The Dealers are coming.
I want to show up tomorrow like a rabid pack of jackals out for PCHL blood and first place. Help me do it. It's not like it used to be, folks. We don't just show up and win games. We need to find a new, renewable source of real competitive fire that I think has been lacking this season. Because we've never really had to have it before, outside of playoffs and championship series.
But it's not just about making playoffs. It's about doing something the best you can do it. Not to get too "dad" on you, but you know it feels better to do something well than not well. We're not playing our best baseball yet, guys. Which—in a way, a small, silver-lining-type way—is a good problem because we have something to strive for. I know our best isn't behind us. The league has gotten much better, which is great. But we need to remember how we play 29er baseball.
A return to crispy 29er baseball.
***
Oof, reading over the statbook from last Saturday, my God it's sort of incredible it was even close. The really only compelling section is Drill and Andy's back-to-back RBI singles in the 4th. Large had a long RBI double in the first, too, of course, but other than that it's runs scored on fielder's choices, a dropped third strike. It's time to wake these bats up (mine included, don't worry).
The Dealers are coming.
There's no way around this. Last week when I wrote that I didn't expect our pitchers to throw perfect games every time, yes, that's still true. I didn't mean try to set the PCHL record for walks. I was going back and forth on how to be delicate about the 16 total walks we issued on Saturday, but there's no way to do that. We won't win when that happens.
By contrast our total lineup
When that is happening, when a pitcher is out of control, the plug must be pulled. That's the way it needs to be. We're all still learning, again, myself included, and hindsight is 20/20 (yes McCauley shouldn't have pitched 12 innings), but this really shouldn't be allowed to happen again.
And hey, that goes for position players, too. If a guy is getting eaten up out there, maybe have him take an inning or two off, reset the head, and then get him back in. Unfortunately, the rules of baseball dictate you can't do that with pitchers, mais c'est la vie. It's important to me that everyone is aware of everyone else's potential sensitivities, very important, and yet at the same time, if one player is actively making the game harder for the team to win, the kid gloves need removing. Nobody came out on their Saturday to stand around watching walk after walk.
Nobody came out on their Saturday to make anyone feel bad about walking hell of dudes, either. It's just the game, and that's it.
Let this not be a warning but a kind of meditation on player subs. It seems important I should remind everyone that I'm not the manager so this is just one player's, one former manager's, opinion. I just write my thoughts down. You don't have to read them, and you certainly don't have to agree with them.
Okay.
The Dealers are coming.
The ...
/checks standings
... 5-1, first-place Dealers are coming.
DRIVE OF THE GAME: Combining Will and Andy's back-to-back RBI singles. We asked them to be somebody. They became somebody.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Zack's sick (and very chill) step-and-throw 5-3 double play to end a hairy inning. It was his first of two, by the way. Always great to see a guy shine at a position we've had some trouble with this season.
*HONORABLE MENTION* to BC's insane Superman-style layout and the catch that almost-was. Brian, I guarantee you, you will never, ever, forget that play.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: It's always nice to see Kevin out there. Hell yeah, Kev.
NEXT GAME
Finally at Balboa Park!
Noon
DEALERS
v
29ERS
Let's get us a fucking win against these chumps, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment