The Stomach Punch

We’re roughly 65 games into the season and I can’t believe I’ve seen so many gut-wrenching stomach punch-type games so far. Christ, they can’t even win without punching me in the stomach and then kicking me in the balls when I’m doubled over. Today was the worst one, with Wagner wasting an absolute gem by Santana only a few hours removed from doing the same for Pelfrey last night. Blown saves are part of the game but three in a row, each one more demoralizing than the last one? I didn’t think it could get any worse than the blown save against the Rockies after getting swept in Atlanta but once again Wagner has proved me wrong. It’s almost as if we’re still in September and Willie’s telling me the champagne will taste sweeter. I don’t know how many more games the Mets front office is going to endure before finally making a move.

Required Reading

I’ve even copied and pasted the whole article so you don’t have to click the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=fathersday08

Hey, Dad.

Your granddaughter and I play T-ball these days at a local rec center, a patch of trampled grass and dirt just north of where the 134 cuts from Pasadena to L.A.’s west side. Tess wears number 12 and meticulously pulls the front of her red jersey down over the top of her pants so you can read ANGELS across the front. She has rituals. She runs out to play second base and draws a broad circle in the dirt with her right toe and then steps into the circle, crouches down, reaches her glove toward the ground and looks up at the hitter. In the batter’s box, she licks her upper lip, taps the plate twice, takes two deliberate practice swings, then pulls the bat up and back until her chin and nose are tucked behind her left shoulder, like she’s got a secret, like she’s The Shadow peering from behind his cape.

OH WOE IS ME!

In case you haven’t heard by now, the Cubs lost Alfonso Soriano for up to six weeks last night when he was hit by a pitch from Jeff Bennett of the Braves in the 2nd inning. To hear some Cub fans talk about it, you’d think the season was over.

We Interrupt This Program for… Hockey Talk??

I know, I know, it’s mid-June, the Stanley Cup has been awarded, and we’re supposed to be talking about baseball or the GREATEST NBA FINALS OF ALL TIME KOBE IS JORDAN MVPMVPMVP GARNETT IS POSSESSED PAUL TRUTH PIERCE SASHA RANDEJO VUMAVALABITCH or whatever the hell his name is. (Sidenote: I mentioned this elsewhere, but it bears repeating… Pierce getting carried off the court in game 1 was reminiscent of Ricky Baker getting mowed down in Boyz In The Hood and Ice Cube and the gang carrying his dead body back to his house, only if Ricky had then hopped of the couch, brushed his shoulder off, and went about his business like nothing had happened.)