I'm not giving you my full "OK, now it's over" speech (I'll let Tao deliver that one) because, hey, miracles can happen, right? I mean, there's still a mathematical possibility, right? Right??Game 2 of the day/night doubleheader certainly sucked for Blue Jay fans, didn't it? I'll save you the trouble and answer - yes, yes it did. I think everyone acknowledged that a sweep of the Sox, or at the very least, taking three of four, was a requirement to keep the dream alive come Monday morning. Well, that's not going to fucking happen now, is it.
It would be easy to quibble with Cito's use of the bullpen in the loss, but I can see where he was coming from, really. He brought in his best (even if Scott Downs hasn't been "the best" for a week or so now) in high leverage situations, actual inning be damned. Maybe I would have used Jesse Carlson in Downs' spot tonight, maybe I would have let League toss another inning, maybe I would have had BJ cold-cock Shawn Camp (with his non-pitching hand) to ensure he was unavailable. At the end of the day, none of those were season-ending decisions.
No, the reason the Jays will (likely) finish yet another season out of the playoffs is because, quite simply, the team just couldn't get it's shit together in the first half. Discussing whether JP Ricciardi, John Gibbons, the offence underperforming, or just plain bad luck is to blame is for another time.
While I'll probably be running through the gamut of "what could have been" thoughts for the remaining thirteen games on the schedule, the truth of the matter is there's a lot to be optimistic about with this baseball team. I'm sure I'll get there in few days. Just let me be depressed for a while.
I'm sure there are "stages" to this, but fuck those cliches. Tonight was a letdown...one we all kinda knew was coming eventually but convinced ourselves just enough that it might not. Ah well. it was fun to have a big series like this to get ramped up about. I'll enjoy the rest of the games, just as I was before this run, and yet again I'll be as impatient as fuck for April to get here.
ReplyDeletebrendan....I hear you. total letdown. what's weird is, I'm fuckin' depressed and all, but....it's almost a relief, like you say, that the inevitable has happened.
ReplyDeletealso like you, I'll watch the remaining 13, follow the post-season, then start scouring the newstands in february for the season previews. oh, and there's the winter meetings, and the offseason GM intrigue, and free ageny in general, and.....fuck I love this game.
Just not so much tonight.
And drunk.
ReplyDeleteFuck that loss.
Also, I'm fine with bringing Downs in for that situation.
it was fun, man. i can't remember the last time i was so stressed about a jays game. i was on the edge of my set. we got meaningful baseball in september, even if it was only for 3 days.
ReplyDeletei can't find it in me to shit on downs, and shit on the pen. they been too good all year for me to do that.
very disappointing. but i'm proud of these guys, still.
and travis snider is THE TRUTH.
I think Saturday night's game was the first complete Jays game I've watched since the days of Manny Lee...it was exciting to watch. A few observations:
ReplyDelete1. Travis Snider is my new favorite player not wearing a Cubs uniform.
1a. Jason Bay was a fine pickup for the Sox.
2. Kevin Youkilis is my least favorite player - ever.
3. Jesee Barfield made me laugh when he said he was drunk the first time he dipped...
I have to admit I thought the game was in jeopardy when we were up by one in the seventh and had to rely on BJ closing a one run game. I knew we needed a couple of more in eighth and ninth to prevent another Giambi-Yankee disaster. Get your gloves out...It's almost time to start pulling the rope on the flag.
ReplyDeleteI can think of a few too many games we lost in the second half too. Remember getting swept at home by Cleveland?
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I'm saying this but AJ chumped Doc. Doc in the two biggest games of his career fell to the pressure. Doc is a great pitcher BUT he is not a big game pitcher. He had to pitch lights out to win and Lester( who has won a world series game) bested him.Lester is a big game pitcher but Doc? This was the first pressure he ever had to face in his entire career and he did a bad job in Chicago and Lester (who is really Big Time) did it. Hats off to AJ for a sterling effort when it counted. Enough with that stupid Terminator nickname already.......Lester might deserve that nickname after his cancer fight and winning a World Series game whereas Doc can't lockdown in these two situations competely ( and these aren't even playoff games). Bad job,Doc.....
ReplyDeleteLook, Doc didn't suck BUT he didn't pitch like a champ. THis team needs to drill fucking Pedroia in the nuts and fuck up BIg Flappi wrist! That Overbay call was horseshit. Bud wants the Sox to have homefield advantage! Damn fucktards...
ReplyDeleteoverbay call was garbage, and papi deserved to be kicked out of the game last night after he cleated scoot.
ReplyDeleteas for Doc, i'm not going to go as far and say he's not a big game pitcher. this season was lost in april and june, when we couldn't beat the mariners and the indians. not because doc couldn't get the job done today.
Didn't we first play the Indians in May, a month in which we went 20-10? Our shitty April losses were getting swept at home by the A's and Rangers.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous...please. Tony Tarrasco's got nothing to do with it.
ReplyDeleteOn three days rest, Halladay threw 116 pitches and gave up six hits, no walks and two earned run. That's a good outing.
Of course, Halladay didn't have the opportunity to pick up a bat, so there's not much that he could have done about an offense that took a nap between the first inning and the ninth.
And also: Lester pitched really well. No doubt. We actually told our pal the Red Sox fan this weekend that we thought he was the Sox' best starter.
But Lester's great outing doesn't diminish what Halladay did. Was Doc dominant? No, but he wasn't far off and was pitching on short rest.
"Biggest start of his career"? Come on...they are ALL big starts, and there's nothing in that performance that makes you think that Halladay somehow buckled.
And if your expectations are that he "put up zeroes", then your expectations are ludicrous.
Now take your dime store McCown routine elsewhere. Go get a moustache ride from Wendell Clark or something.
I keep telling Roy he needs to learn how to hit.
ReplyDelete