Oh, a two-out hit, and for the first fucking time all game, there's no one on base.
We've seen this before in Philadelphia. Very recently, in fact. Every weekend we see it: this is the baseball equivalent of a 2008 Eagles game.
The Phillies get runners in scoring position with much the same efficiency as the Eagles earn a fresh set of downs with the goal line to go. The Phillies squander these opportunities with the same alarming predictability as the Eagles.*
After three slow-developing, go-nowhere plays for the Eagles or a strikeout for the Phils, we think "OK, we'll at least get three points out of this drive" or "all we need is a fly ball here and we'll at least get one run here."
Then David Akers shanks another kick. Then Greg Dobbs strikes out again and the deep-enough fly ball comes from the following hitter, an out too late.
And we'll get nothing but agita, and learn to like it.
And just as I type that, in the sixth, the Eagles leave another baserunner at third.
(That was actually a legitimate, honest mistake there, typing "Eagles" instead of "Phillies." I'm going to leave it the way it is. You get the point.)
At this point, the most salient difference between the 2008 Eagles and the Phillies in my view is that I'm still paying attention to the Phillies.
*Without this game going on as such a perfect allegory, I explain the Eagles' futility thusly: if you took every play in an Eagles game, assigned each one a value, threw them all onto a table and rearranged them at random, you'd have a large enough amount of good stuff and a small enough amount of bad stuff to get you a win almost every time. But every mistake proves costly, there's always a bad break or two to be had, and the big play is never forthcoming when it's really needed. Advanced statistics, such as Football Outsiders' DVOA, consistently quantify the Eagles to be a far better team than their record indicates, which has routinely been the case throughout the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era with the exception of their Conference Championship season. This season, for example, by their statistics, they were the top ranked team in the league after six weeks -- with a 3-3 record!
It's pretty clear at this point that the Phils aren't going to get it done tonight, so all that's left is for the Rays to get their full complement of relievers straightened out for series-long domination. Grant Balfour, who looked so shaky against the Red Sox in the ALCS, certainly appeared to get himself straightened out last night in Game 1, and now Dan Wheeler -- who looked even worse than Balfour in the ALCS -- is working himself back into shape in a low-leverage situation. (Although, let it be said, he doesn't look sharp.)
One thing you learn, following these teams: Never start thinking it can't get worse. When Utley gets hit by a pitch later this inning and breaks his hand, it'll sure suck, but at least I'll be prepared for it.
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4 comments:
How fucking useless is that FoxTrax pitch viewer? Howard just struck out and according to that thing, Price never threw a pitch over the plate. Price threw five total pitches to Howard, of which Howard swung at one. The rest were all significantly outside, although the umpire saw fit to call two of them strikes.
It's the ThimbleZone! Only on FOX!
I went out for a bit during the game and was listening ot the game on the radio. I was stunned to hear Joe Morgan REPEATEDLY call Jimmy Rollins, "Rawlings." As in, "Rawlings can't get anything going this series." Jon Miller, on several occaisions, emphasized the proper pronunciaion, but Morgan wasn't getting it.
Needless to say, Rawlings better get his shit in order quicklike or the Phillies will be in trouble. I think?
Everyone in Philly calls Michael Irvin "Michael Irving." 'Course, it's not fair to compare a professional broadcaster to every gindaloon who calls into sports-talk.
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