Well, with the loss last night of the NL-Leading St. Louis Cardinals we saw the end of two major things: The Astro's luckless Postseason streak, rivalled only by that of Tony La Russa, and the old, if somewhat forgettable, Busch Stadium.
It was a landmark among ballparks, really, with it's long-outdated look bringing back memories of Barry Goldwater, freezing games in the NFL playoffs and the Johnson administration. Yes, it was truly a sight for the ages. And that is where it's headed, off to the history books and a page on Wikipedia under the "Default Sports Facilities" heading.
I had never been there, personally. I had rarely seen it on television (We don't get too many NL games in Jays Country). And it didn't even mean anything special to me. Why, I'm not even too sure why I'm writing about it, in all honesty. Whatever.
The point that I never even addressed is that finally, after years of being so goddamn close (1986, 2004 come to mind) the Astros have finally done it, finally made it to the Final Series, as it were. Finally getting a chance to not only beat the best team in a league, but to actually become it. And, as usual, they couldn't have had worse luck.
They are facing the Chicago White Sox, the best team in the AL, a team that has outstanding hitting and pitching, a team that has something to prove, even if it's only to those damn Cubs fans (George F Will, et al). They don't just want this win, they need it - to finally put that damn Black Sox scandal (the one that everybody remembers only because of a semi-decent movie) behind them for good. The Cubs have the "Billygoat Curse", the Red Sox the "Curse of the Bambino" and Billy Buckner. The White Sox have a gambling scandal that would curl Pete Roses hair - and a chance to beat those Texans and put Shoeless Joe to rest, for once and for all.
***
Remember how I said that Joe Sakic was the Last Nordique? Well, he ain't for much longer: the Aves will let him become a free agent at the end of the season.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Monday, October 10, 2005
The Houston Marathon / By the Rocket's Red Glare
Yesterday, we all (at least those of us not watching NFL, Nascar, NHL or the Cooking Channel) saw one of the longest, most exciting and most dramatic baseball game in recent memory.. we all saw one man, who has a knack for saving the day, hold an entire team at bay when it was needed the most, while another fell apart at the seams. But this story starts almost two decades ago, in 1986...
It was in the same town, although in a different venue, in the National League Championship Series, that we saw (as broadcasted by ABC, if my memory serves correctly) New York Mets and the Houston Astros play a 16 inning marathon in the old Astrodome for entry to the World Series - and when the Mets finally won, it was the longest game ever played in postseason baseball.
And it was less then two weeks later, in Boston's Fenway Park, that Roger Clemens led the Red Sox to what should have been a series-winning victory - until the Red Sox bullpen let the Mets tie in the 9th. Then, only one inning later Mookie Wilson's ground ball dribbled between the legs of Bill Buckner (who, if the Red Sox had won, would have been a major candidate for playoff MVP) in one of the most infamous baseball errors of all time.
In the nineteen years since that game-ending error, the Astros have never again been as close to the World Series, Bill Buckner moved to Idaho, the Astrodome was left empty and Roger Clemens won two World Series, eventually winding up with the Astros.
We now go to the 1992 World Series - where the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Atlanta Braves. Or the 1991 World Series, a victory for the Minnesota Twins over the Braves. Or the 1996 or 1999 World Series. Or any MLB Postseason from 1991 to the present. Every year, save 1995, they lost. And they needed a victory this year, save they lose to the NL Wild Card.
So, we finally arrive at Minute Maid Park in Houston - The Astros lead the series 2-1 but the Braves lead 6-5 in the top of the ninth inning. However, an Astros home run sends the game to extra frames. And the game remains tied. Running out of relief pitchers, the Astros are forced to call in one of their starting pitchers - Roger Clemens. But still, nobody scores.
NFL games that started at the same general time as the game have all ended; games that started at at 4 are getting close to halftime. Still, nobody scores. Atlanta changes pitchers. Not a single runner scores. The clock ticks ever closer to six PM EST.
By now, all of the football games that are still playing are in their fourth quarter. All the existing time records for a Major League Division Series have been broken - and it's getting close to the all-time Baseball Postseason record - that fateful night in Houston almost 20 years before. Still, not a run scores. Indeed, it could be argued that only one man is still keeping the Astros in the game: Roger Clemens, pitching his heart out and keeping the bats of the Braves at bay.
It was close to seven, almost six hours since the game started, when the Astros hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th. Who hit it is almost irrelevant, like who finished first in the last leg of the Tour de France or the winner of the Bronze Medal game of the World Cup; it was only needed because of the masterful pitching of the Rocket, who came out the bullpen and delivered when it was needed the most and who, in the process, looked like that other famous Texan who pitched for the Astros; like Nolan Ryan in the fading light of the Texas sun.
It was in the same town, although in a different venue, in the National League Championship Series, that we saw (as broadcasted by ABC, if my memory serves correctly) New York Mets and the Houston Astros play a 16 inning marathon in the old Astrodome for entry to the World Series - and when the Mets finally won, it was the longest game ever played in postseason baseball.
And it was less then two weeks later, in Boston's Fenway Park, that Roger Clemens led the Red Sox to what should have been a series-winning victory - until the Red Sox bullpen let the Mets tie in the 9th. Then, only one inning later Mookie Wilson's ground ball dribbled between the legs of Bill Buckner (who, if the Red Sox had won, would have been a major candidate for playoff MVP) in one of the most infamous baseball errors of all time.
In the nineteen years since that game-ending error, the Astros have never again been as close to the World Series, Bill Buckner moved to Idaho, the Astrodome was left empty and Roger Clemens won two World Series, eventually winding up with the Astros.
We now go to the 1992 World Series - where the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Atlanta Braves. Or the 1991 World Series, a victory for the Minnesota Twins over the Braves. Or the 1996 or 1999 World Series. Or any MLB Postseason from 1991 to the present. Every year, save 1995, they lost. And they needed a victory this year, save they lose to the NL Wild Card.
So, we finally arrive at Minute Maid Park in Houston - The Astros lead the series 2-1 but the Braves lead 6-5 in the top of the ninth inning. However, an Astros home run sends the game to extra frames. And the game remains tied. Running out of relief pitchers, the Astros are forced to call in one of their starting pitchers - Roger Clemens. But still, nobody scores.
NFL games that started at the same general time as the game have all ended; games that started at at 4 are getting close to halftime. Still, nobody scores. Atlanta changes pitchers. Not a single runner scores. The clock ticks ever closer to six PM EST.
By now, all of the football games that are still playing are in their fourth quarter. All the existing time records for a Major League Division Series have been broken - and it's getting close to the all-time Baseball Postseason record - that fateful night in Houston almost 20 years before. Still, not a run scores. Indeed, it could be argued that only one man is still keeping the Astros in the game: Roger Clemens, pitching his heart out and keeping the bats of the Braves at bay.
It was close to seven, almost six hours since the game started, when the Astros hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 18th. Who hit it is almost irrelevant, like who finished first in the last leg of the Tour de France or the winner of the Bronze Medal game of the World Cup; it was only needed because of the masterful pitching of the Rocket, who came out the bullpen and delivered when it was needed the most and who, in the process, looked like that other famous Texan who pitched for the Astros; like Nolan Ryan in the fading light of the Texas sun.
Monday, October 03, 2005
The Last Nordique
The rain was pouring down this morning, waking me up at some ungodly morning hour and making my window take the appearance of frosted glass. And as I awoke, cursing the foul elements that had awaken me, I listened to the ESPN Radio previews of the new NHL season - in particular the preview for the Avalanche. And it reminded me about one of the last of the greats; the last Nordique.
Since 1996, when the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver to begin anew, many of the players have moved on; wither because they retired, were traded away or just signed to another team the former Nordiques moved on (Adam Deadmarsh, Peter Forsberg, , slowly but surely. And while many of the players from the second glory days of the Nordiques (the first being the mid 1980's) are still playing, none are playing for the Nordiques/Avalanche - except one: Joe Sakic.
In an age where players can change teams almost on a whim, Joe Sakic is a rarity. He has played his entire career (16 seasons) for the same team. With the rise of free agency and salary caps, it's almost unheard of to play for the same team for more then 10 years; even Ray Bourque eventually left the Bruins. For a player to stay with a team for as long as Sakic has, and most likely will, is a product of special circumstances. Mario Lemieux is part of the management for the Penguins, for example. Joe Sakic, on the other hand, has no such business; instead, he's the spiritual backbone of a team that not only is a proven winner, but a consistent threat.
The Avalanche are one of the last great dynasties in pro sports (their only rival would be the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Braves). Every year they make it to the playoffs and every year they they put the best teams (Detroit, Dallas, Anaheim, Calgary) in the league to the test.
So, will Joe Sakic remain the Last Nordique? Only he knows for sure... but he is not only the best man for the job, he's the only one who can do it. And who knows, he may even end up coaching them in a few years.
Since 1996, when the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver to begin anew, many of the players have moved on; wither because they retired, were traded away or just signed to another team the former Nordiques moved on (Adam Deadmarsh, Peter Forsberg, , slowly but surely. And while many of the players from the second glory days of the Nordiques (the first being the mid 1980's) are still playing, none are playing for the Nordiques/Avalanche - except one: Joe Sakic.
In an age where players can change teams almost on a whim, Joe Sakic is a rarity. He has played his entire career (16 seasons) for the same team. With the rise of free agency and salary caps, it's almost unheard of to play for the same team for more then 10 years; even Ray Bourque eventually left the Bruins. For a player to stay with a team for as long as Sakic has, and most likely will, is a product of special circumstances. Mario Lemieux is part of the management for the Penguins, for example. Joe Sakic, on the other hand, has no such business; instead, he's the spiritual backbone of a team that not only is a proven winner, but a consistent threat.
The Avalanche are one of the last great dynasties in pro sports (their only rival would be the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Braves). Every year they make it to the playoffs and every year they they put the best teams (Detroit, Dallas, Anaheim, Calgary) in the league to the test.
So, will Joe Sakic remain the Last Nordique? Only he knows for sure... but he is not only the best man for the job, he's the only one who can do it. And who knows, he may even end up coaching them in a few years.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Palmeiro's dance
Well, The Dance of Mr. Palmeiro has taken a new step - now, not only did he not intentionally take steroids, but it was only Vitamin B12 (that's right, the very same vitamin that you find in fish, chicken and the like). And he named his supplier, to boot: Miguel Tejada. Miguel, of course, denies these almost-slanderous claims. To wit: "Right now I'm in shock...It doesn't bother me because I'm not guilty. I've done nothing wrong. I just gave him B-12, and B-12 is legal...".
So, then, just how did Palmeiro get those "horrible" steroids, the same kind of horse tranquilizer that Ben Johnson tested positive for in the 1988 Olympics, into his system? Was it on the tail end of an alcohol and amphetamine binge in the middle of the season, after the Orioles pulled close to the Red Sox for the lead in the AL East? They were almost on top of the league then, with Mr. Palmeiro closing in on hit number 3000 and almost assured the spot of either the AL East or, failing that, the AL Wild Card. But then, after their star player tested positive for a drug used to tame wild horses, it all went downhill - they're even below the lowly Toronto Blue Jays now, 12 games below .500, 20 games out of the AL East title, 20 and a half out of the Wild Card. It's been a huge collapse, even worse then the Kansas City Royals, worse then the Toronto Blue Jays, worse then the Washington Nationals. And now Mr. Palmeiro has danced his last dance in Baltimore.
After hearing reports that Mr. Palmeiro had fingered a member of the Orioles,
"interim manager Sam Perlozzo said that if the first baseman had named a teammate in trying to explain his steroid test, it probably would be best that Palmeiro not return to the team this year.
"If in fact that was true, then it probably would not be a good idea" for Palmeiro to return, Perlozzo said. "It's all speculation as far as I know." (Espn.com)
So, now what? Palmeiro is damaged goods. No team, not even a A-level minor league team in Mexico, would touch him now. He is done, finished, as a baseball player. There is a better chance of Pete Rose suiting up to play for the Reds next year then there is a chance of Palmeiro playing in Baltimore. He has sunk them, sent them on a course of despair and sorrow as they sink to the bottom on the AL East and the ranks of Major League Baseball.
But, what does this mean to the common person? Does this mean anything? Oh yes, sir, it does not. It is a valuable lesson to teach yr children (indeed, I expect to see this retold in pictures as a children's book in the near future): Never get caught, and when you do get caught (for you will, eventually) never, never, blame it on somebody else. You will made out as a fool, a loser and as an idiot. You will have the stench of Loser on yr back, and you will never get it off. Never.
Just ask Pete Rose. Or Ben Johnson. Or Mike Tyson. Or OJ Simpson. Or, starting next year, Mr. Ralph Palmeiro.
M
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