The Gray Pages

Monday, October 22, 2007

Things I don't need to hear

1. "Matt Holliday still hasn't touched home plate."
Look, if Hollday was called out, the game is tied with two outs in the bottom of the 13th. The bases would have been empty, and Brad Hawpe (who I keep wanting to call "Brian") would have been up to bat. Home crowd, and Trevor Hoffman had NOTHING. I'm not saying that Hawpe is in any way guaranteed to hit a homer (or double, or walk, or any other outcome). But Hoffman had already thrown 19 pitches, just ten of them for strikes. I'll guess there's a three-to-one chance that Colorado would have won eventually. At least.

This whole thing reminds me of the strange myth that Buckner cost the Red Sox Game Six. If Buckner fields that ball, Mookie Wilson beats him to first base, then there are runners at the corners in a tie game. I'll guarantee that THAT game would have ended one batter later on a passed ball or wild pitch. (Is it possible that I dislike Ray Knight as an announcer because he scored the winning run? Yes, yes it is.)

But the key thing was, the game was TIED. Even if Buckner, playing off the line makes the play himself (Bob Stanley wasn't covering first) (good job, Steamer!) against all logic, the game goes to the 11th inning. And the Sox lose it there.

I'm not claiming any moral equivalency here, but a bad call did not win that game for the Rockies. Good hitting and a rare off-day from Hoffman did.

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