Rate the babe, 10-29-11

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World Series 2011

I was almost positive this wasn’t going to turn out well after last night’s marathon, and it didn’t. After the game concluded I began composing a scathing, Bastard style rant in my head. It took me all but a few moments to shelve that. Because, ultimately, the better team won. The Cardinals out-classed the Rangers in almost every phase of the game tonight. Like an old time prize-fighter, St. Louis realized they had the Lawmen on the ropes after game 6. And, like the champions they are, they threw enough haymakers to finish the series up.

I am not horribly worried about the Rangers. Yes, I am disappointed that I had to watch my team lose its second consecutive World Series. That blows major chunks. However, there are a solid group of guys on that team. They have a good manager, and solid ownership; all with the same goal in mind: win the whole thing.

My hat is off to the St. Louis Cardinals. Congratulations fellas, you damned sure earned it.

Why blood pressure meds are a GOOD idea.

Folks, let me tell you, as a Rangers fan, that was one fucking brutal game to watch.

What I observed tonight:

• True to post-season form, Washington left a pitcher in for one batter too long. When Lewis loaded ’em up in the bottom of the 6th, I started having flashbacks to a 9 run beatdown. Wash, you really need to learn when to pull a kid off the mound when they’ve lost the bubble. Or better yet, learn when they’ve actually LOST the bubble.

• Alexi Ogando scares the shit out of me as a post-season pitcher. He can help you, or he can help break your back.

• The number of errors had me wondering if I was watching Saturday morning cartoons.

• The game should have been over in the bottom of the 9th. However, a first class outfielder like Nelson Cruz, for some un-fucking-explainable reason, misjudged a fly ball to deep right.

• As long as the Rangers could hang a couple runs on the board each inning they could stay in the game. When they couldn’t, they lost. I told The Blonde in the middle of the 11th, after a scoreless top half, “The Rangers just lost this game. They had to score a run or more.” That was one prediction that came true. However, my prediction of ‘Rangers in 6’ was quite obviously wrong.

Tonight I felt a little like the kid that expected to get that super-duper toy he had been asking for since before Halloween, only to get a package of socks under the Christmas tree and a dog shit covered rock in his stocking.

Well alrighty then! Baseball gods, FUCK YOU! Game 7 it is! Take heart fellow fans, the Rangers have not lost back-to-back games since August.

GO RANGERS!!!

Uh oh! One win to go!

WOW! That was one hell of a baseball game.

When the pitchers got themselves in a jam, they managed to pitch their way out of it. I am not now, nor have I been, a fan of Wilson’s post season performance. Having said that, he did what he needed to do tonight; not get slaughtered. The bullpen had some moments, but managed to minimize the potential damage with some kick ass defense by the infielders.

Mike Napoli. What can you say about the guy? Yes, he has had his ‘OMFG, what the fuck are you doing?!’ moments during this World Series. I think he has more than made up for his mistakes with his bat, multiple throw outs at second, and one extra special throw to first base tonight to end the game.

From a managerial standpoint, Ron Washington called a near perfect game. He seemed to know exactly when to make the pitching changes and it paid dividends. He was dialed in. He flat ‘out managed’ Tony La Russa tonight.

To be perfectly honest, I have never been as excited about a Game 6 in a World Series in my whole life. Recall, The Bastard picked the Rangers in 6. I stand by it.

GO RANGERS!!!

We don’t get mad, we get even.

Derek Holland is, by most accounts, the weak spot in Texas’  World Series starting rotation. A funny thing happened on his way to being the turd the post-season media loves to pick on; he pitched a damned near perfect game. It was encouraging to see that the Rangers had indeed learned something from last year’s World Series failure; just because they have you down, doesn’t mean you’re out.

A very dinged up Josh Hamilton drove in a run in the first inning to get the show started. Unfortunately, Jackson, the Cardinal’s pitcher, was throwing ever bit as good a game as Holland…. UNTIL…(cue Darth Vader music)….Mike Napoli cranked a three run shot in the sixth to give the Lawmen all the lead they were going to need. The defense/pitching ruled the rest of the game.

To be quite frank, I was more relieved than excited. Last night’s clusterfuck took a lot out of me.

Ron sure had the boys UP tonight! No doubt he told the team the story of the man who got even rather than getting mad. Keep that nine run beat down in the back of your minds for tomorrow boys!

GO RANGERS!!!

Across the board failures.

A dumb motherfucker that I know really well recently wrote, “I think the Cardinals will find life a little tougher in Arlington, Texas.“ Yeah, it was tougher alright. They had to stay up a little later than they planned to stomp a major mud hole in the Rangers’ asses.

Mother of all Hot Wheels tracks.

HOLY SHIT!

Rate the babe, 10-22-11

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Replay

I swear, up until the top of the 9th, this game looked EXACTLY like last night’s game; score not withstanding. The sense of something familiar became ominous when Ogando threw the exact same fucking pitch to Allen Craig, with almost exactly the same fucking result. The Blonde and I have completely different opinions on this.  She says I can’t blame the pitcher for that; it was a fielding issue. Bullshit! Same pitch+same batter+same results= a dumbshit pitcher that didn’t learn anything.

Before it began, I called the series for the Rangers in 6 games. I said that with the caveat that the Rangers had to take one of the first two in St. Louis. Mission accomplished.

I think the Cardinals will find life a little tougher in Arlington, Texas.

The Rangers don’t play to win at home, they play to club the ever-loving shit out of whoever they are playing. They do a great job of it too.

I’ll stick by my prediction; Rangers in 6.

GO RANGERS!!!

Well shit!!!

I said before the Series started, the Rangers almost have to take one away from the Cardinals in St. Louis in order to win the whole show. Ideally that would have been tonight. Unfortunately, minus a two run blast from Napoli, the Rangers’ bats sucked. Add to that, a little less than impressive pitching and you get beat by a run.

Alrighty then. Dust yourselves off and kick their asses tomorrow night.

GO RANGERS!!!