Random Wednesday Afternoon

One of the few joys of being unemployed is the ability to walk down to a bar on a random Wednesday afternoon and take in some sports. And while I got a late start, the menu was quite appetizing. Three games, all tied in the 7th or later. So here is a rough translation of what happened in the games, real time... (all times PT)
2:56
A's @ Yankees
A's fly out to deep center to end the top of the 14th inning. There is an A's fan at the bar, and he seems distraught that the ball did not leave the yard. Not sure what to tell him-- when you see the ball hit, watch the fielder's reaction--they will tell you if its going to be caught. The guy took two cavalier steps to his left and camped out-- not likely going over his head.
More importantly-- an A's fan? In LA? That is a rare find indeed--sort of like driving onto the 405 and see it empty, like in car commercials. I know its TV "trickery", but I always wonder how those cars can be driving on empty roads in broad daylight. Is there some sort of website or hot line to figure out when and where these road conditions are in play? Hook me up...

2:59
Padres @ Giants
Brian Wilson comes into a scoreless ninth, and promptly lets the leadoff guy on, albeit on a liner just past Edgar Renteria. But then Wilson settles down, and even gets a strikeout to end the inning. More impressively for the Giants in this game--Barry Zito threw 6 shutout innings. I realize its the Padres, but the Giants' starters have quietly put together 5 consecutive quality starts. We know their offense won't be up to much this year (note the scoreless game in the 9th), but if their pitching can round into shape, at the very least the games will be entertaining, because they will be close. Assuming you like 1 run games...

3:03
A's @ Yankees
Well, well, well.... Yankees come through with a little drama. Melky Cabrera with a walk-off dinger, and the Yankees win it in 14. Much to the chagrin of our A's friend. All the miller lites and iced teas in the bar can't ease the pain. Tough break.
After the game, the first interview is with Nick Swisher. Really? What the hell--was the bullpen catcher busy? Nick Swisher was 1-4 for the game, which ended in a freakin' walk off homer. No Cabrera. No Jeter. No Sabathia... No, we need to hear from the guy that hit .219 last year.
On a side note, that jack must have been cathartic for Cabrera, after he lost his starting job to Brett Gardner, who has been hitting .245 so far. Cabrera gets the start, and delivers. It took him 14 innings, of course, but I'm sure he is a happy camper.

3:10
Rockies @ D'Backs
Great pitching duel. Colorado's Jorge De la Rosa ran out of gas a little in the 7th, giving up two singles, then walking the bases loaded (intentionally). Jason Grilli came in to douse the flames, and promptly walked in a run. Not exactly what Clint Hurdle had in mind... 2-0 Snakes.

3:14
Padres @ Giants
The Giants defense could come back to bite them. Pablo Sandoval, playing catcher, had Jody Gerut hung out to dry, but skipped the throw past the bag, and into center. Thus, the inning goes from 2 out, nobody on, to 1 out, go-ahead run in scoring position. This could be a problem for the Giants, if they can't find a permanent spot for Sandoval. His bat insists on his presence in the lineup (especially the Giants' lineup), but his glove reeks of a platoon or DH. But of his three positions, C, 1B and 3B, the spot where bad defense will cost you the most is catcher.

3:17
Padres @ Giants
Wilson gets a line-out and ground-out, ironically both to 3B, where Juan Uribe keeps it scoreless.

3:18
The A's fan at the bar is trying to come up with a comedian from the '70s, whom Jim Carrey played in a movie back in the '90s. I know its Andy Kaufmann, but it leads to an interesting guy dilemma-- when a stranger is asking a question aloud, and you seem to be the only guy who knows the answer, how do you approach this? If you jump in too early, you're the guy who feels the need to but in and always be right. And you don't want to be too sanctimonious. But at the same time, if you're hanging out by yourself at a bar on a Wednesday afternoon, how much do you really have to lose? So I wait for a break in the conversation, and drop the Andy Kaufmann name, and all goes well. Until he starts talking to me about the life and times of Andy Kaufmann. Now, I don't know too much about Kaufmann-- I wasn't alive when he was in his prime. But at the same time, answering the question essentially wrote me a ticket into the conversation, whether I wanted to be there or not. So at this point, I keep my answers brief and vague as possible, saying things like, "Well, he was funny, but his stuff was really out there. So I don't think a lot of people got him." This seemed to serve two pruposes: first, it put a bow on the conversation, without me beeing rude. And secondly, allowed me to get back to watching baseball. Speaking of which...

3:20
Rockies @ D'Backs
Chad Qualls in to close it out for Arizona, up 2-0 in the 9th. Not exactly a lead pipe lock, but it would seem the Rockies just don't have it today. Dan Haren racked up 9 Ks over 7, and checking the box score, not one Rockie starter was hitting 300 or better. Think about that-- Todd Helton, Garret Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Troy Tulowitzki: 250, 214, 295, and 196.
But Ryan Spilborghs, now 4-5 on the day, singles, making it 2 on and 2 out for Clint Barmes. This is the same guy that claimed he hurt himself tripping on stairs after buying venison at the supermarket. The thing that stands out there: venison? If you were to think of different meats to get at the supermarket, where would venison rank--7th? 12th? It almost seemed strange enough to be plausible. Of course, turned out he was riding an ATV and got hurt, but still--the venison story gets points for creativity. As for the game, no points for grounding out to third. Ballgame.

3:27
Padres @ Giants
Bengie Molina, the usual starter behind the plate for SF, steps in with a chance to be the hero--2 on, 2 out in the bottom of the 10th. An extra bonus for the home team when batting in the bottom of a tie game--- not having to face the other team's closer. Most managers try to save their best reliever in case they need to protect a lead. That seems strange, given the fact that a tie game is also a perilous adventure. So with Heath Bell hanging out in the pen, its Edwin Moreno's game to lose, which he does by giving up a ground rule double to Molina. Andres Torres scores, and Giant fans celebrate win number 6 on the year. Oh, happy days...

So what did we learn? Well for starters, when in doubt at a bar, go for the black and tan. First off, its a fun drink to order, and bartenders/waitresses almost always nod their head, as if to say 'good call, didn't see that one coming'. Secondly, it's two beers in one, especially when layered correctly. You get the sharp, bitter stout first. Which is a good attention-grabber for your tastebuds. But by the time you get accustomed to that, its on to the next part, a smoother counterpart (usually Bass, sometimes Harps). This has a more mellow finish, which kind of lets you relax, and enjoy the rest of your beer at your own pace. Just a great combo.
The second thing we learned is that the west is the Dodgers for the taking. Watching the other 4 teams in that division, nobody has the combination of hitting and pitching needed to keep pace with LA. As mentioned, the Rockies' hitting is not there (at least not in late April)--probably missing Matt Holliday, which is understandable. The Diamondbacks have a bunch of promising young players, but they are all kind of similar; very streaky, strike out a ton, and you can't count on them in the clutch. Its early, but they have the markings of a team that has enough pitching to stay in games, but if it gets close late, their bats need some help (help that arrived today in the form of poor relief pitching).
As for SD and SF, both of those teams are retooling. Although I'm not sure if the Pads got that memo, based on their lineup. But come 2010, both teams (especially SF) could be in place to contend for the west.
As for the third thing we learned, unemployment has its benefits. Especially when the weather cooperates.