October 24, 2003 [LINK]
Ouch! The Fish bite back!
I was so exhausted from work last night that I briefly dozed off in the second inning just as David Wells was pulled out of the game due to an untimely back spasm. The Marlins once again pounced on a sudden opportunity, as Jose Contreras came in on premature relief duty, and it was all downhill from there. The Yanks' ninth inning rally renewed hope, but Bernie Williams' long blast to the deep right-center field corner just barely fell short. Arghh! The 2003 World Series has continued the incredibly high level of drama that this entire postseason has provided thus far. For once, however, the Yankees are playing in the unfamiliar role of trying to catch up. The 65,000+ (fair-weather?) fans in South Florida gave a polite cheer to Roger Clemens on his final game as a starting pitcher Wednesday night, and it should be noted that his rough first inning was caused in part by hundreds of flashing camera bulbs. As a true pro, he pulled himself together and went on to pitch several flawless innings. When the Yankees tied the game in the ninth inning, it seemed like old times again, but Alex Gonzalez's squeaker of a home run in the 12th put an end to that hope. The Marlins are one tough, determined team, as they proved earlier against the Giants and Cubs. Will they be tough enough to stand up to 57,000 screaming fans in the Bronx?
Thanks to Chris Jackson for his spelling correction on the Cleveland Stadium page (but he didn't catch my misspelling of Bob Eucher!) and factual challenge to the Polo Grounds page: "According to the Sporting News, only three balls reached the distant bleachers -- Joe Adcock in 1953 and Lou Brock and Hank Aaron on consecutive days in 1962." I just checked Lowry's Green Cathedrals and found that the first such home run was hit by Luke Easter in a 1948 Negro League game. I'll spell that all out soon. Also, a hearty "cheerio!" to John Fensom, a baseball fan from the U.K. who shared his remembrances of visits to ballgames in Fenway Park and other stadiums! I just got a message from EarthLink saying I'm close to my monthly traffic limit for this (free) Web site, so it's possible this site may become unavailable in the next few days. If so, I may have to upgrade my Web account, finally.
Great news from South Chicago! According to Daily South Town,
Demolition crews will begin tearing down U.S. Cellular Field's hated upper deck this week, readying the stadium's top tier for a long-awaited makeover, White Sox officials said. (link via ballparksofbaseball.com)
Hallelujah! If common sense can prevail in the White Sox front office, perhaps Bud Selig's buddy Jerry Reinsdorf, head of MLB's Relocation Committee, will wise up to the obvious benefits to moving the Expos to D.C. next season. Or maybe not.