”
Posts: Game Journals, From the Couch
March 10, 2011
3/9/2011 – Mets 7, Astros 2
And I thought Mike Pelfrey was a big guy. That was until I saw Chris Young on the mound yesterday, who stands at 6′ 10″ according to his stats, but has the elongated look of an actual giant. That and he looks like a medieval trebuchet as his long arm dips back and then snaps forward over his head, hurling the ball down to the plate. Can we even call Pelfrey “Big Pelf” anymore?
Click here to read the rest of: “My Giant”
Posts: Game Journals, From the Couch
