Friday, August 13, 2004
At Least It Was A Reaction
For the most part, my... well... over-attachment to sports teams ended after
college. I moved far away from my university and while I continued to pay
attention to my university's squads, new interests and new friends, along
with the lack of bombardment of information on the teams led to a gradual
withering away of the over-attachment.
And while I've been a fan of the D-Backs since their first season, I've
never quite matched that same attachment. Equanimity has been common for
me. Even in 2001, even during Game Seven (and I was there, waaaaay in the
upper deck in right field), I didn't quite match the obsessiveness and
passion that led to many a raspy voice and red face years earlier.
But in the fourth inning yesterday, I got as ticked off as I'd been
regarding a sports team in quite some time.
After giving up a 6-0 lead, then miraculously watching the D-Backs put
together six straight hits on their to scoring 5 runs in the top of the
fourth, what does Lance Cormier do? He promptly loads the bases with no
outs, the last by walking an Expos batter on, if I recall correctly, 4
straight pitches. Given a gift of a 5-run D-Back rally, and the man blows
it. I seethed.
Then Stephen Randolph comes on and promptly, again, if I recall correctly,
throws two, if not three, balls. Then he bobbles a ball that he could have
made a play on, letting the runner score from third and keeping the bases
loaded. I seethed more.
He started with another couple bad pitches to the next batter, and I was
about ready to rip out the radio.
And, almost as quickly as the rage increased, it subsided. Randolph,
amazingly, struck out the side. Let me repeat -- RANDOLPH STRUCK OUT THE
SIDE. Without a walk.
In the end, it didn't matter, because the D-Backs didn't score another run,
and they lost to the Expos 7-5. But at least the Diamondbacks showed some
ability to string together some hits, and at least I know now that I'm
committed to this team.
This team, of course, is now statistically prevented from having a winning
season with 81 losses. But I know without a doubt that it's my team.
college. I moved far away from my university and while I continued to pay
attention to my university's squads, new interests and new friends, along
with the lack of bombardment of information on the teams led to a gradual
withering away of the over-attachment.
And while I've been a fan of the D-Backs since their first season, I've
never quite matched that same attachment. Equanimity has been common for
me. Even in 2001, even during Game Seven (and I was there, waaaaay in the
upper deck in right field), I didn't quite match the obsessiveness and
passion that led to many a raspy voice and red face years earlier.
But in the fourth inning yesterday, I got as ticked off as I'd been
regarding a sports team in quite some time.
After giving up a 6-0 lead, then miraculously watching the D-Backs put
together six straight hits on their to scoring 5 runs in the top of the
fourth, what does Lance Cormier do? He promptly loads the bases with no
outs, the last by walking an Expos batter on, if I recall correctly, 4
straight pitches. Given a gift of a 5-run D-Back rally, and the man blows
it. I seethed.
Then Stephen Randolph comes on and promptly, again, if I recall correctly,
throws two, if not three, balls. Then he bobbles a ball that he could have
made a play on, letting the runner score from third and keeping the bases
loaded. I seethed more.
He started with another couple bad pitches to the next batter, and I was
about ready to rip out the radio.
And, almost as quickly as the rage increased, it subsided. Randolph,
amazingly, struck out the side. Let me repeat -- RANDOLPH STRUCK OUT THE
SIDE. Without a walk.
In the end, it didn't matter, because the D-Backs didn't score another run,
and they lost to the Expos 7-5. But at least the Diamondbacks showed some
ability to string together some hits, and at least I know now that I'm
committed to this team.
This team, of course, is now statistically prevented from having a winning
season with 81 losses. But I know without a doubt that it's my team.
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