Showing posts with label Jimmy Bo Horne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jimmy Bo Horne. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

"This game got awesome quick."

Tuesday's Mets Phillies game had many different places in my consciousness throughout its time on the air. I started out on the At Bat at my cousin's birthday dinner, which would sound rude, but my family's all Mets Fans (it's probably still a little rude.) They did appreciate the little updates, however. As the game got underway, I was discussing the Mets with my uncle, who has the sentiment that he can't stand to watch the Mets lose games the way they've been losing games, how he's put away all his Met gear and is all about the Giants now and how it's disgusting to hear them say they're aiming for 3rd place. I explained to him my point of view, how things are getting better, we're discovering a lot about each player on the team and it's great time for evaluation. I said to him that he should stop reading Joel Sherman and the New York Post, and he said he forms his own thoughts. I'm sure this is a cliché conversation happening between Met fans of all shapes and sizes all around this great land of ours...

But I digress. (We certainly both agree about Josh Thole.)

It was nice to see the Mets score so quickly in the 1st, but it being At Bat I didn't realize the controversy surrounding the 1st run of the ball game (not exactly controversy since the catcher clearly didn't have control of the ball.) If I had a better phone I probably would have been able to watch the highlight later, but I don't have a better phone (If I'm not careful, I'm going to digress again...so, I'll calm myself down and not go on a phone technology rant.) As the actions unfolded in the bottom of the 1st, I had a feeling Ryan Howard would hit a grand slam. I don't know if I straight-up thought it would be a grand slam or a bases clearing double or what, but I had a feeling Howard's at bat would not go the Chris Young and the Mets' way.

By the time entrées were served, Mike Baxter was sending his 1st home run of the year into the right field stands, and by the time we were ready for the check, David Wright had tied it with a sac fly. Everyone was heading back to my mom's house, but I got a head start with my little sister. It was close to her bed time and I had not felt well the entire dinner having run into an allergy attack earlier (another moment for thought-process-digression, but I'll hold steady.) I walked into the place, she went to brush her teeth and I turned on the TV. It was a commercial break, and from the last moment I had looked at the At Bat App, this could only mean one thing. So I took one more look before shutting the app down, and Chase Utley's homer typed across my phone screen. Chris Young is done.

My girlfriend and I got back to Queens and I climbed into bed for the remainder of the game, still feeling too sniffly. Kelly Shoppach has certainly gotten on my good side the past few days, and I look forward to him continuing to tie up ball games and block home plates. I dozed off a bit in the top of the 9th, and was pleasantly surprised to see Bobby Parnell have a 1-2-3 9th inning (Shoppach?) I stayed lying down until it all went down against BJ Rosenberg in the top of the 10th. Wright knows how to fight it off and bloop it, Ike getting back to hitting breaking pitches the other way, barreling through 3rd base coach's stop signs when The Duda gets his 1st hit since arriving back from Buffalo (I love to see The Duda slap one the other way over short), and Shoppach just destroying a 1st pitch fastball. This all got me sitting up, and for some reason curious as to what the Twitter world was saying.


When it was all said and done, I called my uncle to see if him and my aunt were home and to see if he knew how it ended. He was happy to hear of the final, and from there, we continued our earlier Metsian Conversation.

Finally, around 11:30, my sinuses and I went to sleep.


LET'S. GO. METS.


Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Discussing the Vintage as the Modern Becomes Vintage as Well

It was just after Ruben Tejada pop flied to 1st in the top frame that the TV went off, and that was the last the clubhouse's collective conscious experienced of the Mets Reds game until the 6th. We were happy to be distracted, as we sat listening to a Q & A with the author of a Biography of the Greatest Manager the Mets have ever had: Gil Hodges. While we listened to Jay Goldberg and Danny Peary discuss The Hodges Affect on two generations of NY National League teams, his legacy got somethin' goin' against the Reds, with their fresh star pitcher on the mound shutting down the New Big Red. Oh yeah, and Art Shamsky was there, unannounced.

Baller.

I keep saying it and it bears repeating: If you haven't been to the Bergino Baseball Clubhouse run by Jay Goldberg, you are missing out on some sweet baseball fandom. On top of the awesome collection of specialty baseballs, baseball art and great little trinkets Jay has, every one of the events that I have traveled to has been mind blowing, including a fantastic book discussion of Campy and a baseball art exhibit for Left Field Cards. Do yourself a favor and go to their website up there, and get on these mailing lists for some awesome baseball discussions. I have not read tonight's book about Gil yet, but based on everything said about Mr. Hodges, I'm sure there will be some lessons for me to take that will make me better at what I do. For someone whose softball number is 14, I don't know nearly enough about the guy. I look forward to the read and I look forward to meeting you all back here after.

The discussion wrapped up in the top of the 6th inning, after listening to the writer interview Art (he's got a baseball clinic in September you guys should take a look at.) The TV was back on while we all stood around talking baseball, and a welcoming 4-0 lead greeted us. And then it grew bigger. And then it was the bottom of the 6th and I could see, based on the hit total and the pitch count, that our boy had been pitching fantastically. As the crowd dwindled down, a couple of us stayed till the end of The Show, where we shook our heads and laughed in disgust at the circus act that is the Mets Bullpen. They wrapped it up and I have the game recorded. I'm gonna go watch it till the 6th inning. I'd like to see what it is that I missed.


LET'S. GO. METS.


Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @convertedmetfan. And for Rising Apple twitter updates, click here.