Last night I did something I've done only once before: I turned off the game in the disastrous 7th inning. And I even missed the worst of it. Once Derrick Turnblow walked in the 6th run for St. Louis, I had had enough. I decided to watch "Nip/Tuck" instead. It was much more gratifying, even though I would check on the game during commercials.
First commercial - score had gone from 6-2 to 8-2. Second commercial - 10-2. Third commercial - 12-2. I stopped checking after that and didn't turn back until after the game. I had seen enough to realize that once again, the terrible two (Turnbow and Kolb) had struck again.
The post-game was somewhat interesting. A reporter in the media room finally asked Ned Yost what I've been wondering since July. "How many times are you going to keep throwing Turnbow in there to lose games?" Exactly. How many chances does this guy get? How many losses does it take for Yost to realize that Turnbow isn't getting it back any time soon??
I guess Ned finally picked up the clue phone that had been ringing for two months because he said, in no uncertain terms, that Derrick would no longer pitch in games that were still winnable. Too bad he didn't get that clue weeks ago. I wonder what our record would be at this point if we had won all the games that were lost by Derrick. At this point in the season, I'm too lazy to go back and do the research. But I do know that we'd be a whole hell of a lot closer to .500 than we are now.
Once again, I am baffled by the hype surrounding Ben Sheets. I guess I should have been a fan in 2004 when he apparently had his breakout season, because I still haven't seen anything that justifies his bloated salary. But that's just my humble opinion.
Has anyone else noticed that the three starting pitchers who make the least money are the only ones who have been out there to take the ball every 5 days? Capuano and Davis have done it two seasons straight, barring any snafus the rest of this season, and Bush has been there every time it's been his turn. I wonder if that means that Cappy and Bush will start getting hurt once they start getting big money?
So the season that started off so promising will end dismally. Fan that I am, though, I will continue to go to games and support the guys, all the while telling myself, "maybe next year." Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Has Anyone Else Noticed . . .
All season we kept hearing about how great it was going to be to get Sheets and Ohka back in the starting lineup. Getting them back would be like making a monster trade that no one else could make. So we all waited patiently for them to come back, thinking we would explode in the second half.
Well, what I noticed is that the team hovered around .500 all season, but when Sheets and Ohka returned, the record plummeted into the basement. Coincidence? I noticed last season too, which was mostly played without Sheets, the team managed to stay afloat and finish with a non-losing record. The year that Sheets was so outstanding was one of the Brewers worst, I believe. Again, coincidence?
Some people will scream lack of run support, but come on. That excuse can't be used for every game of every season. True, we've had a revolving door lineup this season, but I just found it very interesting that with all the injuries and what not the first half of the season, the team still managed to stay in the race. Then as soon as we get our "ace" back, the race becomes one to cellar instead of October.
Here's hoping our backup ace can get the job done tonight in PNC Park. Until next time, go Brewers!
Well, what I noticed is that the team hovered around .500 all season, but when Sheets and Ohka returned, the record plummeted into the basement. Coincidence? I noticed last season too, which was mostly played without Sheets, the team managed to stay afloat and finish with a non-losing record. The year that Sheets was so outstanding was one of the Brewers worst, I believe. Again, coincidence?
Some people will scream lack of run support, but come on. That excuse can't be used for every game of every season. True, we've had a revolving door lineup this season, but I just found it very interesting that with all the injuries and what not the first half of the season, the team still managed to stay in the race. Then as soon as we get our "ace" back, the race becomes one to cellar instead of October.
Here's hoping our backup ace can get the job done tonight in PNC Park. Until next time, go Brewers!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Unrealistic Expectations, or Just Bad Manners?
Ok, in order to discuss my chosen topic today, I have to reveal something somewhat embarrassing about myself, so here goes. Those of you who know me also know that I've had a huge crush on Chris Capuano for a while now. And no, not because he's a baseball player or just because he's "cute" or whatever. I always respected his talent as a pitcher, but was never interested in him socially until I found out how smart he is. (Phi Beta Kappa from Duke for cripes' sake??) What can I say? Smart guys turn me on. From interviews, articles, and his weekly call-in on the Hog, I found out that he and I actually had quite a few things in common.
My well-meaning friends had convinced me that Chris would surely say yes to a date with me, should I be given the opportunity to meet him, and I, deluded as I was, believed them. Hey, I'm an educated, independent, intelligent, not bad looking woman, so it's not completely far fetched. But I digress.
So I thought about how I could get his attention in a way that would convey the fact that I was more interested in his brain than his pitching arm. It turns out that he is fascinated with vampires, as am I, and he had read all of the Anne Rice vampire books, as had I. Because I was a fan, I knew that she had released a 20th Anniversary Edition of "Interview with the Vampire," and each book was autographed. As soon as I remembered that edition, I knew I had my "in."
So I started looking online for a copy I could afford. $35 direct from the publisher, or $50 - $200 on eBay and similar sites. Well I liked him but not that much. I kept looking and found one that was priced under $20. I decided that wasn't too much to waste should he blow me off, so I ordered it, and then waited for the opportune moment to give it to him.
Some of you may know that August 19th was Chris's birthday, and he was one of the scheduled signers for Autograph Friday on the 18th, so I decided that was a good time. I sat by the dugout and waited for him to finish his session. Thankfully, a kid next to me called him over to sign a baseball card, saving me the embarassment of having to yell at him.
He came over, and I told him I had something for him, gave him the book and said that I had heard he was a fan. He agreed, saying that he was a huge fan. I told him that this was the autographed 20th Anniversay Edition, and from his response, he seemed to be pretty floored by it. He thanked me, saying how great it was, but that I shouldn't spend money on him. I told him to consider it a birthday gift. Then he offered to sign something for me. I told him I'd rather take him to dinner. He just smiled and continued signing cards for the kids next to me. I gave him my business card, said he should call if he changed his mind, and I walked away.
That was over two weeks ago. Of course I was crazy to think that I'd actually get a date out of it, but wouldn't you think I'd at least get a "thank you" card or something? Maybe he was raised differently, but where I grew up, when someone gives you a gift, you send them a thank-you note. He didn't even bother to ask my name at the park when I gave him the book. I had always thought Chris was a totally classy guy, but this incident has completely changed my views. He really would have just said thanks, taken the book and walked away without ever having asked my name or anything, like it was no big deal, and he was entitled to things like that.
So now I put the question to you all out there. Did I have unrealistic expectations in thinking I'd receive, at the very least, a note of thanks, or is this just really bad manners? I'd welcome any comments any of you might have, aside from telling me how lame it was that I thought he might really go out with me. I already know that! Until next time, go Brewers!
My well-meaning friends had convinced me that Chris would surely say yes to a date with me, should I be given the opportunity to meet him, and I, deluded as I was, believed them. Hey, I'm an educated, independent, intelligent, not bad looking woman, so it's not completely far fetched. But I digress.
So I thought about how I could get his attention in a way that would convey the fact that I was more interested in his brain than his pitching arm. It turns out that he is fascinated with vampires, as am I, and he had read all of the Anne Rice vampire books, as had I. Because I was a fan, I knew that she had released a 20th Anniversary Edition of "Interview with the Vampire," and each book was autographed. As soon as I remembered that edition, I knew I had my "in."
So I started looking online for a copy I could afford. $35 direct from the publisher, or $50 - $200 on eBay and similar sites. Well I liked him but not that much. I kept looking and found one that was priced under $20. I decided that wasn't too much to waste should he blow me off, so I ordered it, and then waited for the opportune moment to give it to him.
Some of you may know that August 19th was Chris's birthday, and he was one of the scheduled signers for Autograph Friday on the 18th, so I decided that was a good time. I sat by the dugout and waited for him to finish his session. Thankfully, a kid next to me called him over to sign a baseball card, saving me the embarassment of having to yell at him.
He came over, and I told him I had something for him, gave him the book and said that I had heard he was a fan. He agreed, saying that he was a huge fan. I told him that this was the autographed 20th Anniversay Edition, and from his response, he seemed to be pretty floored by it. He thanked me, saying how great it was, but that I shouldn't spend money on him. I told him to consider it a birthday gift. Then he offered to sign something for me. I told him I'd rather take him to dinner. He just smiled and continued signing cards for the kids next to me. I gave him my business card, said he should call if he changed his mind, and I walked away.
That was over two weeks ago. Of course I was crazy to think that I'd actually get a date out of it, but wouldn't you think I'd at least get a "thank you" card or something? Maybe he was raised differently, but where I grew up, when someone gives you a gift, you send them a thank-you note. He didn't even bother to ask my name at the park when I gave him the book. I had always thought Chris was a totally classy guy, but this incident has completely changed my views. He really would have just said thanks, taken the book and walked away without ever having asked my name or anything, like it was no big deal, and he was entitled to things like that.
So now I put the question to you all out there. Did I have unrealistic expectations in thinking I'd receive, at the very least, a note of thanks, or is this just really bad manners? I'd welcome any comments any of you might have, aside from telling me how lame it was that I thought he might really go out with me. I already know that! Until next time, go Brewers!
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