: Pitching change. Mariano Rivera replaces Damaso MarteMy desire was clear, correct. Then how...or why?!...in god's name did Rivera's first blown save of the season come from a Delmon Young 3-run homerun on an outside pitch that he hit to the opposite field?! What are the chances of that happening?
: Game over
: As much as I'd like to see NickB get off the hook, Mo needs to stay perfect
: It's the only shining point this season
Delmon Young--it took me about 2 seasons to forgive Justin Morneau for blowing an early Rivera save in 2005. I don't know long he'll be on my bad list.
But that was it. Mo's perfection gone. Moose's 20 wins may be gone. What is left to hold on to this season? Yes, Arod hit the game-winning HR off of Matt Guerrier, but now all the Alex-haters say: "Where were those when we could have used them earlier on in the season, Alex! So unclutch!" As soon as Mo faltered all hope was lost. The "win" was a win in name only--it was a tease that included the worst stuff ever. Ugh.
Oh, and Blackburn:Yankees :: Lidge:Cardinals. Will the Twins ace ever be able to right his ship against the Bronx Bombers? That Abreu comebacker did wonders to his psyche, regardless of what he might say. Although he did better than his start at YS, he still labored and looked awful. What's up, Nick?
And Matt Guerrier. Looking at the incident isolated--wow. This is why the Twins won't make it far in October: the bullpen is a mess. HR, walk, and HR. Just unacceptable in every way.
At Fenway Park, despite the Red Sox blowing a 10-run lead, they still managed to come back on a Slappy Pedroia RBI double and an Ugly Yuckilis HR. Final score? 19-17. Leave it to the Red Sox at home to blow such a massive first inning lead only to win anyway.
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I didn't watch any Olympics last night; I was too upset by the wondrous world of Bizarro Baseball 2008. But I heard Phelps broke another world record en route to a gold (is this even news anymore?) and that the US women gymnastics team got the silver because one of the ladies kept falling off stuff. Oh well. Two nights ago was pretty good--the male gymnasts were glad to take bronze behind an amazingly dominant performance by China (that Horton guy is 22? He's looks and sounds like he's 12), and Misty May and Kerri Walsh showed the Cubans no mercy on the beach. It's good stuff.
Oh, and China is incredibly amusing. They swapped out the actual 7-year-old singer for a cuter girl to boost national morale or something. Oh, China.
