This is about as close as you can get to a perfect game. Each batter (28 of them thanks to a ground ball throwing error) of Clayton (K-layton?) Kershaw’s no-hit gem of a game last night. A perfect game would have had only 27 batters.
At Home, with Vin Scully on the call… Great game!
When I was a kid growing up, I was a big Dodger fan. I remember listening to Vin Skully in grade school, watching the Dodgers in the World Series against the A’s was an early sports memory. Crying when the Giants kept them out of the playoffs more than once. I remember various players, Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey, Billy Russel, Ron Cey is still be dream infield. I used to fall asleep listening to the broadcast in high school. I remember reveling when Gibson hit his home run.
Then adulthood, and moving has distanced me from my favorite team. Until now. The MLB At Bat iPhone app is WONDERFUL. I can tune in and listen to the broadcasters, with Vin Skully, Charlie Steiner and Rick Monday. I can track the stats, and see the pitches, see replays of big plays in jaggy (but good enough) video.
I’d like to think the Dodgers’ hot start this season is because they have their biggest fan back to listening and following them (but that’d be too prideful). I’m loving baseball again. Screen shots of the app below the fold (tonight game in progress) Continue reading
alternate title: I need a nap
Last night was my first night back on our church’s men’s softball team. I’d taken a long extended vacation to heal and spend more time with wife and children, work on person growth, etc.
So I took the family to the local softball megaplex, and our first game was in the grandstand. Wasn’t sure what position I would play, or if I’d even start. So I decided to stretch realllllllllllllll good anyways, as a precaution (being waaay over weight and un-stretched hammies don’t do well together). Threw the ball around (shoulder didn’t feel too bad) and waited for the start of the game. Looked at the line-up card, and I was batting 8th, and playing second base (WOO! fav pos!). I thought I’d be playing first, as my hiatus had led to another person playing that position, so I’d resigned myself to playing 1B or pine (aluminum).
The field was in great shape, I don’t think I’d ever played on an infield that smooth. It was also the first game of the night, so I got to scrape my cleat marks into the freshly raked field. I was a little worried about my stamina and speed, but softball is a bit lower key, and at the same time the field is so short — you know as the ball comes off the bat if you have a chance at getting it or not, and can adjust your exertion appropriately.
My performance at the plate was marginal, though that is a mixed blessing, do you really want a guy my size running bases. 😉
It was a back and forth battle, but the clock ran out while we were batting (home team) and up by 2 runs (9-7). So we start the 2008 season undefeated.
I look to the wisdom of Han Solo for the rest of our season – Great shot kid, don’t get cocky!
I don’t talk enough sport on my blog. I need to change that.
One of the things I do enjoy doing is reading Gregg Easterbrook’s weekly Tuesday Morning Quarterback column that is currently a weekly feature at ESPN’s Page 2. He writes wonderfully about all the games from the previous weekends, and has some long standing rules about how football should be played, the common coaching mistakes that end up costing a game. His style is that football is still a game that should include a running game, don’t get all pass-wacky and defense and clock-management matter. With that said, I think I can predict that Gregg will touch on a few points regarding last nights incredible Cowboys comeback.
If you turned off MNF last night after Tony Romo through his fifth interception, or when T.O. dropped the game-tying two point conversion, or after the last second icing the kicker time out, you probably now know you missed out on one of the more exciting MNF games in recent memory. It was supposed to be common MNF fare (of late) where the dominant team (Dallas 4-0) gets the prime time chance to show off against a much weaker team (Buffalo 1-3). But Buffalo doesn’t get many chances to play their 90s Super Bowl rivals, and the fans were pumped. Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas were on the sidelines. Marv Levy was haunting the coaching booth upstairs. And the Bills came to play. They haunted Tony Romo, who missed an opportunity to sell himself in his contract negotiaions (though Jerry said, his stock went up…yeah, we’ll see Jer.) by plucking his passes out of the air, and running them back for scores. Their special teams lit up the Boy’s suspect return team for another score. The Cowboys were down 8 with less than two minutes left. (Though the defense only gave up a field goal all game… 21 points on INT and Kick returns, yeoouch, that’s a hole). Some how the football gods wanted to bless the Dallas Cowboys.
[update: Here is today’s TMQ, where Gregg says exactly what I’m about to say… only better with more snark…]
]But it wasn’t all the blessings of the gods, the shrewd Bills coach had a chance to seal the deal before the two-minute warning. 3:58 left on the clock, third down and long, Buffalo calls a pass-play. Incomplete. Up eight points, I think run the ball, keep the clock moving, force Dallas to burn a time out, or take another 45 seconds off the clock. That happens we don’t have the on-side kick, maybe not even the potential game-scoring touchdown and two-pointer. Instead the incomplete, stops the clock, and give Dallas almost 4 minutes and 3 timeouts to set up the craziest 20 seconds in football.
But let me also cast a sidelong glance at the Cowboys. Passing on a two-point conversion with the Predator, Marion Barber not even in the backfield??? What? Seriously, get your big men up front, have the tired and demoralized Buffalo front men set up, and shove the ball to Marion who will get into pay-dirt from two yards out with the game on the line. Passing to T.O. who dropped umpteen passes in the game over the top. They deserved having to onside.
The icing call was such the icing on the cake. The Buf coach would have been hailed as genius, even though his fourth quarter play calling kept the Boys in the game. And how great a Folk-lore has been started with the rookie kicker with ice-water in his veins. Not only hitting back to back 5357-yarders, but also changing the hike count on the second kick that induced the Bills offsides, and would have given him a third chance to win the game.
Tony, if you get a signing bonus, make sure you take that Folk kid to dinner.
Gutsy move coach. If it doesn’t work out and Gramatica truns out to be Scatteratica you’ll want to pick up a good kicker in the draft.
May I suggest Alexis Serna? Made a 58 yarder against the Trojans. His percentage is down a bit this year, but only because the guy has 14 attempts greater than 40 yards, 6 from over 50 (making 4 of them). Oregon State, you might question as a poor football school, well Chad, Steven and TJ all say neeeyaahhhhh.