If you’ve ever seen a one-legged dog then you’ve seen me.
Bruce Springsteen – “The Wrestler”
Looks like I picked the wrong year to go to three Subway Series games.
The scariest thing is that the Luis Castillo game is beginning to look like the best of the bunch. At least the Mets looked like they were going to win that game. At least they had an offense then, one that even rallied to go ahead off of Mariano Rivera.
Hell, at least the Mets had a LEAD in that game!
I actually thought the Mets had a chance last night. It was a one-run game most of the time. Granted, the difference in the game was that Daniel Murphy had allowed an extra runner to stay on base by bizarrely throwing to third instead of getting the sure out at first. The Yankees immediately capitalized and it seemed somehow fitting that would be the difference in the game.
But it was still a one-run game, and anything could happen.
Little did I know that “anything” meant Francisco Rodriguez walking Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded.
The Mariano walk did not decide the game – the Mets already trailed, 3-2, and were unlikely to come back against Rivera in the bottom of the ninth, especially with this lineup.
But it was even more unforgivable than Luis Castillo’s drop, because K-Rod issued an intentional walk to load the bases. If your pitcher is having control problems, how do you deliberately put him in a position to fail?
When Derek Jeter was intentionally walked, I told Lisa this was a mistake. I did not think that K-Rod would actually walk Mariano. But if K-Rod is afraid to face Jeter, who is recovering from illness, he should not be out there. Pitch to Jeter and do your best to get him out.
Oddly, in the first Subway Series game, K-Rod also issued an intentional walk that backfired, walking Mark Teixeira to put the winning run on base. I liked that move because Teixeira was red-hot at the time and A-Rod was slumping. The strategy worked when A-Rod popped up for what looked to be the final out. Then Luis Castillo settled under the ball…
SPOILER ALERT: Stop reading if you don’t want to know how the movie “The Wrestler” ends.
At the end of “The Wrestler,” Randy the Ram leaps into the air in preparation to slam into his opponent. Randy has been warned that wrestling again will kill him. So his triumphant leap could end in winning the match, but is more likely to end in a fatal heart attack.
The movie ends with a freeze frame of Randy in the air, enjoying his last moment of triumph before his probable death.
My highlight show of this year’s Subway Series would end with a freeze frame of A-Rod’s popup still in the air, A-Rod’s bat slamming to the ground, K-Rod starting to pump his fist, Yankee fans starting to boo A-Rod, and Met fans starting to cheer.
There hasn’t been a whole lot to cheer about since then. And there may not be much to cheer about the rest of the season.
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