I’m a little bleary eyed after last night game. I watched the game while listening to and contributing to the SPORTSTALKNY show (my Skype connection was giving me trouble last night for some reason it kept dropping the setting for my headset mic, but I did get in late on the show which was a classic especially Phil Esposito he was a great interview well done by Mark and A J) and after a first week at Shea that started out with anger and frustration it ended with an exciting ending of a three game sweep. The 14^th inning became a survival of the fittest and Joel Hanrahan who was as wild as Lindsay Lohan at 2 for1 cocktail night, was gassed but Manny Acta had no choice but to leave him in as the Nats were caught short a pitcher after sending down Chris Schroeder to bring up catcher Will Neives while Paul LoDuca sat with a injured hand. The lack of foresight by the Jim Bowden came back to bite his team in the ass as Hanrahan had nothing last night. Just look how the 14^th inning unfolded.

Super sub Damien Easley who came into the game in a double switch led off with a single to left (his second hit of the game) that brought up Jose Reyes in bunting situation. Reyes lunged at the first pitch and bunted straight up in the air and the ball was caught by Hanrahan for the first out. Up stepped Ryan Church and the only thing on Church’s mind was to end the game. The first pitch he saw he foul off, then the next one he swung and missed, a little over anxious eh? Now Hanrahan was in control but as I said he was all over the place with his pitches during this appearance so trying to get Church to chase a bad ball he crossed up Neives behind the plate and unleashed a wild pitch that sent Easley to 2^nd base. Now Hanrahan is rattled. The next pitch is out of the strike zone so from a commanding 0-2 advantage Church gets the count even. Then Hanrahan feels frogy and tries to pick Easley off at second base and ends up throwing the ball into the outfield so now we have the winning run on third with one out. Church, trying to just hit a fly ball swings and misses at the next pitch for strike three. Shit, this game is going to go on and on and on.  When Manny Acta allowed Hanrahan to pitch to Wright I was SHOCKED. Why pitch to Wright or Delgado with the pitchers spot behind Delgado and only Brian Schneider left on the bench. I guess I yelled loud enough for Acta to hear me as he walked both Wright and Reyes to load the bases setting up the force all around. Now up steps Schneider and no one warming in the pen. What was Willie going to do concede the game? No, finally the phone rings and up steps Scott Schoenewies which could be construed as a concession. Never the less Joel Hanrahan took the team he rooted for as a child, off the hook by throwing a pitched that missed the plate by about twenty feet and bounced to the back stop for a walk off wild pitch (YIKES!) Bizarre inning and as Willie said afterward a very ugly game. 

I hope you’re sitting down for this one. My family has been invited by the pastor of our church to join him and a few other parishioners to the see the Pope at Highlander Stadium.  I hope this isn’t a set up to save my soul or something or maybe something wild like the Pope reads the site (Benny from Da Vatican ?) but it should be a nice day too bad the venue is less desireable. My wife read a story that communion will be distributed during the mass and the Dioceses claims it will take 15 minutes to give communion to the over 55, 000 in attendance. I’ll believe that when I see it but my question is how long will it take for the collection and will there be two of those? 

Posted under Uncategorized