New Sully Baseball Video "Miami Marlins Monstrosity"

Did you see that INSANE new monstrosity that they are putting into centerfield for the new Miami stadium?

It's bonkers. And I kind of like it.
It's the subject of the latest Sully Baseball video.

Enjoy the video.

And as always, you can see all the videos at my ShortForm TV page.

Logan Morrison needs a new nickname

Logan Morrison is a talented member of the Marlins and might very well be a key player as the team enters a new ballpark and a new identity.

But while speaking of identities, he needs a nickname.
Why? you ask.

Because look at how his recent home run highlight was listed on MLB.com.

LO MO???

What kind of crap nickname is that?
Seriously.

How lazy do we have to be to keep assigning garbage nicknames to players?

How about a good old fashioned alliteration name.

"Mallet" Morrison.

The Mallet Mashes It!

Or a play on his first name?

"Long Gone Morrison!"

Or there was that time he was attacked by a Praying Mantis.

He can be called "The Mantis!"

We need SOMETHING!

We need to end the era of first sound of the first name and first sound of the last name as a nickname.

I am sure he might not want to be associated with a Praying Mantis but it's a start!

Please.

As I said before... we need to work on our nicknames.

17 Games Left: Third Is The Word

With today's loss to the Cubs, the Mets fell to 71-74 on the season.  They remain two thousand games behind the first place Phillies (that will change after tonight's Phillies-Brewers matchup has been completed) and a few hundred games behind the wild card-leading Braves (also pending tonight's game).  However, they do remain four games ahead of the fourth place Nationals and 5½ games in front of the lowly Marlins.

So the question is not whether the Mets can catch the Braves for the wild card or cut the Phillies' lead in the NL East to one thousand games (even though a three-game sweep of Philadelphia in two weeks would certainly help), it's whether or not the Mets can forget that there are 17 games left in the season and hold off the Nats and Fish to finish higher than fourth place for the first time since moving across the parking lot to Citi Field.

The 2007 and 2008 Mets famously went 5-12 and 7-10, respectively, in their final 17 games to lose their not-so-firm grip on first place and the wild card, failing to make the playoffs each year.  The 2009 Mets also went 7-10 in their final 17 games, but managed to hold off the Washington Nationals in their quest for fourth place in the NL East (mission accomplished - yes!)

Last year's team was 72-73 at the 145-game mark, as they were duking it out with the Marlins for third place.  They then proceeded to go (you guessed it) 7-10 in their final 17 games, finishing in fourth place, a game behind the Marlins, but at least ahead of the last place Nats.

So what can we expect the Mets to do this year now that they've reached the dreaded "17 to play" mark of the season?

For one thing, the Mets have what should be a comfortable lead in the NL East over the Nationals and Marlins.  But then again, being four games up on Washington doesn't guarantee anything.  The Nationals still have something to play for.  Since moving to Washington from Montreal following the 2004 season, the Nats have finished last in every year but one (2007, when they finished two games ahead of the cellar-dwelling Marlins).  With the potential for their highest finish in the NL East, the Nationals will surely be playing hard over their final 17 games.  The Marlins, on the other hand, just lost six games over the past two weeks to the Mets.  The demons of 2007 and 2008 have been exorcised and the Marlins should pose no threat to the Mets over their final 17 games (we hope).

A quick look at my once shiny, now falling apart Mets pocket schedule reveals that the Mets will be playing a four-game series with the fourth place (and hungry) Nationals next week at Citi Field.  The Mets cannot lose this series if a) they want to finish .500 or better and 2) they don't want to choke away third place to Jayson Werth and his cohorts.  They must split this series at the very least.  Taking three of four would all but eliminate the Nats from third place contention and a four-game sweep plus drilling Werth in his $126 million @$$ would be the cherry on top of the mediocre sundae.

It would behoove the Mets to do well against Washington because after that series, the Mets will be playing the wild card-leading Braves in Atlanta (they have a worse winning percentage at Turner Field than the Washington Generals have against the Harlem Globetrotters), followed by a trip to St. Louis against the somehow-still-in-it Cardinals, and topped off with a three-game set against the team with the best record in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies, who somehow are on their way to the best record in franchise history, even without the aforementioned Jayson Werth (guess their key off-season acquisition of Juan Samuel to be their third base coach really panned out for them).

Should the Mets falter against the Braves, Cardinals and Phillies, they'll need to sweep the Reds at Citi Field to close out the regular season to have any realistic hope of finishing ahead of the Nationals for third place.  The lowly Reds surely remember the Mets' first-ever four-game sweep in Cincinnati a few months ago, so they will not be an easy opponent, despite what the won-loss records say.

The Mets have gone 7-10 over their final 17 games in each of the last three seasons (and it's four out of five seasons if you go back to 2006; even that team went 7-10 over their final 17 regular season games).  Doing the same this year would produce a 78-84 record, a one-game dropoff from their 2010 final record.  It would also put them in jeopardy of being passed by the Washington Nationals for third place in the NL East.  Finishing .500 or better should be the ultimate goal for this year's Mets, but finishing in third place is the more likely (and attainable) goal.  It's time to show the rest of the National League East (meaning those teams not named Los Phillies or Los Braves) that this Mets team has had enough of late-season chokes and fourth place finishes.  Say it loud and say it proud!  Third is the word!  And nothing else will be acceptable!

I hope a contender signs Wes Helms

Call me a sentimental old fluff, but a contender should pick up the recently released Wes Helms. The former Marlin third baseman doesn't have much in the tank. After 69 games this year, he has any many homers as me. (That would be zero.)

He has no power, his on base skills are non existent and he is under the Mendoza line.

I still don't get OPS+, but I am sure that 42 isn't good.

But he has put in 11+ years in the big leagues. He was an Atlanta Brave for years but missed their World Series runs. He was a Phillie and played in the 2007 playoffs but was a Marlin when the Phillies went to back to back World Series.

He's one of those veterans who has been a nice but not great player for a decade. His career is probably not going to continue in 2012.

But he is also someone who would truly cherish a pennant drive. And you can't tell me that a veteran like Helms on the bench would HURT!

Every year there is a guy who plays in the post season who gets a garbage time pinch hit at bat or fills in defensively in a blow out that makes me say "Oh man, I forgot he was still cashing a check!"

And every once in a while that player gets to have that elusive ring.

Did you remember Ken Phelps was on the 1989 A's?

Or Geoff Jenkins on the 2008 Phillies?

Or Todd Hollandsworth on the 2003 Marlins?

Or sometimes that veteran can just be a nice piece to the clubhouse even if they are not active. Royce Clayton "I didn't get my Taco!" rant was the most memorable part of the 2007 World Series and he didn't even play!

So come on, contenders. Open your roster. You get to give your third baseman a day off and a nice veteran player can play for one last burst of glory.

Sign Wes Helms.

You'll thank me later.

Marlin fans... don't get worked up over the stadium name

The Marlins new ballpark is coming along around the site of the old Orange Bowl.
What's it going to be called?

According to Big League Stew, one of my favorite reads on line, some Marlin fans are worried about the name sounding too corporate. Or perhaps even worse taking on a name that would make everyone think of a foreign conglomerate.

Let me say something very clear here, Marlins fans.
WHO CARES?

Listen to me and listen well. (I think that was grammatically correct.)

Would you rather have a stadium that SOUNDED great or that was a great place to see a ballgame?

The worst era of baseball stadiums gave us some of the best names for parks in history.
And the current crop of stadiums have decidedly mediocre or cold and corporate sounding names.

Let me show you what I mean.

Take Philadelphia for example.

The Phillies used to play in Veterans Stadium.

That is a great name for a sporting venue. Honoring the military, it had a nice rhythm to its name and a cool nickname as well.

"The Vet."

And it was an awful cookie cutter park. It was dark and ugly and unappealing.

But it had a cool name. MUCH cooler than Citizens Bank Ballpark.
Which is a better place to play?

Two of the greatest stadium names EVER were Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati and Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.


Both were perfectly tailored to their cities. The Ohio River was the lifeblood of Cincinnati and its stadium name reflected that.

Pittsburgh was formed at the meeting points of the Ohio Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, and the stadium name paid tribute to all three.

Look at the two pictures above. Quickly... which one is which? Chances are you have to look at the surroundings of the stadium to figure out which one is in Pittsburgh and which one is in Cincinnati instead of looking at the stadium itself.

The names didn't make the stadium.

Jack Murphy helped bring big league sports to San Diego and the stadium honored him... and was a dull dull dull stadium.

Compare that to the corporate named PetCo Park, which is a fabulous stadium in the heart of the city.

It is a stadium that would make Jack Murphy proud.



I would say few ballpark names were better than Candlestick Park.

It had geographic relevance. It was descriptive of where in San Francisco it was located.

Calling it a Park instead of a Stadium was a nice touch. And it had a wonderful nickname, "The Stick."

And as someone who went to many games there, I can tell you "The Stick" sucked. It was cold. It was ugly. It was poorly designed for baseball and equally ill fitting for football. It was freezing in August and there was one road leading in and out which meant traffic jams even if the game had a tiny crowd.

Compare that to the coldly corporate sounding AT&T Park. Its name reflects corporate take overs as it was originally Pacific Bell Park, then SBC Park and finally the Death Star's stadium.

And it is the most beautiful, most fan friendly and unique new ballpark in the country with fascinating features and the greatest new tradition in baseball: The boats in McCovey Cove.


It's not all in the name, Marlins fans.
You guys are finally getting a baseball only stadium and who knows? Miami might become a destination spot for free agents. Fans can come out to the game and not be baked or rained upon. And the core of players are talented. It might be a glorious time for a franchise that has a World Series title in each of the last two decades.

So who cares if it is called Blackwater Stadium?

It's a potentially great new place where all new memories of terrific and possibly sustained Marlins teams can grow.

Names are irrelevant.

Take a look at the current Marlins stadium. I think it changed names twice since I started writing this blog post.

I honestly thought it was still called Dolphin Stadium.

Evidently it is called Sun Life Stadium... not to be confused with Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium and Land Shark Stadium.

If the new park changes its name as often as the old one did, it won't matter. The PARK will be where you will be happy, no matter what it is called.

Fish Food

The date was September 18, 2006. The place was Shea Stadium. Josh Willingham hit a Billy Wagner offering to left field, where Cliff Floyd squeezed it for the final out of the game. The Mets had just shut out the Florida Marlins to win their first division title since 1988 and they were dancing on the field while the hapless Marlins watched.

Since that memorable night, the Mets haven't had much to celebrate when playing the Marlins. In fact, it's been the exact opposite.

Do you think the Marlins say "nom, nom, nom" when they see the Mets on the schedule?

In 2007 and 2008, the Mets faced the Marlins during the final weekend of the regular season, each time with a postseason berth at stake. New York had great pitching performances by John Maine in 2007 and Johan Santana in 2008, but they lost the other four games in each season-ending series, falling a game short of the playoffs both times.

Their late-season failures against the Marlins carried over into the following seasons, as the Mets went 7-11 versus the Fish in 2009 and 6-12 against them in 2010. Now, after dropping the first two games of their latest series with Florida in excruciating fashion, the Mets are 3-7 in 2011 against their division rivals.

Excruciating is the perfect word to describe the Mets' performances against the Marlins over the past five seasons. It's one thing to be blown out by a team. It's another thing to drop so many games to the same team in close fashion.

Yeah, this celebration took place against the Mets.

Since dropping the final game ever played at Shea Stadium to the Marlins, the Mets have played 47 games against the Fish. Their record in those games is 16-31. Of the 47 games, 28 of them have been decided by two runs or less. The Mets have claimed victory in only nine of those 28 contests.

Let's put it this way. Since the Shea Goodbye game, the Marlins' overall record is 223-212 (.513 winning percentage). They're 31-16 against the Mets (.660 win pct.) and 192-196 against everyone else (.495 win pct.).

The Mets are the main reason why the Marlins have been "winners" over their last 400-plus games. The Marlins were also instrumental in preventing the Mets from being winners in 2007 and 2008.

Face it. Until the Mets can figure out how to beat the Marlins, they will continue to be fish food for them. It's a reality that becomes harder to swallow with each tough loss.

Joey's Soapbox: On Daniel Murphy And Brain Freeze

Brain freeze. It's what happens when a person ingests cold foods or drinks too quickly, causing a shooting pain in the head (or the brain, if you will). Occasionally, the sharp pain can cause a momentary lapse of judgment, as the brain recovers from the unexpected sensory overload.

As you can see in the photo to the left, I always prepare for the possibility of getting brain freeze by wearing the hood of my Mets hoodie. That way I can have my ice cream and eat it, too, without worrying that my brain will freeze up at the most inopportune moment.

Preparation is key to preventing lapses in judgment. Without it, a person can place himself and those around him in precarious situations. On that note, I have a question to ask you, my fellow Mets fans. Do you think Daniel Murphy has been eating too much ice cream without wearing his hoodie?

My name is Joey Beartran and I'm about to get on my soapbox.


Daniel Murphy has been a hitting machine this year. He's among the league leaders in batting average, hits and doubles. Unfortunately, at times that machine has left the dugout without being properly oiled. Consider the following instances, which occurred in each of the last two games.

On Sunday, the Mets were involved in a scoreless game when they loaded the bases against Nationals' pitcher Jordan Zimmermannnnnn. (I always forget how many "N"s there are in his name.) David Wright lifted a short fly ball to overpaid rightfielder Jayson Werth, who naturally threw home to prevent Jonathon Niese from tagging up at third base.

Daniel Murphy was the runner on first at the time. Instead of looking at the runners in front of him or picking up his coach (since that's what they're there for), Murphy ran towards second base with his head down all the way. Naturally, Werth's throw was intercepted by the cutoff man, who ran Murphy back towards first before throwing the ball to second baseman Danny Espinosa, who tagged Murphy out before he could retreat safely. The brain freeze ended the scoring threat and the inning in a game the Mets would eventually lose by one run.

The very next day, Murphy committed an more egregious error, given the circumstances and inning of the game. After the Mets rallied to tie the Marlins on a two-out, two-run homer by Lucas (Howdy) Duda in the bottom of the ninth, Florida put two men on base against Jason Isringhausen in the top of the tenth.

Dewayne Wise then collected the Marlins' third consecutive hit, stroking a single to right field. The lead runner was held at third base, but Wise decided he was going to run towards second, similar to the play Murphy botched the day before. By all rights, Wise should have been a dead duck between first and second. There was only one problem. Lucas Duda's throw was cut off by Daniel Murphy.




Daniel Murphy's Law:

"Anything that can go wrong, will be done by Daniel Murphy."





Murphy took the cutoff throw from Duda, then ran with the ball in his hand towards Wise. For a split second, he took his eyes off Wise to check if the runner on third was breaking for home. In that split second, Wise dashed back to first, beating the tag by second baseman Justin Turner, as Murphy tossed a soft backhanded throw in a failed attempt to get Wise.

The next batter, Mike Stanton, crushed a grand slam, sending the fans to the exits and the Mets to their third consecutive defeat. Had Murphy been able to retire Wise, as 99% of cutoff men in that situation would, there would have been two outs, first base would have been open, and perhaps the Mets would have intentionally walked Stanton. Instead, Murphy's brain freeze cost the Mets another tight ballgame.

It's great that Daniel Murphy is hitting the tar off the ball. His bat has kept the Mets in games that he hasn't managed to blow with his baserunning and defense. However, a major league baseball player should excel not only in the physical part of the game, but in the mental aspect as well.

Daniel Murphy, as physically talented as he is, needs to use his brain in situations that don't require his bat. Brain freeze might be acceptable when a person is eating ice cream, but is unacceptable what that person is standing between the foul lines. A hot bat will never make up for a cold brain.

If not Miami then Seattle... that makes sense

So the Marlins had to abandon their own stadium for the weekend because U2 needed time to set up their concert.

Actually that's not a true. The Marlins stadium isn't ready until next year. So they are just borrowing the Dolphins' stadium as they have every year since 1993.

(I can't keep track of what it is called. Is it Joe Robbie? Pro Player? Landshark? Sun Life? Chico Bail Bonds Park?)

I admit the economics make sense. U2 is going to draw a hell of a lot more people than the Mariners/Marlins game, so Bono, the Edge and company need the time to set up. (I really hope they aren't doing any of that Spider-Man stuff.)

But does the location shift make sense?
Sure they can't play in Miami, but did they HAVE to go 3,287 miles to find another venue?

After all, they are the FLORIDA Marlins!
Couldn't they play a weekend in a smaller Florida city?

The Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando is available.

There is no game in Bradenton, Clearwater, Jupiter, Fort Myers or Dunedin today.
The Jacksonville Suns are out of town this weekend.

Perhaps there could be a novelty of a Major League game being played in a smaller town. Maybe instead of a 2/3 empty Safeco Field in Seattle hosting an impromptu game where the Mariners wear their road grays, maybe have a smaller Florida town become a big league city for a day.

Wouldn't that make more sense?
Of course it would... that's why it isn't happening.

Hey look at that! The Marlins actually won a game!

For only the second time this month, the Marlins won a game. It was 2 managers ago that they last won.

And THIS time Jack McKeon decided to let Hanley Ramirez play and he responded with 2 hits.

Hey, every single time Jack McKeon has taken over the Marlins in mid season, they went on to win the World Series.

You can look it up.

Not much is different in Marlins land

Meet the new boss.
Same as the old boss.

Actually he IS the old boss.
The REALLY old boss.

Chris Jaffe wrote a great piece on how old Jack McKeon is for The Hardball Times.
Well his first decision didn't bode well for the return of Trader Jack.

He benched Hanley Ramirez.
Yeah yeah yeah. He was showing his star that nobody was safe.

Yeah yeah yeah. Old School blah blah blah.

The team lost again.
They lost their 11th straight game.
They lost 2-1.

Hanley Ramirez could have been helpful.

The Fish had better win a game pretty soon. They are 9 games in the loss column out of a Wild Card spot.

Or else Trader Jack might be trading away some of his players.

It's a lot like 1985 in Florida

OK... the Marlins finally did what I thought they should do. Edwin Rodriguez's managerial tenure ended.

Someone named Brandon Hyde managed today. Technically Hyde is the 6th manager that the Marlins have had since Jeffrey Loria took over the team in 2002.

I am guessing that there will be an 8th manager in 10 seasons.

But wait.

What's this coming from the woodwork?

Jack McKeon could be coming back!

Look, I know he showed up midway through the 2003 season and led the fish to the World Series title... but Jack McKeon was no spring chicken when he took over the Reds in 1997, let alone 2003!

He was 74 when he last managed in 2005.
That was 6 years ago.

He's an 80 year old man.

Seriously, why not sign Earl Weaver? He's still alive.

Suddenly the Marlins are reminding me of two of my favorite movies from 1985.

With McKeon they are going Back to the Future.

But McKeon could use something to make him young and vibrant. Well, Cocoon DID take place in Florida!

If I could have found a connection to Pee Wee's Big Adventure, then I would have hit the 1985 movies jackpot.

Marlins... DO SOMETHING

I actually LIKE the Marlins.
I PICKED the Marlins.

I would like to see them do well this year.
But they are 12 games back of Philadelphia in the loss column right now.

They are falling into Astros/Dodgers/Padres/Cubs territory in the Wild Card race. In other words they are tumbling into "Lost Season-Ville" if they don't do something.

It's getting gruesome.

Do something.

Edwin Rodríguez has managed a full season

Tonight was Edwin Rodríguez's 162nd game as Marlins manager. That's as many games as Joe Girardi got.

He is 78-83 over those 162 games. But the last 17 haven't fared well.

The Marlins are 1-16 this month. That is grotesque.

And as of this writing not only are they in last place by themselves, but losing ground to the Nationals of all teams.

Something needs to be done and one of the real options is to wave the white flag for this year and make a deal or two for the future.

Or make a change with the manager. It is early enough that a great month could get them back into the pennant race. But June is already lost. A lost July and what should have been the warm up to the better days in the new ballpark will be lost.

I can't stress enough... I have NOTHING against Edwin Rodriguez. But he was an interim manager who very well might have shown that he isn't the guy to lead this team.

A lot of managers are let go after one full season. Rodríguez has given the Fish that.

It's time for a change.

It might be time to cut bait with the Fish

On May 26th, the Marlins behind Anibal Sanchez's complete game shutout swept the World Champion Giants and moved to within 1 game of first place.

They were 10 games over .500 and my prediction that they would win the Wild Card looked pretty good at the 1/3 mark of the season.

The Marlins have lost 18 of their last 21 games.

We are more than halfway through June and they have a grand total of one win this month.

They got swept by the Phillies.
And of this writing they are in last place.

They went from 10 games over .500 to 5 games UNDER .500 in less than a month.

I wrote last Sunday that Edwin Rodriguez's job might in trouble.

Now I can imagine him being fired in mid game.

Something needs to be done in Florida and firing the hitting coach ain't it.

I'd like to see the Marlins get a quality innings eater... or a dominating reliever...

Instead I think Rodriguez is getting a pink slip.

I'm rooting for him. He's an underdog baseball lifer. But I also think Bobby Valentine is looking at rentals in South Florida.

Edwin Rodriguez should get his resume ready

Seriously Edwin... I hope you don't think you have job security!
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is a little quick with the trigger finger when it comes to showing managers the door.

It worked in 2003 when he dumped his buddy Jeff Torborg and brought in ancient Jack McKeon. The result was the 2003 World Series title.

Since then? Well Joe Girardi had the team in contention despite a microscopic payroll in 2006... and was fired.

Your predecessor Fredi Gonzalez led the Marlins to back to back winning seasons despite the leagues lowest payroll... and was fired.

You? You have one of the most talented Marlins rosters in their history. Expectations are high.
The Marlins were tied with the Phillies in the loss column on May 26th.

Since then the fish had flopped, losing 12 of their next 15 games including a nice big fat 8 game losing streak.

Better start winning, Edwin.
Joe and Fredi got jobs... but their resume was a little bit better.

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Uniform Prejudice

What if I told you there was a great game tonight?
I described the game as between two clubs that have won it all in the past 10 years.
One team was in the LCS as recently as 2007.
The other team is loaded with young talent.

They both would be in the Division Series if the playoffs started today.
They both had solid pitching, exciting young hitters and were hungry to add to their World Series tally.

And one team jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks in part to a home run and a triple from their rising young offensive star.

And the other team came back to tie the game and take the lead.

Then a top of the 9th inning blast by the newly acquired former All Star catcher tied the game.
But the home team won it with a walk off hit from THEIR big rising star.

It was an awesome game.
And if it were Red Sox and Yankees, it would go into the archives.
If it were Cardinals and Cubs or Phillies and Mets or Dodgers and Giants it would be the game of the night.

Instead it was the Marlins versus the Diamondbacks.

Can you imagine if I called someone and said "Are you WATCHING the Marlins and Diamondbacks game?"

They would have to assume a UFO landed on the middle of the field because why the hell else would I be watching that match up?

But why wouldn't I? They are two young and exciting baseball teams. Justin Upton? Mike Stanton?

They are a hell of a lot more interesting that watching the Mets, Dodgers or Cubs... three teams that SHOULD be the best in the National League.

I'll say it. We have uniform prejudice. We have a hard time thinking "What a great match up" when we hear "Diamondbacks and Marlins."

Even though they BOTH beat the Yankees in the World Series last decade, they are still looked on as the new kids who don't have the pedigree of an old team (like the Pirates.)

I bet you are going to see some uniform prejudice in hockey this year. The Atlanta Thrashers are moving to Winnipeg.

Same players. Same organization.
But in Atlanta the players have an aura of playing in warm weather. How could they be tough?

Not like the rock hard team in Winnipeg!

Nothing has changed but the threads.

We have perceptions based on the uniforms.
And it is odd.

So let me go on the record... the Marlins and Diamondbacks played the game of the night last night.

It only sounds odd with a closed mind.

Rise and Shine! There is baseball to be played

Hey Phillies.
I hope you weren't wiped out after a 19 inning marathon the led to your utility infielder pitching and winning.

Hey Reds, hope you weren't too frustrated after blowing a 10th inning lead only to lose the game 9 innings later.

Hey Marlins, hope the roller coaster of blowing a 4 run 9th inning lead only to win in extra innings wasn't to taxing.

Hey Giants, I hope the highs of the 9th inning come back wasn't too high and the remorse following Buster Posey's injury isn't too severe.

Because you have to shake it off!
You have a day game right after overwhelmingly emotional extra innings games.

SOMEONE is going to get blown out today.

I can feel it.

Wait... The Giants and Marlins are STILL PLAYING?

I finished watching the end of the 19 inning game in Philadelphia and I saw the Marlins tacked on some insurance runs at AT&T Park.

So I took out the trash, emptied the dish washer, went upstairs to bed.
I checked the scoreboard to see tomorrow's schedule... and I saw it was 6-6 in the 11th inning.

Man, I wonder if THIS will go 19 innings as well!

(I smell another walk off win for the Giants.)

Coolest game of the night... Marlins and Nationals?

Seriously... what more did you want in a game?
Extra innings... late inning rallies...




Roger Bernadina made a jaw dropping full extension snow cone grab in center field that is a lock for SportsCenter highlights for years to come.





Then Omar Infante scored the winning run with a bizarre and brilliant slide, putting his hand around catcher Wilson Ramos' tag.

What more do you want?

Teams other than the Marlins and Nationals?

I can't help you with that.

Don't blame me for blowing Anibal Sanchez's no hitter

OK, I feel a LITTLE bad about writing a post about Anibal Sanchez and pitchers throwing no hitters while he had a no no after 6.

But in the post I NEVER said that Sanchez was throwing a no hitter. I just said there were a lot of pitchers throwing no hitters late into the game and had a picture of Sanchez.

Alas almost EXACTLY after I posted it, Laynce Nix of the Nationals hit a low line drive that Mike Stanton couldn't catch, ending the no hitter.

I DIDN'T DO IT!
I didn't jinx anything!

(Then why do I feel badly?)