Replies

There are still a few old-school pitchers around! ;o)

For which this baseball fan is grateful eternally, even if he also acknowledges there are those who periodically cross the line between old school and eternal dementia. Roger Clemens, occasionally, is such a line-crosser, but then I thought Bobby Valentine was a wimp for utter failure to have his Mets give the Yankees what for the inning after Clemens tried to shish-kebab Mike Piazza with that jagged-ended broken bat barrel. I would have had my pitchers instructed before the game that any rough stuff from Clemens and I want the hottest hitter in the Yankee lineup and the DH (since it happened in Yankee Stadium) going on their ass immediately, and if the ump is fool enough to run you we will pick you up a hundred percent.

I still thought how delicious it was earlier this year, in an interleague game, when Shawn Estes - under enough pressure for a fortnight to be ready to put Clemens on his ass hitting in Shea Stadium - split the difference and threw it behind Clemens. It drew the usual warning...but it took the weapon right out of Clemens's hand, and the Mets went on to drub the Yankees in that game, 8-1. (Hell, Estes himself practically started the bombardment, going yard off The Rocket himself shortly after pitching one behind him.) Unfortunately, Valentine is baseball's ADD manager: He never remembers what works from day to day. If he'd had his Mets playing that kind of sound, hard, balanced, take-no-prisoners ball all the time and not just when Roger Clemens was in the yard, the Mets might have been the NL East winners.

I went to Dodger Stadium in May to watch the Cubs play the Dodgers. Kevin Brown pitched for the Dodgers and dropped Sammy Sosa twice in the same at bat, for whatever reason. First one was just bending Sosa back, but the second one dropped him faster than an elevator on the hundredth floor snapping its cables. I'm guessing it was ancient payback, since Brown hadn't pitched much over the previous year. And, since he was fool enough to rush back from last year's elbow surgery and injured his back playing with his kids at home, Brown didn't pitch much this year, either.

Hell, Estes himself practically started the bombardment, going yard off The Rocket himself shortly after pitching one behind him.

Which was probably a more effective retaliation than the behind-the-back pitch was.

And, since he was fool enough to rush back from last year's elbow surgery and injured his back playing with his kids at home, Brown didn't pitch much this year, either.

Which is one of the reasons the Dodgers are sitting in third. Hard to win down the stretch with three starters out. The NL seems to be completely up for grabs this year, but the Giants have been the hot team the past few weeks. We may see another Bay series this year.