Memorial Day

Remember what we were doing last Memorial Day, brothers? Sitting in those wonderful seats at Citizen's Bank Park soaked to the skin waiting and waiting and waiting for the game to start?
In spite of all the disappointment, it was a fun outing - hearing the gunshot of the bullpen warm up all the way across the park, watching Chase Utley warm up through the binoculars, eating good food, shivering. . . Ah, memories.

And just in case anyone from CBP is reading. . . ;) When you have a rain delay, put the televized game on the smaller screens too. The people sitting in front of the big screen can't see it. (duh.)

Maddux

In an effort to divert my mind from the horrors of last night's game (Santana giving up 7 earned runs?! I said, "What is this?!" and Dad said, "It's baseball") I thought I'd pass on the following, from George Will:

One year in spring training, facing a Met who had hit him hard the previous season, Maddux told teammates he would throw dinky sliders to encourage the Met to hit a home run. Maddux figured that hitters remember, and subsequently look for, what they crush. The Met homered—then, always looking for the same pitch, went hitless against Maddux in the regular season.

Leading 8-0 in a regular-season game against the Astros, Maddux threw what he had said he would never throw to Jeff Bagwell—a fastball in. Bagwell did what Maddux wanted him to do: he homered. So two weeks later, when Maddux was facing Bagwell in a close game, Bagwell was looking for a fastball in, and Maddux fanned him on a change-up away.

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci collects such stories demonstrating Maddux's knowledge of hitters. Four times in one season, Maddux, while in the dugout, warned the man sitting next to him that the batter would line a foul into the dugout. Three times the batter did. Another time Maddux said on the bench: "Watch this. The first-base coach may be going to the hospital." The batter lined the next pitch off the coach's chest. Once with runners on second and third and two outs, Maddux's manager suggested an intentional walk. "Don't worry," said Maddux, explaining that on the third of his next pitches the batter would pop out foul to third. Maddux was wrong: The pop was a few feet fair.

I find this fascinating. It reminds me of Christy Mathewson, who said, "I always tried to learn about the hitters. Anytime someone got a hit off me, I made a mental note of the pitch. He'd never see that one again."

Thinking about Mathewson reminds me of Santana, too. Damon Runyon said this about Matty: "Mathewson pitched against Cincinnati yesterday. Another way of putting it is that Cincinnati lost a game of baseball. The first statement means the same as the second." For months we could have said the same. But gee, now he's lost twice; what do we do? :)

The Rooster Says:
Thanks for this great post, Melodee. I've always like Greg Maddux - a clear hall of famer with over 300 wins. He is universally known as not at all overpowering, but one of the most crafty and shrewd pitchers in the history of the game. He knows hitters like no other pitcher. Thanks for the confirmation of that!

Mariners' Announcers

Brian, you are absolutely right. You complained the other day that the Mariners' radio announcers were the worst for interrupting the play-by-play with ads. I was listening on my way home tonight, and could not believe it (even after your rant and rave) when I heard

"Down and in. First pitch brought to you by blah blah blah."

Now we have pitch sponsors?! It has just gone too far. Let's listen to the game, shall we?

Rooster Says:
I know every MLB team does a lot of marketing and sells a lot of advertising. But by far the Mariners have the most intrusive advertising I've ever heard. I don't mind one or two every other inning, or even every inning, provided it is at the beginning and end of the inning. But an ad twice, three times in a single inning? And not just in between batters, but often in between pitches to one batter? It's bad enough that if I were a Mariners fan, I simply wouldn't listen to the games (I listen to an inning or two on my way home from work in the car). Looking at the box score in the paper the next morning is better than having your play-by-play constantly interrupted by announcers hawking some thing or other.

Clutch!

Bottom of the ninth - Indians 4, Twins 2. Cuddyer singles, moves to second on "defensive indifference," moves to third on a balk. Two outs and Stewart walks, then steals second. Tying runs in scoring position. . . and LeCroy strikes out.

Where's some clutch when we need it?

The Streak is Over

I'm sorry Santana had to lose on a night when he pitched 8 innings and gave up only two hits. If only they had been two singles instead of two solo homers. . .