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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Classic!

The best baseball game I have ever seen was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series when Jack Morris pitched 10 innings of shutout baseball giving the Twins a 1-0 win over Atlanta. The Metrodome may also be the place where the 2nd best baseball game I have ever watched took place.
The Twins-Tigers playoff or should I say play-in game on Wednesday was pure drama and baseball at its best. Where do you start?
You have Detroit's Miguel Cabrera apologizing to his teammates before the game because he got extremely drunk on Friday night when the Tigers need him and then got into it with his wife causing police to get involved. Cabrera then goes out and smacks a double in his first at-bat and a homerun in his next--all while fans chant alco-hol-ic. (Thank goodness the game wasn't in Philly)
Then you have a 20 year old rookie in Rick Porcello striking out a career high 8 in just 5 innings.
Then you have the Twins coming back to tie it up and then take the lead on an Orlando Cabrera homer in the 7th only to have Detroit tie it up on a Magglio Ordonez homer. The drama hadn't even started.
The Tigers have a chance to win it in the 8th, but they hit into a double play. They have a chance to win it in the 9th, but they hit into a double play. They score in the 10th and then have their left-fielder suffer a brain cramp by letting a ball get past him that Michael Cuddyer stretches into a triple. Moments later, the Twins tie it sending the sold out Dome--playing host to what could be its last ever baseball game into a state of delirium. That state of delirium turned into one of bewilderment as the Tigers left-fielder Ryan Raburn who looked to be wearing the goat-horns throws out a runner at home to keep it tied. The Dome erupted moments later though when the winning run was scored in a game that many who were in the dugouts on both sides saying it was the best game they have ever been a part of.
No rest for the Twins though. They play the Yankees in Game 1 of an ALDS series tonight.
There were some other moments that have to be brought up in this one and yes, believe it or not, one of them involves the Riders.
There I am watching the game when Minnesota's best player Joe Mauer comes up to bat. They pan the crowd where a woman is holding a Joe Mauer 4 MVP sign and who is standing just above her........a guy wearing a Riders sweater. The Rider Nation is everywhere I tell you. From that guy at the Masters this year to this guy, Rider fans are everywhere. He had sweet seats too.
TBS's Chip Caray had an epic boo-boo during the game. On the play where Raburn threw out a runner at the plate, he uttered base hit only to see the ball get caught leading to a double play. Chip had to eat some words and he didn't eat them very well as he tried to sneak out of that one .
Finally, a big thumbs down to Sportsnet.
Who in programming at Sportsnet made the decision to pull the game after the top half of the 12th to go to Calgary for the Flames-Canadiens game? Are you kidding me? Yes, the game was still on Sportsnet East, but if you didn't have the entire Sportsnet package you were screwed. I would be absolutely livid if I couldn't have seen the end of this because of an NHL game that was the 3rd of 82 this season. Would missing a period perhaps have been the end of the world for Sportsnet? This from the same group that basically told Western Canada we would rather show you the Yankees and Red Sox this year instead of "Canada's team". I don't know how many nights that the Jays were on some channels, yet Sportsnet West had Red Sox or Yankee games. It just makes me wonder who the main programmer is. (I could go somewhere with this, but its just too easy!!)
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Did you catch this on Jimmy Kimmel?? If drinking coffee, swallow it first.



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What are the Leafs going to do now. First Toskala can't win, now Gustavsson can't either. Can they get Justin Pogge back? Where is Mike Palmateer? What will TSN's lead be tomorrow?
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Are the Flames going to wear those retro jerseys all year at home. Didn't they wear that uni the other night against Vancouver to. I hated that rag of a uniform and I still do.
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Alex Ovechkin has 5 goals and nine points in three games. How many goals will he end up with this year??? Go to the poll question and answer it.
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Want to see the newest Rider, Marcus Thigpen, return a kickoff for a TD while he was at Indiana. If so, check this out.



Wouldn't you love to see that happen later this year or next? A lot of talk today centred on the fact the Riders are playing the woeful Argos and if its tough to get up for them considering their record. Ken Miller will have them ready. One can only imagine the crapstorm that will start if for some reason the Argos walk out of here with the two points.
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Rod Pedersen threw this one out on his blog extraordinaire yesterday. He wants to know who you think should replace Jim Hopson when he rides off into the sunset as Rider president and CEO. I don't know who it will be, but he has some awfully big shoes to fill to live up to the legacy Jim has created. RP says he knows of someone who might be interested. President Pedersen? Think about it, he could be Rider president and their play-by-play guy and if he played his cards right, maybe he could be the bus driver and play-by-play guy for the Pats. Just kidding RP!! Where ya been anyhow?
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Esquire Magazine has named Kate Beckinsale as the sexiest woman alive. MEH! At least it wasn't Megan Fox. Where was Stacy Keibler in the final voting? Where was Charlize Theron? Where was my favourite all-time redhead?
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Should I check out the Civic Center tonight as the Pats head to Moose Jaw? HMMMMM!!
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I still say that's CFL commish Marc Cohon shaving underwater. (Check out the Favre 1, Packers 0 posting if confused.)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a boneheaded move by Sportsnet! Joining the Flames game in progress would have been a much better thing to do. I think even the most avid of Calgary fans could have sacrificed 20 minutes in Game 3 of the season for that. What's worse is that Sportsnet Pacific didn't even have the game. I came home at 4 yesterday and turned on the TV only to find poker on. For a second, I thought they weren't showing it until I went to SNW. What a game it was. You know it was one to remember when even the Tigers were saying after that it was the best game they've ever been in.

Matt

Anonymous said...

A Mike Palmateer reference. NICE!! I loved him growing up. That's who I was on the playground after school.

Anonymous said...

Good on Sportsnet for putting on a real sport. Why is baseball even relevant anymore? I'd rather watch poker.

Anonymous said...

Your favourite all-time redhead? Lucille Ball?

Are you suggesting SportsNet is programmed by the same clowns who run that second-rate radio operation. . .in a building. . . down by the river?

Zeke

Anonymous said...

I only get Sportsnet West. I've complained about not getting Jays games on your blog before, but I've never been so disgusted with Sportsnet as I was last night. This was the most intense and entertaining game that I've seen in years. Both teams and benches were living and dying on every pitch, and every swing of the bat. The atmosphere of the game, the intensity of the play. All the players are leaving it out on the diamond. It's live or die baseball, and it goes to extra innings. EXTRA INNINGS! Then they go to a early season hockey game? Are you kidding me!!! Whose the freaking genius who decided that? **** you Sportsnet!


Rant Off


Little Johnny

Anonymous said...

Zeke. Are you saying what a lot of people are thinking!!! BA HA HA HA HA!!!

Anonymous said...

That baseball game was one of the best games in any sport I have seen. What a contest!

Sexiest woman alive has to be Malin Akerman or Jennifer Love Hewitt. Thank you to CBC for putting Ghost Whisperer on every day.


Jason

Anonymous said...

Attn Little Johnny. I couldn't have said it better myself. What a joke!!



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