Tag Archives: rays

May 24, 2011 · 10:05 pm

It was a dark and stormy night. Or: I don’t like when my baseball comes with an intermission.

We’re in a rain delay down in Texas.

Actually, it’s not really so much a rain delay as it is “everybody run for cover, Mother Nature is pissed” delay.

Too bad, really. Now that we’re getting a little momentum going (thanks to Carlos Quentin and 2-for-2 with 2 home runs!), having everything grind to a halt before it is an official game is kind of a giant bummer.

However, not to dminish his accomplishments, it feels good to have Carlos Quentin back in the line-up. Welcome back, CQ.

So, I’m flipping back and forth between the ~~rain~~ weather delay and Tampa Bay @ Detroit, where they just brought in Alburquerque into the game at a typical Jesse Cain moment. Top of the 8th, bases loaded, one out. Between this, the top of the 9th when Matt Joyce actually made a dent in the right-field wall with his knee (during a play that should end up all over the highlight reel tonight) and the bottom of the 9th that I caught of Jays @ NYY, there’s drama all over the American League tonight.

And, now, we wait. Probably until tomorrow, but I’ve got another few hours of patience left in me and a big tub of ice cream, so we’ll just have to see how the night unfolds.

(Edited to say: According to those in the know (ie: twitter), there is baseball-sized hail coming down. Stay safe down there, y’all. I think Mother Nature has closed the book on this one.

You can say a lot of things, good and bad, about the 2011 ChiSox season. But, I thnk it would be fair to say that “boring” is not the first thing that comes to mind.

Stay safe in Texas, y’all.)

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Tagged as act of nature, drama-rama, rays, sometimes I watch other teams play, white sox

April 19, 2011 · 9:05 pm

I’m starting to get used to this. Or: Nothing new to say here.

Well, unfortunately I don’t have much new to say after today’s loss to the Rays. The score was 2-1, but I don’t know that it was even that close.

Phenomenal job today by James Shields. Good, sharp game. And, a really charming interview at the close of the game. A solid complete game that took him over 1000 career innings. Well done. There’s nothing to be done but to applaud his effort today.

Not a bad outing by Danks, we’ve certainly seen worse lately, but there was just the same usual problems plaguing us tonight. Some questionable defense, some less-than-desiable offense, and just a general feeling that there is just something missing that is preventing this team from feeling like a cohesive unit. Sometimes, it just seems like 9 guys hanging out in the grass. There was actually a really great running and sliding catch where I was actually surprised that Rios and Pierre didn’t smash into each other. And, it’s disappointing that the defense has me feeling this way.

I would love them to win, but I don’t even really need that. I would just like them not to give things away. Even games where we lose can be fun to watch, if they’re good, quality ball.

Oh well. In an effort to be positive, I would like to point out that there was one bright spot tonight.
jesse crain.jpg “Hello, my name is Jesse Crain and I will be auditioning for the role of closer.”

Two good outings in the last three games. I’ll use that to fill up my glass a little and try to keep it half full.

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Tagged as break my heart, love your outfielder, pitching is the art of instilling fear, rays, white sox

April 18, 2011 · 9:20 pm

Ei yei yei. Or: Why aren’t expressions of frustration easier to spell?

Hrmph.

Well, tonight apparently didn’t go much better in Tampa. Shut-out in game #1.

I (fortunately or not) wasn’t home to watch the first 8 innings and, by the time I got home, my ComCast channel had switched over to the Bulls’ pre-game show. Obviously, they didn’t feel like there was much hope for the Sox staging a comeback tonight.

But, since I am officially on Day Two of my moratorium on over-reacting, I am just going to take it for what it is. Just another notch in the belt of the early part of the season. And, as a source of entertainment, tonight might be a good night to wander over to twitter and read about the #LegendOfSamFuld. Because, according to GameDay, he had a pretty darned good night. If only he would take his darned good nights away from my White Sox. :)

I do have one thing to say, though: Just because my brother and I like to mock each other whenever possible about our opposing teams, it doesn’t mean that the ChiSox had to lose tonight just because the Jays lost this morning. They really don’t have to strive to have the same record as the Jays (0.438 – ouch, that hurt to type). They could have left one of us (ie: me) with bragging rights.

I guess since the Sox passed me by tonight, I’m going to hang out on the sofa with ice on my wrist (lheaven knows what I did to it tonight) and watch the Angels/Rangers game. Check out what the Angels look like when they’re not bundled up from head to toe in polar fleece.

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Tagged as blue jays, break my heart, rays, sometimes I watch other teams play, taking it one day at a time, white sox

April 15, 2011 · 1:11 pm

Happy Jackie Robinson Day. Or: Sometimes I talk about things besides the White Sox.

A day off for the White Sox means a day of sitting back and enjoying some of other fine offerings from around the league(s) – thank you, MLB Extra Innings! – without the stress of suffering through the 8th and 9th (and inevitable 10th) innings at The Cell.

Last night, the Twins @ the Rays provided a pretty exciting night of baseball. Watching Fuld steal 2nd in the 6th (and left stranded at third), Johnson running into the Rays’ dugout for the third out at the top of the fifth, Joyce’s double to tie it up in the bottom in the ninth, the Twins pulling ahead by one in the top of the 10th, and Damon’s 2-run walk-off homer to win it in the bottom of the 10th (followed by Damon getting a towel-full of shaving cream in the face, courtesy of BJ Upton).

It was a good night to be Rays fan, but after the string of 10th inning drama that we Sox fans had to endure this last week at The Cell, I can certainly sympathize with the Twins fans. Maybe I should start mass-producing my 9th inning survival kit.

Sox vs. Angels tonight in ChiTown! I’m excited for the boys to be back, but not so excited for the fact that we are playing a team with such a strong bullpen when that’s where we’re feeling the hurt the most. But, I guess, no time like the present to see what’s what. Pressure’s on, boys. Go Sox, go!

(And, as an aside – because apparently I’m always going to have something to say about the Sox – I am a little irritated that so many blogs and news sites are talking about Ozzie running off to Florida like he’s running away from the club on their day off. I know we’re having bullpen difficulties and I know that things are kind of tumultuous in the Sox camp right now, but with or without baseball, life happens. He’s said in a number of places that he’s off, visiting his son, and cheering him on. And, not that anyone asked, but that’s certainly okay by me. Ozzie isn’t the pitching coach and the boys in the bullpen are big boys, I’m pretty sure they don’t need Ozzie holding their hands on an off day. Things are going to be what they will be, they probably won’t be fixed overnight, and I hope that everyone took the off day to relax, re-focus and refresh. We’re going to need it.)

If you’re itching for some baseball content to get you through until the games start tonight, spend some time at iam42.com and celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. Even for a sport so rich in history, this is some of the good stuff.