An Otherwise Crazy Game
I know that, after a Jays win that went down like the Jays win last night, a lot of you were hoping for a SOSH post, but I sort of lost my desire to hang out there for any length of time when one of them posted that the Red Sox had a worse day than the KHL hockey team. The KHL hockey team was killed in a plane crash in Russia. So I would argue they get the edge on who had a"bad day."
The gist of the sentiments was that the bullpen's performance is "unacceptable", Wakefield is never going to get win 200 and Francona is the worst person who ever lived.
Anyway, Encarnacion's transformation from Sad Panda with Bad Defence into Offensive Panda with Mythical Clutch is one of my feel good stories of the year. I didn't like to see him suck, I didn't like people screaming about him sucking. I just like the dude. I think part of if may be that EE is what we got for Rolen, and I just want to remind myself that I used to get to watch Rolen everyday. Encarnacion's base clearing double off an erratic Daniel Bard in the 8th inning was wonderfully satisfying. He just looks so damn happy.
Brandon Morrow remains frustrating, but almost as frustrating is the rabble comparing him to AJ Burnett. Yes, both are power pitchers with plus stuff, but AJ, at Morrow's age, had a lot more starting experience. He isn't a flake, doesn't seem to have any focus issues and actually has a change up. Morrow also has considerably better hair.
The Jays may have given up eleventy billion runs so far this series, but they have won 2 of 3 this series, and look for the series win with Romero on the hump. Ricky has been rocky versus the Red Sox, so it could get alarming. But this is totally why Sox fans hate the Jays. When I first starting writing this blog, the Jays had a habit of rolling into Fenway in September and putting it to a Sox team desperate to make the playoffs. The Jays would leave Boston with the home team twitching in the fetal position, arrive in New York and get swept by the Yankees.
It happened the opposite way this past week, but it's made me very nostalgic.
Adam Loewen climbed aboard the Warm Fuzzy Express when he made his MLB debut as a position player. My dad saw Loewen pitch at the 2001 Canada Games at a game that was played about 5 minutes from my house. He was very impressed with the kid's stuff, so I was sad when Loewen was forced to quit pitching. But he looks like a big, strapping hitter now and I'm glad to see him back.
“It’s been very overwhelming,” Loewen said of the experience. “It didn’t really sink in until the first inning when I was standing in the outfield. I grew up watching the Blue Jays and wanting to play for the Blue Jays. I think any Canadian kid back at home dreams the same thing. For it to actually finally come true, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
I bet Loewen and Lawrie bathed in beer and maple syrup pre-game.
“It’s been very overwhelming,” Loewen said of the experience. “It didn’t really sink in until the first inning when I was standing in the outfield. I grew up watching the Blue Jays and wanting to play for the Blue Jays. I think any Canadian kid back at home dreams the same thing. For it to actually finally come true, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
I bet Loewen and Lawrie bathed in beer and maple syrup pre-game.
In general, it was just a really weird game. I mean, the final out was on a caught stealing at second. As Farrell put it, "somewhat of a fitting ending to an otherwise crazy game."
Watching this Red Sox team makes me anxious, irrationally angry and sort of hate filled, despite all the winning. Sort of like a typical Sox fan.