Tagged: Ronnie Belliard

Casey At The Bat

What a Classic! I remember as a young man reading the stories of baseball’s great games. I never quite understood why the old writers used “the Goat” in so many of those game recreations. Over the years, I’ve come to admire that description and marvel at how it remains in the game. 

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville Dodger nine that day;
The score stood four one to two with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney Ethier died at first, and Manny Burrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast:
They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at that,
They’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.

Baseball is so rich in history and tradition. Unfortunatley, for some.. the tradition of the Goat is still very much alive in the richness of the game. Matt Holliday appears to be heading to that status after two games in the NLDS. He was picked on in Game 1 by Joe Torre strategy. Torre refused to allow Pujols the opportunity to beat him, opting instead to place the pressure on Holliday behind him. Over and over.. the strategy worked. It worked again in Game 2 when he intentionally walked Pujols again to get to Holliday. Finally, Matt came through with a Home Run and it appeared that he might shed that Goat monicker. Instead, he may even go from Goat … to Hero!

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a pudd’n, and the latter was a fake,
So upon the stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little hope of Casey’s getting to the bat.
But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much-despised, tore the cover off the ball,
And when the dust had lifted, and they saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe on second, and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then came that fateful 9th inning for Matt. Loney’s two out soft liner directly at him… Holliday dropped it! In and of itself, that wouldn’t be all that bad. Except for that “thing” we’ve talked about before… Home Field Advantage. There was a sudden surge of hope in the crowd and in the Dodger dugout. No where was that surge of hope more apparent than in the face and eyes of Casey Blake. Say what you will… call it a walk. A simple walk. But, friends… it was far from a simple walk. It was Casey at the Bat. He battled over and over.. fouling off pitches, taking close ones. It was a marvelous at bat. And when Casey drew that walk from Franklin. You could see the defeat in Franklin’s eyes. He had lost the battle and was soon to lose the war.

Then from five thousand throats at more there rose a mighty yell,
It rumbled in the valley and it rattled on the dell,
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled on the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.
There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped up to his place,
There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face,
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt ’twas Casey at the bat.
Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt,
Five thousand tongues applauded as he wiped them on his shirt.
And when the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey’s eye; a sneer curled Casey’s lip.

 

The Casey Blake at bat took alot out of Franklin, sure. But it was the opposite side that gained momentum and hope with each battled for pitch. So much so that by the time Ronnie Belliard reached the plate… the team in the dugout and the fans in the stands were in a hyper frenzy of belief. It was inevitable. The game would at least be tied. There was not a glimmer of doubt. First pitch from Franklin… exactly that happened. It was too much to ask of Franklin to stop what 50,000+ believed in.

And now the leather-covered sphere comes hurtling through the air,
And Casey stands a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped–
“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.
From the benches, black with people, there arose a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on some stern and distant shore.
“Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone in the stand,
And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.
With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone:
He stilled the rising tumult, he bade the game go on,
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew,
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.”
“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud,
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed;
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

 

Belliard’s Game tying single sent the stadium over the top. Dodger Stadium is as raucous as there is in the league when the fans are pumped up. And they were pumped up for sure after Ronnie knocked in the tying run. What a game. What a swing of emotions from both teams. All that remained was to have the winning run cross the plate. Who didn’t believe that would happen?

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate,
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate;
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in St. Lou Mudville–mighty Casey Mark did not strke out!
Ernest L. Thayer

 

Mark LorettaIncredibly, Mark Loretta was 0-15 lifetime against Franklin. Sometimes though, you just can’t stop the “thing” from happening. Franklin could not. The Cards could not. Nobody could. It was going to happen. You could see it in their eyes. Congratulations to Mark Loretta. You are Yesterday’s Hitter!

Watch the game changing plays Here!

 

 

 

 

 

Tyrannosaurus Tex

The players are feasting like monsters at the dish as the game intensity rises. They’re taking huge helpings of Ribeyes with every swing of the bat. Take Ronnie Belliard for instance. First inning, bases loaded… Grand Salami and 4 huge Ribeyes in a single trip to the dish.

Follow that with Jason Giambi’s lone appearance at the dish and a smashing 3 Ribeye helping on a Pinch Hit Tater to right field. What a Giambi Monster he is becoming. He even broke out the old school Bash Brothers forearm smash. 

                                                           

The Rockies used those two Monster helpings to gain an all important game on the Giants.

Talk about feasting on one dish.. Ross Gload is the all time Glob Monster. He has 19 Pinch Hits and 15 PH RBIs this season! Both Florida Marlins records. Gload… Gload… Gload. His PH bomb yesterday gave him 2 Ribs and kept the Marlins at 4 back of Giambi Monster’s Rocks.

Staying as close as possible, the Braves won their 8th of the last 10 to keep within 4 1/2 in the Wild Card. Adam LaRoche nearly had himself a Vin Scully line to lead the Braves attack. His 2-2 day netted a couple of Ribs and one helping each of a run and a walk. Way to go Adam.

Want to talk about some real hogs at the dish? How about the 4 thru 7 hitters for the Chicago White Sox? Awfully hungry fellas trying to keep the blinded Tigers in their sights. Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin were a collective 8 for 14 with 8 runs and 10 huge Ribbys. Come on guys… share! Gload…. Gload… Gload! 

Kurt Suzuki and James Loney both had nearly identical games. Suzuki – 3 for 4, 3 Runs, HR and 1 RBI. He just missed hitting for the cycle. Loney – 3 for 4, 3 Runs HR and 2 RBIs. James finally hit his first HR at Dodger Stadium this season… get that Tater! Good Job guys but no fruit cup for you.

In a pretty meaningless game in St. Louis a small monster got tiny portions a little at a time and filled up his dessert dish with a Game Winner!

Brendan Ryan. His bouncing homer in the 5th made it 1-0 and looked like it was enough to win it. But, the Cubs bounced back with a single digit of their own to tie the game. Then, in a house where Monster Mac used to feast… Brendan Ryan took one more small helping and walked off with the dish!

Great game Ryan, but you just can’t compete with the monsters that were on the West Coast on Saturday. In a game that featured Godzilla and Ichiro Monster it was Tyrannosaurus Tex that chewed up and spit out Safeco Field.

                        

Mark Teixeira just pummeled Mariner pitching, collecting 5 monstrous Ribs and 2 Big Taters to fill his 4 for 5 plate. Talk about a Monster. Tyrannosaurus Tex feasted from both sides of the dish for his Taters. Gload Gload Gload! He fell a double shy of riding the cycle. Talk about a funny sight… Tyrannosaurus Tex on a bike!

Congratulations Mark Teixeira. You’re Yesterday’s Hitter!

Mark Teixeira

’09 Stats

Avg  HR  RBI  Runs
.289  37  118   96    

Juan Uribe – SF Giants

The SF Giants have been demoralized in late inning losses lately, leaving them 2 Games back in the NL Wild Card. Back in the friendly surroundings of AT&T Park they finally put their offense in gear and thumped the Padres 9-4. Juan Uribe provided the thump by blasting 2 HRs and a triple. He scored 3 times and drove in 5 RBIs on the day. Juan has been smoking hot lately, homering in 7 of his last 19 games and batting .323 (20-for-62) in that stretch. Watch his big day at the plate just click Here!

 

Honorable Mention; Derrek Lee (He did it again!), Ian Stewart, Ronnie Belliard, Joe Mauer, Billy Butler, Mark Teixeira…

 

                 

 

Jorge Posada – Yankees

Can you imagine being the opposing pitcher and facing the Bronx Bombers? I mean, these guys really are the Bronx BOMBERS! They are so incredibly good it boggles the mind. They have been setting MLB marks all year long and are on pace to add even more by year’s end. Jorge Posada helped push them in that direction with his 20th HR of the season (1 of 7 Yankees this year) during a sparkling 4 for 5 performance that netted 4 RBIs on the night. His 20th HR set a Yankee team record putting 7 men in the lineup with at least 20! Derek Jeter should make it 8 if he continues his hot hitting. Think about that for a second. Think of all the History, all the incredible Legends that have donned the pinstripes, all the incredible teams that have logged the most World Series titles. It really boggles the mind. Enjoy watching this team because THEY are now Historic and have their place in Yankee lore. Watch Posada’s history making rocket by clicking Here.

Honorable mention; David Wright, Ronnie Belliard