There are days in baseball when we are “wow-ed.” I remember Troy Tulowitski and his unassisted triple play in his rookie year. That was a moment of “wow.” Even the Hall of Fame was wowed and had their request in for his glove, hat and shoes before the game was even over. Those are magical moments. This week, many of us watched as Jake Arrieta threw a no hitter, one of the few reigning Cy Young winners to have back-to-back years of no-no’s. That was a moment of “wow.” It is rare, however, when we get a full DAY of “wow” in baseball. It’s not because there aren’t enough talented players, strategic managerial moves, and just pure luck. It’s because “Wow” moments are either super-human or supernatural in nature. That day was yesterday, April 22nd, 2016. And the A’s were part of that Wow.
2 Comments
Today’s game was a game of thrones…as in Kings…as in K’s. Chris Bassitt was looking for his second win of the season, but a no-decision was the best he could do. And yet that doesn’t come close to telling the whole story. Bassitt definitely won the game “King of the Hill” today. Pitching 6.2 innings and giving up only 3 hits and 1 earned run (which shouldn’t have been an earned run), he walked 2 and struck out TEN! Yes, 10. Most of those K’s on a nasty curve. Double-digits for King Bassitt. Maybe we need our own King’s Court! Ok, knowing the ending of this story, I’m definitely getting ahead of myself, but it sure is fun to be excited! At least in this moment!
Eclectic, pre-game rambling...Here we go:
What I love about baseball is that it’s a lesson in moral compass. [Wait for it, wait for it…] Baseball is the epitome of sportsmanship. There are written rules. There are unwritten rules. And there are actions you take when rules are broken, most of those actions being unwritten. And, like chaos theory in science, everything eventually comes back into balance on its own—to a peaceful, balanced state.
Given today's monumental Supreme Court Decision, it's hard to get worked up about the A's/Royals love loss; it just kind of pales in comparison. That said, here is how I see it: If there is retaliation by the A's because of the final act of Herrera throwing behind Lawrie's head on day three of the tumult, it will not be the result of the Code. It will be because they are human and their emotions are over-ruling their heads. According to the Code, this should be done. Lawrie slid into Infante; Lawrie got beaned in the ribs; score is even; an accidental pitch hits a KC foot--not a place you hit someone under the Code; Herrera throws behind Lawrie's head because he's emotional; the Code then says the Kansas City players take control and get it done in the Clubhouse. They reprimand Herrera for putting himself above the Code and acting unprofessionally. The A's need to trust that the Royals followed the code. Period. So if the A's erupt today, it's pure hot-headed emotion. I don't believe it will happen. If this erupts by the Royals, then we start enforcing the Code again. New day and new Code enforcement. Unlike some, I LOVE the Code. It's chaos theory in science where all chaos comes to rest eventually because of the laws of the universe. Energy finds it's way to rest. That's what should happen today. This should be done.I hope a lot of you are reading this pregame at the ballpark. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to go to the game, see a great win, and take a Sonny Gray Garden Gnome home. I'm not much of a gnome person, but it's still fun.
|
by Peggy Raun-LindeArchives
January 2017
Categories |