¿por qué no te callas?

Yes, I just made an Hugo Chávez reference. (Actually, I guess it's more a Juan Carlos I reference. Ha ha!) At any rate, it's really just a reaction to the announcers spending Magglio Ordoñez' entire first plate appearance talking about the fact that the Venezuelan fans hate him because he has recently publicly endorsed the middlingly unpopular president of Venezuela (and his ambitions).

Why don't you just be quiet?

Sure, baseball players can be political. Sure, fans can boo them for it. But do we have to hear about it for 10 minutes? (Besides which, his hair is much in need of some discussion and yet no one ever seems to notice it.) Come to think of it, you probably don't want to read about it either.

Moving on.

Anybody else really hate Bobby Abreu? I mean really really? Huh. (Yeah, keep chicken-walking, you... something-or-other. What? It's late.)

I'd also like to take this opportunity to congratulate baseball on an amazingly disastrous new rule. Pardon me for a minute, I'll be yelling.

What a FABULOUS WAY to disrupt the FLOW of a GAME!!!

What a BRILLIANT METHOD to make the UMPIRES the focus of ALL THE ATTENTION instead of THE PLAYERS and--good grief!--THE GAME!!!

Players get to SIT ON THEIR THUMBS for a FULL FIVE MINUTES while the officials DISAPPEAR FROM THE FIELD!!! Pitchers get to LOSE THEIR RHYTHM and let their ARMS COOL DOWN!!!

I CANNOT BELIEVE they didn't think of this NONSENSE SOONER!!!

If I wanted to watch a game dictated by TECHNOLOGY and INSTANT REPLAY, I'D WATCH FOOTBALL!!!

Umpires should blend into the background. They should be invisible. They are there to quietly guide the game and nothing else. When they take center stage and have the entire stadium waiting and watching them, something is terribly, horribly wrong. I was against this idea from the start, but now that I've seen the thing in all its depravity, I can't believe there isn't more outrage.

Seriously folks, we've seen the BEAST, and it is video review. What a mockery.

Am I just bitter because of the loss? No. In fact, I wrote most of this in my head while it was actually happening, which is to say before PR lost so dreadfully to Venezuela.

Here's what else:

The runner (whoever the heck he was) was out when Yadi threw to second. You know what I'm talking about, don't act like you don't.

Henry Blanco is a freak.

Puerto Rico may turn out some great catchers, but Venezuela has the pitching market all locked up.

I'm happy about Yadi's at-bat in the ninth. It was a little scary to see him up first against K-Rod in such a serious situation, but I knew he wouldn't strike out and he didn't. He continues to amaze me with his patience and composure at the plate. 10 WBC points

I'm going to bed now (instead of watching the Mexico-Cuba game) to cry myself to sleep because I don't get to watch the PR-US game.

Oh, and I invented a word. I'll bust it out for you in the near future.

just playing a little baseball

First inning: Big hits. Ankiel hit a three-run home run. Looper gave up six runs before getting a single out. Boy, he could not buy a strike, and the 'Stros took advantage.

Third inning: Was it a catch or wasn't it? Skip Schumaker laid himself out in center and came up with a ball that Hunter Pence was sure wasn't caught, and he got himself doubled-up running. Upon further review (on the replay) it was shown to have been a trap rather than a catch. It was ruled a catch, however, by the umpire.

Al Hrabosky:

I'm sure he trapped that ball, but let's get in the dugout quickly.

Oh, Al.

After the break, we learned that Cecil Cooper had been ejected from the game. The crowd steadily booed the whole umpiring crew for the rest of the game.

(I tell you what, if roles had been reversed, I would have been standing on my head screaming and probably cursing the umpires 'til next week.)

And here is where instant replay will begin its inevitable morphing process. It will start as a tool to judge fair vs foul balls where home runs are concerned, but people will not remain happy with the limitations on it for long. Eventually Selig will give in and expand the uses to which IR can be put, and then, watch out.

Fifth inning: That f***ing hill should be outlawed. Why it isn't a rule violation, I can't figure. Schu almost made a spectacular play out there, but came up just a foot or so short, and then the next batter took Looper deep for the third time. Springer, who gave up the game-winner last night, got right back on the horse that threw him (got a hair of the dog that bit him, or some other cliché of your liking), and struck-out his two batters, no problem. Goes to show what a difference a day makes. I like that Tony will send a guy right back out there as soon as possible. For one, it shows that he still has confidence in his pitchers (and sometimes that's as important as anything), and for two, it gives the pitcher a chance to show what he can do. To show that he isn't going to let one mistake define him. To shake it off and make good.

Seventh inning: Albert crushed one to left. Okay, maybe he didn't exactly crush it, after all you only have to hit a ball about 150 feet to make it out in left field at MM Park, but he hit it hard enough and fair enough (bounced it off the "fowl" pole) to give the Cards two more runs toward coming back in this one.

Ninth inning: My hopes were dashed, and I wonder how when there's a down-by-two or three situation where we need big hits, it seems like it's always the rookies at the plate.

Blah. I felt going into this post that I would be writing about a loss, but there's still plenty to play for: individual player statistics, spoiling the season for other teams, getting some big league playing time for AAAers, and so on. After all, it's not all about the post-season, right? It's supposed to be fun. That's what I'll be looking for.

wrinkles

Carp was DLed this afternoon... mere minutes after I speculated that he would be able to make his next start. 

Huh. 

Brian Barton was activated. Basically this means that our bench has lengthened to five guys and yet we still have a sufficient bullpen. 

Ah well. I'd rather see Carp healthy in 2009 than risk another serious injury. Besides which, we've made it this far without him, we can make it a little farther. 

Todd Wellemeyer likes garlic bread. But then, who doesn't? 

Finally (and then I promise I'll let it go), instant replay is a terrible idea. Oh sure, in its purest form it might help umpires get home run calls right or judge fan interference, but when has anything like this ever kept its virtue intact? It will be twisted and mangled and pounded and harassed until it isn't even recognizable anymore, and then it will destroy baseball. 

Mark my words, we will regret this decision. But if it is inevitable (as so many believe), why must it interrupt August? Why in the name of Ruth can't they wait and work out the kinks and implement it first thing next season? What is the rush? Selig even commented, "I want to make sure that if and when we do it, it's really good, it's perfect." Wouldn't it make more sense then, to start it at the beginning of the year? Sheesh.

my feelings on instant replay

I hate the idea, but I guess we all better get used to it, because whatever the Yankees want, the Yankees get.

my feelings on instant replay

I hate the idea, but I guess we all better get used to it, because whatever the Yankees want, the Yankees get.