The One I Missed

I.

Sir Bacon.

Was actually accused of getting caught up in the hype.

Just yesterday.

The exact text said:

“Gm 6 not greatest game ever.  Ur caught up In hype.  Everything now has to be best.”

He must’ve learned how to write by reading my blog.

And I appreciate it.

Now I respect his sports knowledge as much as anyone I’ve ever met.

But he wasn’t done there.

He then listed all of the games that he felt were better than Thursday night’s masterpiece.

Gm 6 86

Gm 4 93

Donnie Moore game

Astros mets 86

Jack Morris 10 inning shutout

Ok, I get it.

You subscribe to wikipedia.

And maybe you are right.

Like Flavor Flav, maybe I shouldn’t have believed the hype.

But for me, game 6 was the best game I’d ever seen.

Until next year.

Gm 6 86... name one play before the ball went between Buckner’s legs.  You can’t.

Gm 4 93... 15-14... Blue Jays get 6 in the 8th win.  Mitch Williams implodes.  Again.  Ok, that’s on the list.

Donnie Moore game... really?  One swing makes it a great game?  really? 

Astros mets 86... five runs in the 16th inning... after the game was tied with 3 in the 9th.  Good call.

Jack Morris 10 inning shutout... Jack Morris 10 inning shutout?  I don’t remember that one....

(Insert Harp Flashback Music)

I have always been a fan of the underdog.

In the mid-80’s, out of nowhere, I became this diehard fan of the Minnesota Twins.

And back in the day I was willing to put my money where my heart was.

In 1987, before the season started, I actually bet $20.

In Las Vegas.

That the Minnesota Twins would win the American League.

Back in 1987, $20 was a lot of money.

And the Twins were terrible.

I think I got like 30-1 odds on that bet.

But based on how pathetic the Twins were, the odds should’ve been like 3,000,000-1.

Nevertheless, through some good fortune and lots of luck.

The ‘87 Twinkies did what everyone said couldn’t be done.

They went from worst-to-first.

Winning the division.

Winning the League Championship.

And eventually winning the World Series.

Along the way, winning me 600 cold ones.

Which bought a lot of pizza and beer in 1987.

Four years later they were at it again.

Advancing to their second World Series in four years.

Actually second in 26 years.

Third all-time.

With another win, we could be talking dynasty.

The only thing standing in the way were the Atlanta Braves.

A team that was trying to pull off its own worst-to-first.

The World Series was epic.

Going all seven games.

Four of the first six games were decided by one run.

Game 7 was destined to be a classic.

The only problem is game 7 was also destined to be at the same exact time I was flying from the east coast to the west.

Non-stop.

I think we boarded at the exact same time as the first pitch of the game.

So I saw exactly none of it.

Not one pitch.

No Jet Blue back then.

But the good news is our pilot was nice enough to keep us updated.

“At the end of one inning of game 7 of the World Series, there is no score.”

Two innings, no score.

Five innings, no score.

Seven innings, no score.

Are you kidding me?

Game 7 of the World Series is scoreless through seven innings.

And I’m on a plane.

End of eight innings, no score.

End of nine innings, no score.

UNCLE!!!!!

Enough already.

Somebody make this plane stop.

Somewhere!

The greatest game in the history of baseball.

The first class of our american pastime.

And I’m in coach.

What did I do to deserve this?

Sure enough, three hours and 23 minutes after we took off.

Or pretty close to that.

The pilot came on the loud speaker and informed us.

“The Minnesota Twins just scored a run in the bottom of the 10th inning.”

To win the game.

And the World Series.

1-0.

I’m sure I was excited.

I guess.

But boy did I feel cheated.

Maybe that’s why that game didn’t make my list.

G.O.A.T.

“I don’t believe what I just saw.”

Jack Buck, 1988

The Muhammed Ali of baseball games.

The greatest.

The greatest game of all-time.

Hands down.

Yes, I realize you can’t just throw out that statement.

But I just did.

Game 6 of the 2011 World Series is the greatest baseball game in the history of our national pastime.

Period.

How do you define great?

Pick One:  

¹great adj \ˈgrāt

1 notably large in size

2 large in number or measure

3 remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness 

4 full of emotion

They all fit. 

I’m far from a baseball historian.

But I know my stuff.

For example, did you know the first baseball game was played on April 22, 1876.

True.

Wikipedia says so.

That day a rookie named Jamie Moyer beat the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 2.5-1.

The rules were a little different then.

But it was baseball.

The same game we love today.

Over the next 135 years, thousands... 

tens of thousands...

hundreds of thousands of games have been played.

Games with everything.

293 games with a cycle.

272 no-hitters.

20 Perfect Games.

Good games.

Bad games.

Long games.

Short games.

But no baseball game has ever been as great as what we saw on Thursday night.

Just when you thought it couldn’t take another twist.

It twisted again.

Like Chubby Checker.

This game had it all.

EVERYTHING.

Good pitching.  Bad pitching.

Good hitting.  Great hitting.

Good defense.  Atrocious defense.

You thought Silence of the Lambs was hard to watch.

Try watching Matt Holliday play left field.

Downright scary.

Now when I say this game was the greatest game.

I’m talking greatest game.

Not greatest moment.

Everyone knows the greatest moment in baseball history is Kirk Gibson.

Circa 1988.

The moment that inspired “I don’t believe what I just saw.”

But if Jack Buck was still with us, he wouldn’t believe what his son Joe saw at the new Busch Stadium on Thursday night.

This game went 11 innings.

At least one run in 10 of those.

19 runs in all.

28 hits.

6 homers.

42 players used.

15 players threw a pitch.

16 had a hit.

14 scored a run.

And four made an error.

In fact, Michael Young of Texas made two.

The game was tied five times.

The second inning.  Fourth inning.  Sixth inning.  Ninth inning and Tenth Inning.

And Texas broke the tie every time.

Well every time except one time.

The last time.

The Rangers got back-to-back homers to take the lead in the seventh inning.

Great moment.

The Cardinals battled back in the bottom of the ninth.

To tie the game.

Another great moment.

Down to their final strike, St. Louis native David Freese hit an opposite-field fly ball to right field.

Had the Rangers right-fielder Nelson Cruz made the catch.

A tough catch.

That would’ve been an historic moment.

And it would’ve closed a great game.

And a great series.

But he didn’t.

And when the ball bounced off the padding of that right field wall, a pair of Cardinals circled the bases to tie the game at 7.

And send it into extra innings.

Baseball’s version of sudden death overtime.

That tie would last exactly minutes.

That’s because in the top of the 10th inning, Josh Hamilton sent a ball over that same right field wall.

Over that wall.

Typical Texas.

Anything you can do I can do better.

A two-run homer.

9-7 Rangers.

And another great moment.

Game over?

Game not over!

In the bottom of that inning, the Cardinals battled back.

Again.

Are you starting to believe me about this greatest game thing?

Down 9-8, the Cardinals had two on with two out.

And two strikes.

That’s what Vin Scully calls the deuces wild.

Well wild it was when Lance Berkman singled to center scoring the tying run.

Again.

9-9.

Let’s go to the 11th.

For the cherry on top.

Enter Freese.

A 28-year old journeyman by baseball’s standards.

A guy who quit the game after high school.

A guy who had just 15 major league homers entering this post-season.

A guy who will never have to buy another Budweiser in his hometown of St. Louis.

Freese hit a high-flying home run to deep center field to give the Cardinals the unimaginable come-from-behind victory.

Setting up a winner-take-all game 7.

Capping the greatest game of baseball we have ever seen.

Even if we couldn’t believe what we just saw.

Show Me The Money

Show of hands.

How many of you have gone out on a date with a girl.

Or a guy.

Even though you knew the relationship was already over.

Don’t lie.

You sit through the movie.

Or the dinner.

Or God forbid, the dinner AND movie.

Just to get to the happy (or not-so-happy) ending.

Listen, benefits is benefits.

I get it.

And so do the good people in Milwaukee and St. Louis.

But love is blind.

Even though everyone knows the break-up is right around the corner.

Baseball fans in those two cities are hoping for just one more fling.

A one-night-stand-up-double if you will.

Before the love of their life skips town.

I get it.

As long as something is in it for you.

I say go for it.

This is America.

And greed is good, right?

It is when you are one of the high-flyin first basemen in this year’s National League Championship Series.

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.

Both will be free agents when their season finally ends.

One the end of this week.

One right after that.

And with the end of this season comes the D word.

Divorce.

Dumping.

aDios.

Pick one.

It’s gonna happen.

The speech is already written.

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

And there’s nothing the fans in Milwaukee and St. Louis can do about it.

But cheer.

And drink beer.

In that order.

Pujols and Fielder are both great players.

Both are having a great post-season.

And both are on the verge of becoming public enemy #2 and #2A in the sports world.

Nobody will ever beat LeBron.

Except the Mavericks.

Fred Durst may have done it for the nookie.

But Pujols and Fielder are going to do it for the money.

Lots and lots of money.

If that sounds like a Scott Boras wet dream.

It is.

Well half of one.

Boras, the baseball SuperAgent  -- slash -- the man who has destroyed the game of baseball, is Fielder’s representative.

Pujols is represented by some other guy.

But in both cases, Boras and that other guy are licking their lips knowing the big pay day is right around the corner.

Well, another big pay day.

Pujols is making $16 Million this year.

Fielder is making only $15.5M.

That may sound like a lot of money to you.

And to me.

And it is.

But it’s nuthin’ compared to what these guys are about to get.

And for good reason.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone better than Pujols.

He just completed his 11th Major League season.

And in 10 of those seasons, he hit at least .300 with 30+ homers and 100+ RBI.

This year, he hit .299 with 37 HR and 99 RBI.

Clearly he’s slowing down.

But he is now 31-years-old.

And if 31 is too old for you -- as it is for my friend Phil.

Try Prince.

He’s only 27.

In his six full seasons in the majors, he’s averaging 38 homers and 108 RBI.

Those are not good numbers.

Those are sick numbers.

But not as sick as this.

According to Sports Illustrated, six months ago Pujols turned down $195 Million dollars from the Cardinals to stay in St. Louis.

Yes, you read that right.

ALBERT PUJOLS TURNED DOWN $195 MILLION DOLLARS.

Now before you throw your unemployment check at the computer.

Don’t forget.

It was going to take him nine years to earn all that money.

Even though it’s all guaranteed.

But he turned it down.

He thinks he’s worth more.

I think I’m worth more too.

Difference is.

He’ll probably get it.

As for Fielder.

The only 275-pound vegetarian I’ve ever heard of.

Ok, he’s not a vegetarian anymore.

And this just in -- he’s not 275 anymore either.

Just a few weeks ago, with his team in the middle of a playoff chase, he said.

On the record.

This is “probably the last year” he’ll play in Milwaukee.

Go team!

There’s no I in Prince.

Oops.

There’s no I in Fielder.

Ummm.

Oh yeah, he’s represented by Boras.

What did you expect.

I just found a story from 2004 that said Boras demanded $35 Million to rescue a drowning child.

I think that was a joke.

I think.

Here’s the bottom line.

This is America.

Yada yada yada.

And you should be able to work anywhere you want.

But in both of these cases.

Your fans have done nothing but love you.

Your team has done nothing but pay you.

And your agents have done nothing but tease you.

Be careful what you wish for.