Happy St PAtricks Day to all!!!
We had the workings of a great game going...
played great defence and pitching was adequate...
the problem is that we can't manufacture any runs...
and yours truly was supposed to throw the 9th inning and we were literally drenched in the top of the 8th with 2 outs...
Bo Kennedy was on the hill and it started to rain lightly, I was in the bullpen getting loose, because I had the ninth, and you start getting loose when your guy starts his inning and try to be finished by the end of the half inning or with an out in the bottom. Well it started to really pour and I was in a Catch-22 situation, Do I get loose in the slowly increasing downpour, or shut it down and stay dry and risk not being warm if it slow up... I was really messed up... I don't have the luxury of being able to get loose quick any more so I opted for the getting drenched... Wrong move on my part... after Bo got the 3rd out in the top of the 8th the upmire called for the tarps to go out... and that is when I headed for the dugout... totally drenched!!!!
I was lucky that they called it... I felt okay warming up but not really great!, my arm is like a barometer now.. In the cold it shrivels up like, well you know!!!.. and it take me that much more to get loose...
I welcomed the rain -out... but not the loss!
Spring training is really to get your team in order, this spring is really tough for Bob Boone, here is a great baseball man. and a great person also. who is thrust into player evaluation all in the short period of 6 weeks... this is not what a normal spring training is for... you have your DAvid Cones and Bob Hamelins and you know about 90-95% of your line-up... there are a few positions that are up for grabs... sometimes its a back-up that is up for grabs... this spring has been hard for Bob, I think we need to start doing the little things to win... mocing guys over... cut down on the bad pitches, and the big things will take care of themselves...Every team goes through this in spring, and I thing it is magnified by a group of guys that have never played together, and are learning play by play about their team-mates abilities...
We also have the thought of the strike ending in the backs of our minds... some are here to make some money before they retire... some are here to resurrect their career... ( Myself ) and some never thought they would be here and find themself in a replacement uniform ( Kevin Long ) is a helluva ballplayer, he is the kind of players a pitcher like to have 7 more of behind him... he gives you 101% on every play and would dive through a wall for a fly ball... he was unsure about coming over here.. and with Mike Loggins out wiht a pulled hamstring.. Long has played a flawless centerfield and hit at over a .350 clip...He has been doing this for years in AAA but another great CF is already in KC by the name of Brian MacRae... this is a perfect example of why guys cross... they see the writing on the wall and would like to go out with a bang... hit all the major league towns and have fun with more of the same types of guys...
I did'nt get into todays game so I will probably be in the game in Winter Haven against the Tribesmaids, CLEVELAND...
check out David Lewis Web page of my reports with a GIF of one of my big league cards...
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/~dalewis/diary.html
many thanks to david and his great page he has set up for me!!!
Thanks again
mallyman
Next Day's Report