Wednesday, April 24, 2013

11th Inning Thrills


Season: 13-6; Home Stand: 5-1
Wrap, Box, Herald-Sun

By the time Cole Figueroa was standing on first base after a hit by pitch in the bottom of the 11th I was home watching the game on TV. The Bulls trainer was out there to check out Figeroa's  hand and Figueroa was shaking it and grimacing. In the meantime Mud Hens Manager Phil Nevin was yammering at home plate umpire A. J. Johnson, claiming that Figueroa had not been hit by the pitch or that, if he had been hit, it was after the ball hit the bat. No matter. Nevin was thumbed out of the game. My own view was that Johnson himself was as much responsible for the game going on and on as anyone else on the field. I don’t have a record of called Ks in the last several innings, but sure seemed like a bunch of them. All the players (and probably managers and coaches) had been barking at him. Nevin must’ve pushed him over the edge.

Of course, the more important question is: was the trainer checking the hand or coaching the actor? We will never know.

Toledo’s pitching was as advertised. Bulls hitters never really got on track all night, but they had just enough to tie the game in the 9th on a Cole Figueroa double (but left bases loaded). When they reloaded the bases in the 11th after the hit-by-pitch call, a Jason Bourgeois single won the game.

Outside the game —
  • The Herald-Sun is reporting that Charlie Montoyo will be back tomorrow. Apparently the surgery on his son went well.
  • One of the big deals this year will be the Bulls celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of the film Bull Durham. At the link you will find their latest press release. You will find a couple of video clips, including the one they have been playing at the games but I’ve had a hard time understanding. Fun to watch.

3 comments:

  1. A commentary on the commentary for a moment. I really appreciate Scott Pose. Him in the booth with Kinas is night and day compared to Sean McNally.

    As much as I think Kinas is a "plus" announcer, his play by play leaves something to be desired when he's alone. Pose will cover for that by talking about the nuances of what's going on down on the field.

    With McNally the two of them get off on whimsical tangents and suddenly two runs have scored.

    This isn't really a knock on them, but an observation. I really wish there were a way to always have a two man crew (at least for home games) with Pose as otherwise I find myself missing Neil.

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  2. I am a fan of Pose as well ... especially since he's a U of Ark guy. And I'm getting to like Kinas as well. I didn't catch the name of today's commentator, but he provided a catcher's perspective, which I liked.

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  3. By the way, what a nice day for baseball today. And an interesting game to watch as well.
    And the stat sheets are back up to last year's standards ... hooray!

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