Willets Point

Bleepin' Molinas. I hat 'em all.

Edgy DC wrote: I'm splitting. I first thought you were splitting with laughter. Good idea though, I was considering the same thing.

Memories of one of Clemens' previous retirements from the archives ]Centerfield Mar 17 2006 10:33 AM USA LOSES AS JETER FAILS TO DO EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO WIN By Centerfield CPF News ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Roger Clemens was looking for a much better finish to his brilliant career. Instead, the Rocket Man choked yet again in a big spot, taking the loss as Oliver Perez and seven relievers combined to pitch a three-hitter to lead Mexico past the Rocket and Team USA 2-1 on Thursday night, eliminating the Americans from the inaugural World Baseball Classic and putting Japan in the semifinals. Clemens pitched well (for a choker) Thursday night, but the bats couldn�t get the job done for the United States. A lineup loaded with All-Stars such as Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. managed just three hits against the gritty Mexican pitchers. Despite the poor offensive showing, the consensus in Anaheim was that this loss rested squarely on the shoulders of Derek Jeter. �Derek usually does everything it takes to win,� Team USA manager Buck Martinez said. �Tonight, he didn�t play the game the way it�s supposed to be played. It�s a shame...you see what can happen.� Despite batting .450 in the World Baseball Classic, Jeter�s TTRM (Things That Really Matter) numbers took a huge nosedive during this tournament. Jeter was 0 for 11 in Little Things that Constitute the Difference Between Winning and Losing, batted .043 in At-Bats that Really Matter and failed to record a single Important Nuance that Doesn�t Show Up in the Box Score. �I knew it was going to be tough,� said Jeter. �The other countries play a high level of baseball and, you know, we have A-Rod.� �With my heart and my determination, I can usually will my team to victory by simply refusing to lose. Tonight, I don�t know, I just didn't feel very adamant.� Jeter added that he wished he could have given Clemens a better finale. �I wish we could have ended his career on a better note. I�ll try to make it up to him next time he retires.� When it was over, Clemens talked about his final outing. "They were tough. And when they started hitting the ball, there were no other objects around the mound for me to hurl at them. I�m not happy we lost, but since we only scored one run and since I wasn�t actually on the mound when the go-ahead run scored, I think people should blame my teammates and not me.� Asked about his retirement, Clemens responded, �For me, right now, it's goodbye." The game was not without controversy. Mexico took a 1-0 lead off Clemens in the third on a leadoff double by Mario Valenzuela and a two-out single by Jorge Cantu. But it wasn't that simple. A television replay showed Valenzuela's fly ball hit the right field foul pole at least 10 feet off the ground and bounced back onto the field. However, first base umpire Bob Davidson didn't see it that way, and Valenzuela wound up at second. It was Davidson, umpiring behind the plate, who ruled that Japan's Tsuyoshi Nishioka left third base early in the eighth inning Sunday to negate a sacrifice fly that would have snapped a 3-3 tie in a game Team USA won. Asked about the call afterwards, an irritated Davidson responded, �Why are you asking me about these calls? Ask Buck...he�s the one who tells me what to say.� With the United States loss, Japan, which has already lost twice to Korea in the Classic, faces its archrival in Saturday's second semifinal game in San Diego, with the Dominican Republic meeting Cuba in the daytime opener. The winners play Monday for the championship.

First Wang's near-perfect game, now this. This is the point that will be looked back as the turnaround. Yankees' fans will rubbing this world series championship in our noses for decades to come.

No errors for the Mets in that game, although a take-out slide caused Reyes to drop the ball preventing a double play.

Someone explain to me the baseball rules on how runs are charged to a particular pitcher. They say that Smith hasn't allowed a run yet this season, but what about this sequence in Saturday's game? Hairston doubles, Young walks, Smith replaces Sosa, Snyder grounds into a fielder's choice erasing Young, and then Montero doubles scoring Hairston and Snyder. Now Snyder never even batted against Sosa, shouldn't that one run be charged to Smith?

Perhaps your daughter should do the watching and you can report it back to us.

Well it's participatory journalism so of course he wasn't really trying to sell hot dogs.

One man's experience.

I blame this loss on Elster's hubris in the title and first post.

I think Arizona leads the league in Brandons.

Looked like LoDuca was praying to Mecca.

Funny you mention this. I was just reading today about a documentary called Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait in which 17 cameras were brought to a soccer game and filmed just one player for the entire game and shown in real time. Can't imagine doing that for a baseball player since it would be longer and a good portion of the game would be him just sitting in the dugout. I'll take Oliver Perez since it will be easier for me to watch someone when he's not an everyday player, plus pitchers get a lot of camera time.

="Gwreck"]Willets, maybe you're thinking of when Sosa did poorly against the Mets: Or I could be a dumbass who can't tell his Jorges apart. After searching through Ultimate Mets I realized the crappy pitcher I was thinking of was Jorge Julio.

DIdn't he suck for the Mets last year, blowing a game against Washington?

Bury my heart at Swollen Knee Deep in the leg Cover me with pretty ice bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

Beltran 1 Chavez .50 Franco 1.5 LoDuca 2 Maine 3 Reyes 2

The Arizona Cure is good for all that ails you.

So m.e.t.b.o.t. can't groove to Kraftwerk?

Not far enough back for my tastes.

Diocese of Brooklyn? You mean it's seperate from the Archdiocese of New York? I learn something new everyday.

Alou 1.5 Beltran 2 Easley 1.5 Glavine 1 Green .50 LoDuca 1 Reyes .50 Wright 2

Really? I don't think batting around the order is all that common with the additional odds that a pinch-hitter would be one of the ones who comes up twice in the same inning.