Back to baseball again today. When things are going good, it always seems like it takes forever to get through an off day. We wanna get back to park! We gotta get in there before this wears off!
I talk baseball with this guy at work who comes up with the craziest theories. He's a smart guy, but we've had the strangest debates. Exasperating. The kinds of things where I stare at him and think, How can you possibly believe that?
For example. 2001 World Series. Bob Brenly does everything in his power to try to lose the World Series. Overworks his aces in blowouts. Questionable use of the bullpen. And yet the Diamondbacks win. I say they won because Schilling and Johnson are all heart on the mound and the Yankees were somewhat lucky to have made it that far (Seattle had won 116 games). My guy at work says it's because Brenly's an awesome manager.
I know. WTF, right?
I mean, maybe he's right, but if Bob Brenly was that great, he'd be managing somewhere, right? Where is Bob Brenly nowadays anyway? I like to imagine that he's holed up somewhere in Colorado, writing the book on why bunting to break up a no hitter qualifies a player as a reproductive organ. And why half of Ichiro's base hits shouldn't count for him because he swings the bat like a girl's softball player.
So what I was talking about. I was talking my guy at work and we were talking about the Padres and how good they're doing. He said, "I don't think any positive can come of Phil Nevin being traded."
"The biggest positive I can see is that it forces Bochy to actually play Nady somewhere," I said. "Even if it's Nady and Sweeney, it's better than what Phil was doing."
He said, "but even if Phil wasn't as good as he was last year, he's still dangerous!"
I said, "I dunno. Richard seems to think he's done." (I didn't really say that, but something more along the lines of, "Dude! You cr4zeee?!?! Nady is teh shizzzzzzz!!!!!111!1!!!!". [I didn't really say that either. It was probably something in between.])
He said he wasn't so sure about that and would have to look it up. He thinks I just crush on Nady because of the way he looks in baseball pants and for the fact that he went to Berkeley. Actually, it's two things:
- Long legs
- Brains
- I like to root for the underdog.
- I like for talents to be recognized.
After all, if the Padres can get rid of their best hitter in the middle of the season, then you can never tell who will be next!