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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 9 posts ] 
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 Post subject: See me after deadline, Withers
PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:03 pm 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 3135
Location: Albuquerque, N.M. USA
There were bugs out at the ballgame in Cleveland tonight, and the AP just couldn't help itself:


Indians swat Yanks 2-1 to take 2-0 lead
By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer 48 minutes ago

Swat! Take that, New York Yankees. Helped by a freakish invasion of bombarding bugs that rattled rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain in the eighth inning, the Cleveland Indians rallied to beat the Yankees 2-1 in 11 innings Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in their AL playoff series.
***
Lunacy. Surreal. Hitchcockian. Call it whatever you'd like. October baseball has rarely witnessed anything close to it.
***
Kenny Lofton, a gnat-like nuisance to the Yankees so far in this series, walked on four pitches to lead off the 11th against Luis Vizcaino.
***
Seconds later, the Indians were swarming Hafner.
***
The final four innings were like a low-budget, late-night horror flick. Call it: The Bugs Who Ate The Yankees.
***
That's when everyone started buggin' out.
Chamberlain needed to be sprayed with repellant before taking the mound in the eighth as the pesky insects descended upon the ballpark on another muggy fall night. Chamberlain wasn't alone, either, as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and the rest of the Yankees infielders waved their gloves and caps in front of their faces to keep the little pests off them.
***
Seconds later, with Chamberlain spitting out the critters like they were sunflower seeds, the giant scoreboard flashed: Bug off Yankees!
The pests have visited before, usually earlier in the summer.
They're called midges. They're(sic) scientific name is Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus) or Chironomus attenuatus Walker.
The Yankees — and their hardcore fans — will forever call them something much less polite.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:01 pm 
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Location: Washington
Fortunately, it looks like that storyline will be eclipsed tonight by a better one: The Fan Who Saved Boston. (Loved the TV shot of Stephen King getting the kid's autograph.)


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:54 pm 
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Location: Washington
Great ... now look for stories suggesting that the teen fan "inspired" Manny's game-winning blast.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:21 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
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Location: Baltimore
Some hitters get "inspired" when the guy ahead of them is walked intentionally.

Didn't see the game, haven't read much about it yet, and don't know why national TV insists on showing Stephen King during every game at Fenway. Maybe someone is remaking Field of Dreams with King in place of the character based on J.D. Salinger.

IF Manny has his timing back, then he's someone whose focus would be stronger after an IBB--even if walking Big Papi in that situation seemed like the obvious thing to do.

Manny + baserunners + Green Monster = RBIs


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 1:49 pm 
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I'm sure Manny takes it as an insult that any manager would walk ANY player to get to him. If so, hurray for pissed-off underperformers (in '07, at least).


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 10:44 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am
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Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both
All that from the same story?


"Hitchcockian." Heh, heh.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:50 pm 
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Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 1:39 pm
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Location: Central Texas
Bumfketeer wrote:
All that from the same story?

Actually, there was more. By the second graf, I was calling for an exterminator.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:49 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am
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Location: In the newsroom
An amusing footnote, courtesy of SI's Tom Verducci:

5. OK, you've probably heard too much already about those infamous sacrifice flies of Cleveland, the mighty midges that, unlike almost all AL hitters, knocked Yankees phenom Joba Chamberlain off his game. But this is too good not to pass on: When the bugs started swarming Chamberlain, a local insect expert in Cleveland telephoned the Indians with an urgent message -- those bugs are called midges, and whatever you do, do NOT use insect repellent; midges are attracted to the stuff. The Yankees practically bathed in bug spray; the more Chamberlain put on, the more the bugs swarmed him. So there you go. The Yankees can spend $190 million on payroll and still leave a blatant weakness: no, not their middle relief -- their lack of an entymology (sic) expert.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:01 pm 
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:03 am
Posts: 1224
Location: Japan
SusanV wrote:
An amusing footnote, courtesy of SI's Tom Verducci:

5. OK, you've probably heard too much already about those infamous sacrifice flies of Cleveland, the mighty midges that, unlike almost all AL hitters, knocked Yankees phenom Joba Chamberlain off his game. But this is too good not to pass on: When the bugs started swarming Chamberlain, a local insect expert in Cleveland telephoned the Indians with an urgent message -- those bugs are called midges, and whatever you do, do NOT use insect repellent; midges are attracted to the stuff. The Yankees practically bathed in bug spray; the more Chamberlain put on, the more the bugs swarmed him. So there you go. The Yankees can spend $190 million on payroll and still leave a blatant weakness: no, not their middle relief -- their lack of an entymology (sic) expert.


Isn't it the other league that has the designated entymologist rule?


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