By Punch N. Judy
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news

This version of Baseball and Eggs is about to turn into a Carnation Instant Breakfast Shake: Quick and convenient, yet still packed with taste, if your into this sort of thing.

First of all the Mets got what they deserved. In today’s day and age a colossal choke is many times forgiven by the presence of the Wildcard. For evidence, look no further than last years AL champs the Tigers, who needing only one victory at home against the KC Royals (which really were their double A farmhands) were swept, yet still eligible for the post season. Now don’t me wrong here, I’ve dug the Wildcard since it’s inception, it’s just that as much as I enjoy a great run by a team like the Rockies, I also find a good meltdown entertaining as well. As long as it doesn’t involve the Tigers or Red Sox.

The theory by many in the media is that it is somewhat of a requirement to enter the playoffs on a roll. That’s obviously not a requirement if you take 2005 and 2006 into account. The White Sox if given another week to tighten the noose, surely would have gagged on their AL Central lead a couple years ago, and who played worse down the stretch last year than Detroit and St. Louis?

Not that I’m complaining, but where are Joe Buck and Tim McCarver? I didn’t say that.

The coverage on TBS has been a little bland but passable so far. I’ve heard a few criticisms of Tony Gwynn in the papers, but baseball snob that I’ am, I take it with a grain of salt. Gwynn knows the game, and more importantly adores it as such. I do admit though, a little Steve Lyons somewhere in the mix would liven things up a little.

I don’t know much about Colorado and Arizona, but how can’t you root for these two old school teams that play the game so beautifully? And quickly. It looks like it won’t be long before Lou Piniela heads home to Tampa and his neighbour Pulk Hogan.

Josh Beckett threw the second best game of his life last night at Fenway. Hitting 98 MPH in the bottom of the ninth is Nolan Ryan territory.

I noticed when Derek Jeter fanned in the third (nearly corkscrewing himself in the ground a la another Mr. October) he immediately glanced at the radar reading in center. I never like that nouveau feature found now in every park. It’s not quite the Fox Puck, but it’s nonetheless a bell or whistle there for the borderline fan. I only glance at it myself 30 or 40 times a game.

With one eye on the keyboard and another on the TV, the Tribe are coughing up an early lead to the Yanks. Surprisingly, it’s the lefties doing C.C Sabathia in. A bases loaded walk just issued to A-Rod is I believe the wrong message to send to the Yanks. I’d go right at him He’s already 0 for one with an infield pop-up. A couple more at bats like that and he would start his yoga routine where he takes more deep breaths than Houdinee. Than he disappears. Stay tuned.

Clown of the Week – The Mets of course, with a special nod in Willie Randolph’s direction. Summoning the ghost of Gene Mauch, the Phillies made the Mets a laughingstock for the ages. They deserved it for the same to Bill Buckner’s for the last 20 years.

Quote of the Week – “ He threw the ball as close to the plate and as far from the bat as possible.” Casey Stengal on the pitching genius of Satchel Paige.

What do I know? Posada and Cabrera both popped out, ending the Yankee threat.

Editor’s note - Baseball and Eggs will appear every Thursday, and serves as a form of self–therapy for this clinically insane baseball fan. The baseball part is self–explanatory. The eggs however, could pertain to just about anything on Punch’s mind from Thursday to Thursday.
 

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at 5:59 pm and is filed under Baseball and Eggs, Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.