Writing the Pine

World Series back in the Bronx baby!

1st Inning

7:56 PM – I hate Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. I don’t know why. I just don’t like them. I miss Bob Costas.

8:01 PM – First pitch….Thanks for the out Rollins. C.C. on pace for a 27 pitch perfect game. Just to get that out of the way. I’m channeling my inner Michael Kay.

8:02 PM – Derek Jeter. First Inning Roll Call. Best tradition in baseball today. You really have to be there in person and in the bleachers to appreciate it.

8:09 PM – Phils threatening here in the first. Haven’t seen C.C. struggle with his command this badly in the postseason. Perhaps some excess adrenaline. Eating my first Tums.

8:12 PM – It’s been 11 minutes. No umpire controversy. Needless to say, I’m impressed.

8:13 PM – Raul bails out C.C. on a 3-1 count.

8:14 PM – I just ate my dinner. But now I must get. . . Black . . . Taco . . .

8:17 PM – Cliff Lee’s “spiked” curveball is disgusting. Filthy pitch. More movement than A.J. Burnett’s stuff. This game’s going to be decided by the middle relief and back end of the bullpen.

2nd Inning

8:24 PM – Cliff Lee is going to throw a perfect game. He’s amazing. He’s unstoppable. … come on reverse jinx…

8:26 PM – Was Budweiser always a “Great American Lager” or only after Inbev, a Belgian company bought it out?

8:28 PM – Self-described weather enthusiast Joe Buck talks about the weather more than my dad. And my dad LOVES the Weather Channel. C.C. has a 1-2-3 inning.

8:33 PM – After watching Cliff Lee strike out A-Rod, I finally realize the Yankees hitting strategy. They’re going to lull the Phillies and Lee into a false sense of security by striking out repeatedly. Gutsy, but I like the call.

8:37 PM – Matsui just looked foolish swinging. He’s going back to the video room to watch his last at-bat. And by last at-bat I’m referring to his world renown porn collection.

3rd Inning

8:38 PM – My favorite Corona commercial? The one where the couple are kidnapped by Mexican drug cartels and held hostage but then the husband escapes by himself and then the cartel mails him his wife’s ring finger. Great marketing….

8:42 PM – Rollins’ ball hits a guy holding a beer during the regular season.

8:46 PM – I just named my fantasy basketball team. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post it. Let’s just say it involves a body part and a Los Angeles Clipper player that resembles Hulk Hogan.

8:51 PM – F. Chase Utley. Damn. Damn. Damn. Bastard.

8:52 PM – C.C.’s velocity is up. Nice back to back fastballs to Howard.

8:54 PM – I really like these Sony ads. Especially the ones with Erin Andrews. Mhmmm. Erin Andrews.

8:55 PM – Swisher’s going to have a big series. Trust me.

8:57 PM – Not this at-bat. Still have an entire series to go.

8:59 PM – Jeter with the hit. The over-under on the number of times they talk about Carlos Ruiz’s catching style and comparing him to Tony Pena? 12.

That's so beautiful. I feel like Rudy's Dad in South Bend.

4th Inning

9:06 PM – Way to hustle Werth. Don’t hurt yourself running 3 feet. Ok. Need to stay positive. At work I predicted a 3-2 Yankees victory on a home run by Jeter. Anything’s possible right?

9:09 PM – Fox announcers discuss Harry Karey’s suit jacket hanging in a dugout. My brother’s take? “Dead man’s suit? Goddamn. That’s creepy”

9:15 PM – “Spiked Curveball” is going to be the IT word of the World Series. The Hanging Chad of the 2009 World Series.

9:19 PM – Filthy. Where’s Brad Lidge?

5th Inning

9:26 PM – C.C. is dealing. Too bad Cliff Lee is dealing better. Great pitching so far. Game’s flying by. Tim McCarver cracked a LeBron leaving Cleveland joke. The entire city of Cleveland is seething. Well, they would be if they were actually watching the World Series.

9:29 PM – NBA Fantasy draft starting. Paul or James?

9:30 PM – Took Paul. Hmmm…did I just make a mistake? Oh wait, World Series game.

9:34 PM – WHAT? Not a swing on Cano. First blown call by the umps.

9:35 PM – Another blown call. Will they fix it? That should be a double play. (Much to my chagrin)

9:36 PM – They got it right. Yankees fans can’t complain. Still. FML.

6th Inning

9:42 PM – That’s the second head-scratching double play in the postseason due to shaky Yankees baserunning. We’re getting to the last third of the game. If we don’t get Lee out of there, we’re not seeing Lidge in a one run game.

9:43 PM – Do Cleveland Indians fans watch the MLB Playoffs? C.C., Lee, Francisco, V-Mart, and DeRosa. The core of a team that came within an out of the World Series. Must be fun watching them play for other teams.

9:45 PM – …

9:48 PM – New Strategy. Hit Chase Utley with a fastball. If he’s getting on base, he’s gonna feel it.

9:57 PM – Can we trade for Cliff Lee?

9:59 PM – Let’s get something going now….ok. Let’s gooooo!!!

All the offense they needed tonight.

7th Inning

10:08 PM – How much does Joe Girardi trust his bullpen? Knowing C.C. might pitch on short rest, he throws him out there for the 7th inning with over 100 pitches.

10:10 PM – And yes, Joe Girardi is smarter than me. Let’s get the offense going.

10:13 PM – We will miss you Ronan Tynan and your singing. We won’t miss your anti-Semitism and the lack of luck you brought over the past 8 years. Eric Hinske on the other hand has been to three straight World Series.

10:18 PM – I’m starting to hear from Phils fans. A-Rod’s hitting one out. I call it.

10:19 PM – Or not.

10:21 PM – “Mike: wow that was an impressive home run never seen a home run hit to the 3B before.”

8th Inning

10:26 PM – Now would be a good time to show up for the playoffs Phil Hughes.

10:28 PM – Leadoff walk. Oh yeahhh.

10:33 PM – Back to back walks. Maybe a triple play?

10:37 PM – Out of Tums. Need more antacid.

10:38 PM – Best contribution by Phil Hughes? Barking at the ump. More favorable strike zone.

10:40 PM – Wow. Marte did his job. What can I say? I’m surprised.

10:43 PM – Time for Dave “Houdini” Robertson. One more out. And then the formula for the victory: Score one in the eighth, and then crush Brad Lidge’s confidence.

10:45 PM – WHERE DID THAT 2-0 fastball miss????

10:47 PM – We need you Raul. A nice strike out…

10:48 PM – Hanging curve. Terrible. That just made our job twice as hard. Every run was scored with two outs. Can’t finish off these Phillies.

10:52 PM – Six outs left. Kudos to Cliff Lee. Beast of a pitcher.

10:53 PM – Lee just made a hell of a grab. Swisher, please get a hit.

10:57 PM – Cliff Lee + Chase Utley = Yankees fail. At least we have the top of the lineup in the 9th…

Complete-Lee in Control

9th Inning

11:01 PM – I’m just going to throw it out there. If Jeter, Teixiera, and Damon all get on, A-Rod’s gonna come up….nah.

11:05 PM – When it rains… All the credit goes to the Phillies for playing a near-perfect game. Still a few outs left, but it doesn’t look good.

11:07 PM – Tim McCarver was blabbing about traffic, double plays, infields, and I don’t know. Anyone else know what he was saying?

11:16 PM – Wow. Stadium’s cleared out. Come on, it’s only 6 runs. Why bother playing $3000, if you’re gonna leave?

11:17 PM – Yeah, I might leave.

11:19 PM – Breaking the shutout would be a moral victory. Winning would be nice too.

11:25 PM – Yankees showing some life. Maybe a little bit too late, but it helps creak this aura of invulnerability around Cliff Lee. Still two outs to work with.

11:26 PM – Er…make that one. Another K for Lee.

Game Review

This game was about The “Lees”. Cliff Lee and Chase Utley. Sabathia wasn’t bad. Just two bad pitches. The Yankees bullpen collapsed, allowing 4 runs to tack-on, making a come back improbable.

Well played Philly. Solid team performance. See you tomorrow Pedro. We’re gonna rock you.

P.S. This Running Diary was a homage to the great Bill Simmons, a.k.a. Sports Guy. This might scare him, but he’s actually the sports writing inspiration for a generation of bloggers like myself much like the way he was influenced by the the newspaper writers of his youth (back when people still wrote and read newspapers).

Check out the new Mayne Street w/ Bill Simmons