No Glory Blog: Let's Go 2014 Texas Rangers!

The auto "Scout" on MLB Gameday is pretty funny sometimes when it comes up with lines like

Greg Reynolds is trying to tie up Brandon Cumpton with fastballs inside; Cumpton is hitting .000 on pitches in that location compared to .000 overall. 

Jordy Mercer has an inside-the-park homer and a triple so far!

Here's a fun and meaningless sketch of James McDonald and one of Gaby Sanchez, who played some third base today for the first time as a major leaguer.

Buccoes have cracked 6 homers today in 6 innings and are trying to hold on to an 8-3 lead in Cincinnati. After the win yesterday, a win today will set Tuesday's Wild Card game to be in Pittsburgh where yours truly will be sitting in Death By Liner territory with strangers. It will be the first post-season game at PNC Park. Funniest thing today is John Wehner going off on Brandon Phillips. He makes no attempt to show partiality in regard to his hatred of Phillips. Pretty funny stuff. Pounded out four drawings today: Mike Zagurski (whose disastrous 6 innings and 10 runs netted him second least valuable pitcher honors), Russell Martin, Mike McKenry, and Francisco Liriano.

Whitey??

"Pittsburgh Pirates!"

Buccoes are trying to hold on to a 1-0 lead in the 8th against the Cubs. Could be clinch day. Who knows? Here are some more sketches. Brandon Inge's ugly face and uglier Zoltan and Justin Wilson.

Things I learned at the ballpark today:

1. Jeff Locke will not be on the post-season roster
2. Clint Hurdle is an inflexible manager who puts guys in or out fitting their "roles" rather than what the situation dictates. This spells bad news.
3. Visiting fans are allowed to go sit in the first row right behind home if all the other people vacated them, apparently.
4. Just missing hitting an opposing hitter is worse in the umpires' eyes than hitting someone.
5. Clint Barmes is a lazy walkup song selector. Also, he is just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.

Cracker Time. I'm watching the Reds score their 6th run in the 2nd inning against the Pirates' second pitcher.

ps Jessica is hilarious. Last night I was kind of trying to not think about the Buccoes since Friday's game. Just wanted to enjoy playing D&D stress-free. At one point I asked the players if they had any questions to raise. Jessica says, "I'd like to raise something." Then she showed me the full-screen Jolly Roger on her phone. They'd just won!

Walker's homer to make it 7-1

I can't even...

Two devastatingly blown games in the last 3.

Jessica said to me a few weeks ago during a tense moment of almost losing a lead, as she found her own emotions being cruelly played with, referring to baseball or just sports fandom in general:

WHY DO YOU LIKE THIS?!

Sometimes, I don't know.

I got lucky with scoring a few of the hottest tickets in town. Jessica and I both registered for pre-sales and got emails on Monday saying that Tuesday we'd have a chance to buy tickets with a specific code at noon. Noon came and no email. Friends were posting that they were buying tickets but nothing for me.  Then Jessica forwarded her email and I dove in. The only options were the Wild Card game, NLDS Game 1 and NLDS Game 2, which makes sense. Those are the most likely options. There was nothing available for the Wild Card in any quantity so I managed to get 1 seat down the right-field line in a pretty good spot. For NLDS Game 1, the best available was Standing Room Only so I got two there. I didn't try for NLDS Game 2 because my friend Jerry said I could buy two from him. So, theoretically, I can attend all three of these whenever they are.

I didn't expect to care. I had been pretty blase about it. But when it came time, I was a madman. Afterward, I was so keyed up it was hard to concentrate on anything. Playoff Tickets. In Pittsburgh. Let's do it!!!

Meanwhile, the Bucs have been crapping the cot versus the Padres but Cutch just turned around a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the 8th, after Walker reached by striking out on a wild pitch. This is only their second hit today. Padres have been doing a number on them while the Cards, Reds, and Nationals have been cruising. Hopefully this turns it around.

Fast games left time for only one sketch tonight:

In honor of being perfect-gamed for 6 innings and looking like a loss in the first game to the Padres, quality starter, Jonathan Sanchez.

Things are getting really exciting now and I'm not often missing any games. Every game seems like a nail-biter. To keep my nerves, I'm starting a project to try to draw all of the contributors to the 2013 Pirates, the good and the bad, alternating back and forth based on Runs Created/Prevented Above Average. For today, the top hitter (Cutch) and most damaging hitter (Barmes) and top pitcher (Mark the Shark).

Thanks a lot, jerks. No wins since we saw this cover. Stuck at 81. Swept by the Cardinals. Almost knocked down to third place. Can't score. Can't hit. Can't field. Can't strategize. Charlie Morton, the hottest pitcher on the team, left with an injury.

I HATE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED!!!!!!

OK, went to the game today on a whim. Got SRO tickets which are kind of ideal for me... cheap... not stuck sitting in some uncomfortable area with people I don't like. It looked like thunderstorms but they held off and we got the full 9 inning.

Unfortunately Hurdle went with Kris Johnson again and he got utterly shellacked and the team couldn't touch Joe Kelly despite a lineup that included all 3 newcomers in a row. Morneau got his debut hit, which was cool. But the best rainbow of the night was the Pirate debut of KYLE FREAKIN F4RNSW0RTH!

How did I not catch that we'd signed him after he was released?! After Gomez threw 3 scoreless demonstrating to everyone why he should have started, Hurdle went with a different reliever every inning for the rest of the game. I saw some huge dude in the bullpen for the 9th and wondered who it was.

THIS DUDE:





Makes it all worthwhile.