Baseball Toaster: Humbug Journal : September 2008

Monthly archives: September 2008

Twins-White Sox Playoff

2008-09-30 23:23

by Ember Nickel

Again the season stretches into this:
The gap between the summer and the fall
Narrows at last. The space between the wall
Our backs were up against was an abyss.
Now, desperation blurs to hit-or-miss.
The days and weeks and months we fought are all
Being wiped out by one flight of the ball.
Some fates can be sealed only by death's kiss.

The season didn't want to go away
Either. And when the game was tied, it seemed
It might well do so. However, last stands
Will come to all of those who come to play
Just like the game itself. But we too dreamed,
And, diving, held the season in our hands.

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What is it about the Orioles and the latter portion of the season?

2008-09-29 13:06

by dianagramr

You may recall a post from last year which detailed the seemingly annual migration of the Orioles to the bottom rungs of the American League East.

Well, they did it again this year. On the morning of August 18th, the Orioles sat at 60-63, in last place, but only 3.5 games behind the Blue Jays and 15 games out of first. From that point forward, they went 7-30 (and won a game that had been suspended from earlier in the year). This year's collapse rivaled the historic 4-32 finish of 2002.

	Collapse	Before			After
Year	Date	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.
2008	8/18/2008	60	63	.488	7	30	.189
2007	7/28/2007	49	54	.476	20	39	.339
2006	7/17/2006	44	51	.463	26	41	.388
2005	6/22/2005	42	28	.600	29	58	.333
2004	6/1/2004	24	23	.511	54	61	.470
2003	6/2/2003	28	27	.509	43	64	.402
2002	8/24/2002	63	63	.500	4	32	.111
2001	5/28/2001	24	24	.500	39	74	.345
	totals	334	333	.501	222	399	.357

And it was a total team effort too ....

Pitching

	W	L	G	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB	CS	H/9	K/9	BB/9
Before	61	63	124	34	1104.2	1155	628	588	512	711	138	4.79	.271	.353	.419	.772	99	30	9.4	5.8	4.2
After	7	30	37	1	317.1	383	241	222	175	211	46	6.30	.298	.386	.487	.873	31	3	10.9	6.0	5.0

Offense

	G	W	L	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Runs/G
Before	124	61	63	4325	635	1176	259	27	143	608	420	762	89	62	33	.272	.339	.443	.782	5.12
After	37	7	30	1234	147	310	63	3	29	142	113	228	22	19	4	.251	.315	.378	.693	3.97

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Pennant Race

2008-09-27 14:28

by Ember Nickel

It's one thing to hear forty thousand boo:
Magnifying their sound at someone who
Left the team, and as a traitor comes here
Again. It's another to hear them cheer.

Sound overlaps sound, no two yells the same
But such is the game: it's big enough for
All of the players we want to adore.
The cacophony is more glorious
Than boos. Each of us gives a different roar
When a ball that I can't see tied the score.
Then I do see it, deep down the line in
Right. Yes. Can they win? I try to clap
But it's hard with a scoreboard on your lap.
I write down the triple, and then I stand
Noticing a hand outstretched down the row.
To get together with your friends and go
To the game is normal for them. Not for me.
And yet, tonight we let our high-fives blend
Into the maelstrom of noise, friend and friend.

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Sean Rodriguez strikes out on a 4-2 pitch

2008-09-05 09:59

by Ember Nickel

A strikeout can put you on base
And yet, this still seems out of place:
To go down for the count
After such an amount
Of pitches is a minor disgrace.

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