This is a response to a friend:
1. You proved my point with Sosa, by making the exact point I made. He didn’t need to cork before that. As I said, once he got into a slump, he got desperate and corked. My feeling, which is an opinion as is yours, is that he corked because of the slump, which was for a lot less time than you believe.
2. The umps cost the Cubs a number of games in the Cubs-Sox series over the years, including one on a balk that even Sox players said was a bad call.
3. You want to talk about a pitch call to Pierre? What about the ridiculous strikes Thornton was getting in Game 1 in critical situations?
4. You want to say the Cubs beat K.C. due to a Getz error? You ignore the MANY Cub errors that prevented the game from being a rout. I’ve always said there is never an excuse to be thrown out at third. If you aren’t 100% sure you can make it, you don’t go. It’s why I don’t think you should ever try to steal third (other than Rickey Henderson). What did the Cubs do in that game? In the first 4 innings, they had 2 guys thrown out at third with one out, and a guy thrown out at home. A short time later they had a guy thrown out at second trying to stretch a single. And, right after that, they got 5 hits in one inning and scored one run because they held the guy at third when he would have scored. So, you can talk about a Getz physical error, but the Cubs’ MANY mental errors prevented the game from being a rout.
5. The Cubs had another guy thrown out at home in Game 2, probably costing them that game. The Royals lead the majors in outfield assists, but the Cubs don’t have a clue.
6. You talked about Buehrle retiring soon. Will he retire before becoming a Cardinal? He’s talked about that for years, as Ozzie has talked about going to Florida. If Cub players/managers were constantly talking about going to other teams, you’d be all over it, but are strangely silent regarding this.
7. If you say teams have tried delay tactics against Buehrle, I believe you, but I’ve never seen it. And, if they did, did they exaggerate it? Did every player do it? Did they just try to fluster him, or did they make a mockery of the game as Buehrle does so the umps would have to step in and decide what to do? My guess is it was just some tactics to try to fluster him, instead of basically demanding a rule change on this. What he does is a huge advantage, extremely poor sportsmanship, and should not be allowed. How can they allow a pitcher to start his windup as soon as the batter steps in the box?
8. You spoke about the call at first in the 14th innning of the first Washington game. Did you forget to mention the ridiculous call in a critical situation today when a fair ground ball to first to end the 8th innning I believe, was called foul? Even Stone or Harrelson said the Sox got a break there. And did you mention the call in that first game that you were at that was reversed in the Sox’ favor? I’m all for getting calls right and reversing bad calls, but that call is never reversed since it’s so hard to tell if the fielder made slight contact on the tag with the uniform. But, of course, this was reversed in the Sox’ favor. Do you think this might have rattled Washington and helped the Sox tie it in the 9th? The manager was ejected, the first baseman was ejected, there was a huge argument, and the game was delayed for a while.
9. Now, let’s look at what really happened on Friday night. You say the Sox don’t get more gifts than other teams, but every time I watch their game, I see gift after gift. What happened on Friday was typical and pathetic. I didn’t notice mention of any of these points in your comments. All gifts!
a) In the top of the 9th, the Nationals scored a run on a single to go up 3-0. On the play, the baserunner tried to take second (either trying to force a cutoff or feeling they wouldn’t cut it off), and was caught in a rundown. This is a baserunning play that I get very frustrated over, because you’ve got momentum, you’ve just scored, and now you’ve taken your team out of an inning. I immediately told the people I was with that this would cost them. I realize that everything changes had the runner stayed at first, but the next batter did double, but of course, this was wasted. The Sox scored three in the bottom of the 9th to tie, but had the score been 4-0, the Nationals probably win in 9.
b) Nationals go up 4-3 in the 10th. They have runners on first and third, one out, and the batter hits a ground ball to Santos. He immediately throws to second to try for the inning-ending double play, but his throw is off, causing the fielder to fall down but still tag second, with no chance to throw to first. Did the runner on third go? NO! That would have made it 5-3, and the run the Sox scored in the bottom of the 10th wouldn’t have been enough.
c) How did the Sox tie it in the bottom of the 10th? A wild pitch!!
d) Washington takes a 5-4 lead in the 12th. In the bottom of the 12th, there are 2 outs, nobody on, Pierzynski up. I don’t know if the Nationals had any lefties left, but if they did and didn’t bring him in, that’s terrible managing. As it was, the count went to 0-2, and on the 0-2 count, the pitcher throws a flat fastball right down the middle that he homers on!
I could go on and on, game after game. All of these are absolute gifts and unforced errors.