The Wrong Dimension of Sight, Sound, Mind . . .

I'm still trying to figure out how the Texas Rangers blew an American League Championship Series Game One they practically had in the bank.

How did the Rangers strafe CC Sabathia early and chase him in the fourth inning only to end up losing a one-run game because a bullpen that was a regular-season wonder turned out to be full of bull Friday?

How did Texas starter C.J. Wilson, as fresh after a weeklong layoff as Sabathia wasn't, space it for a split second covering first base and let Brett Gardner turn a top-of-the-eight-opening grounder to first into an infield hit, with Derek Jeter---whose season was spent mostly beginning to show his age at long enough last, but who is still Derek Jeter in the postseason---on deck and with an RBI double in his immediate destiny?

How did veteran Darren Oliver---whose stuff isn't quite what it once was, but whose mind is still as high functioning as any setup man in the business, though he wasn't as good against righthanded hitting as against lefthanded this season---still manage to walk Nick Swisher and Mark Teixiera back-to-back after starting each of them with called strikes one?

How did manager Ron Washington not even think about letting his closer, Neftali Feliz, get warm swiftly enough while the Rangers still held even a 5-2 or 5-3 lead when the Yankees began getting wild and crazy in that top of the eighth?

How did Washington, if he didn't want to think about Felix until the ninth inning, forget that he had a few more ready, willing, and well enough able bullpen bulls on whom to call (Rookie Alexi Ogando? Stalwart Frank Francisco?) instead of an Oliver who was that much better against portside hitters than against starboard side, which is where his arrival compelled Swisher and Teixiera to bat?

How did Alex Rodriguez---twice a strikeout, and owner of one error that drew a squeal of delight from his former fans in Texas---managed to hit what looked like a double play hard hopper to third until it took a twisted hop up above Michael Young for a two-run single in that top of the eighth?

How did Ian Kinsler experience a momentary brain vapour enough to get himself picked off post haste after he opened the Texas eighth with a four-pitch walk from Kerry Wood, who settled enough to dispatch Daniel Murphy and pinch-hitter Julio Borbon post haste?

How did the Rangers actually manage to start The Mariano's assignment with a leadoff single and a sacrifice to put the tying run into scoring position before Young swished on a full count and Josh Hamilton---who'd started the Rangers' evening by obliterating Sabathia in the bottom of the first in the first place---grounded out to A-Rod on the first pitch to end the game?

The answers may or may not comfort Ranger fans even as they may or may not give Yankee fans a sense of start tallying how many World Series tickets they can afford to buy. But the questions are going to linger unless the Rangers pick up, dust off, and give the Yankees something to think hard about in Game Two today.

Through seven innings, Wilson looked like Cliff Lee's apprentice for the most part. The only real damage the Yankees managed against him was Robinson Cano's leadoff bomb on 1-1. He shook off first and second in the Yankee second, including but not limited to nailing Jeter on a first-pitch fly; he shook off first and second on two outs in the third and bagged Jorge Posada (who's also been looking his age this year) on a liner to left; and, he shook off the Cano launch to dispatch the Empire Emeritus on ten further pitches, including a called strike three in on Posada and throwing out Curtis Granderson his own self.

He almost could have dared the Yankees to try a little rough stuff just after the first inning. The Rangers wrung thirty-six pitches out of Sabathia (twenty of them balls) in the first, including the two-strike service Hamilton lined about six rows into the right field seats, just a few feet inside the foul pole, with Elvis Andrus (leadoff 3-1 walk) and Young (3-1 single up the pipe for first and third) aboard.

The Rangers might have come out of it with a 4-0 lead when Sabathia threw a bases-loaded that skimmed Posada's mitt and hit the backstop like a bullet, ricocheting back to the retreating Posada, who tossed it to Sabathia covering to nail Nelson Cruz by a foot.

"They used to have this [television] show called The Twilight Zone," Wilson himself mused about the eighth-inning Yankee panky. "That's how I felt. We were all kind of pacing in the dugout. It was surreal."

No surprise there. The Rangers had entered into another dimension of sight, sound, and mind. It was the wrong dimension. It was packed with Yankees who know all they need to know about cashing in the other guys' mistakes.

Nolan Ryan, the Rangers' new owner, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He actually threw a nice little curve ball that entered the strike zone and dropped right to the floor of it.

There were probably those in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington who ended their evening thinking Washington should have sent Ryan out to relieve Wilson. What does it say when an ancient Hall of Famer, whose last major league pitch occurred during year one of the Clinton Administration, threw something less hittable and more nasty than anything his bullpen had to offer?

I'm astounded.

I watched this game through the bottom of the 6th and was nearly certain about the outcome.

Then again, I had that nagging feeling...great pitching and defense doesn't ALWAYS beat bats in baseball.

The Yankees and Philly both have big bats, and in the case of the Phillys, they have great pitching too.

The BIG GAME of these LCS is this afternoon between the Giants and Phillys. Lincecum vs Halladay.

Wow.

The Giants have a lot of spirit. But the Phillies team might be the best, and certainly one of the best ten, that baseball has ever fielded.

Then again, I had that nagging feeling...great pitching and defense doesn't ALWAYS beat bats in baseball.

A little bit of weird luck and the occasional brain fart have a hand in such things, too . . . ;)

The Yankees and Philly both have big bats, and in the case of the Phillys, they have great pitching too.

I don't think these Yankees would have an easy time with this edition of Phillies if that's what the World Series match will be---the Phillies' pitching is measurably better than the Yankees, at least until you get to the closers.

But I think the Giants may give the Phillies a run for it in the pitching department. Unless there's an unexpected twist I'm not catching onto yet, Lincecum versus Halladay should be a very low-scoring, low-hitting affair.

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