The WBC – Minute by Minute

For my own amusement, I’m taking notes during the WBC…you’re welcome to read them, but I warn you, I’m hyped up on cold medicine and…I talk a LOT.  It’s going to be a long one.  I won’t be offended if you don’t read it.  In the spirit of why I started this blog to begin with, I am writing it for me (and to spare those who love me having to hear me rant!).  🙂

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7:32 – I’m already sick of the Roger Clemens love-fest.  He’s a great player and he claims he’s retiring so this could be his last game, we get it.  We don’t believe it (the retiring part) but we get it.

7:36 – The Tim Kasey – MLB 06 The Show commercial is my favorite of the entire year, thus far.  I’m going to have to go buy the video game (grr…I’m so easy!).

7:38 – AHA! Duke Castiglione says Roger is only retiring, according to Roger, possibly only until June or July…even Roger can’t keep his stories straight.  (Shout out to Castiglione, son of our beloved Joe Castiglione who was good enough to emcee the "Springing for a Cure" dinner Saturday night in Ft Myers.)

7:42 – I love Junior.  That is all.

7:45 – Chipper?  Not so much (this at-bat anyway).

7:45 – Watching this with my dad, who says to Rick Sutcliffe "Warren Spahn, Bob Gibson and Cy Young say hello" , in response to Sutcliffe’s remark about Clemens being the most dominant pitcher ever in baseball.  I love my dad.

7:48 – Rick Sutcliffe is apparently so rattled by Clemens hitting the first batter that he refers to San Diego as a country being represented in the WBC.  My dad’s going to have a long night heckling Sutcliffe.

7:50 – Clemens just pumped a fist because Jorge Cantu screwed up a bunt and they doubled off the guy on first.  Two outs that have nothing to do with Roger and Vinny Castilla just reminded him of that.

7:55 – I’m watching ARod and thinking how if the USA wins, my friend J will have to cheer for ARod this weekend in San Diego.  (J is there for all the games this weekend…yes, I’m slightly jealous.)  I’m pretty sure that cheering for ARod just might be physically impossible for J.  As a matter of fact, I KNOW it is. 

7:59 – Thank you ESPN for starting my father on another rant about how ARod’s single Sunday probably would have scored two.  You know it’s bad when my father speaks positively in regard to ARod.  He’s so fired up he might miss the rest of this inning.  Ooh…Arod just played that close…is there something wrong with his leg or does that guy have a freaking cannon for an arm????  Whoa.

8:01 – Jeff Francoeur is Rick Sutcliffe’s ‘guy’ because he smiles a lot.  Where are the guys from "Fire Joe Morgan" when you need them?

8:05 – If I was sitting behind one of those guys wearing a sombrero…I’d have to light one of them on fire.

8:06 –  Vernon Wells just tried to kill Michael Young with a nasty hip-check.

8:07 – The scroll on ESPN keeps telling me the only way Bonds is getting suspended by MLB is if he is indicted with perjury or tax evasion.  Once again, Bud buries his head in the sand.  Egads.

8:10 – The flag on Clemens’ right shoulder is backward.  The blue field with the stars is always supposed to be in the top left corner.  I haven’t looked at the other uniforms…I’m guessing they are all the same.  This will annoy me all night.

8:12 – I had to look it up, it’s making me crazy.

When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window it should be displayed in the same way, that is with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

8:16 – Oh, but wait!  I found this:

The regulation states that when authorized for application to the proper uniform the American flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that “the star field faces forward, or to the flag’s own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observer’s right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the ‘reverse side flag’.”

8:17 – Hey did you all know there’s a game being played?  (You have now been witness to my teeny attention span…welcome to my world)

8:18 – I met John O’Hurley at Filene’s department store back in the early nineties.  I worked there answer the switchboard and he was there selling "Bostonopoly".  I kid you not.

8:20 – My father is yelling at Jon Miller while I read about the flag.  Do others enjoy the games the way we do?

8:21 – Please God, don’t let Bob Davidson blow this call.  Please God.  I’m begging you.  I’ve defended this guy all week.  PLEASE GOD DON’T LET DAVIDSON BLOW THIS FREAKIN’ CALL!

8:22 – I officially hate Bob Davidson.  That was a homerun…this stinks like cheese.  I hope the Mexican teams scores at least three runs this inning.

8:23 – And I love Esteban Loaiza.  I know it’s futile.  You can’t go by that since it’s now in the dugout…but I appreciate his passion.

8:26 – My ears are bleeding.  Please make these men start talking about the actual game again.  I might have to start cheering for team Mexico. 

8:30 – Woo-hoo!!!!  1-0 Mexico!  Jorge Cantu – you da man!  Okay, now the USA can go back to winning…thank you.

8:31 – Do these teams have captains?  Vinny Castilla has a "C" on his jersey.  See, this is what happens when I can’t watch most of the games live (even Sunday’s game I watched without sound).  I don’t know ANYTHING that’s going on here!

8:37 – See, Chipper wanted me to love him too.  (My dad:  "Well at least ARod can’t hit into a double-play"  Heh.)

8:40 – Team Mexico wants to see if Chipper left second too early.  I’m laughing out loud here. 

8:41 – Are they yelling "Yankees S*ck"????????  I’m hearing things, right?

8:42 – Chipper trying to win this game all by himself.  You go, boy!  (Except it looks like someone needs to take some ‘sliding drills’, sonny.  Ugly, ugly slide.) 1-1 middle of the fourth.

8:46 – Eric Karros – he’s the other guy in the booth????  Wow.  Impressive.  He sounds pretty good.

8:55 – Dad and I discussing David Lee Roth.  Hey, it’s a 1-1 baseball game, what do you want from me?  Bruins are up 2-0…mind you, I haven’t actually watched a Bruins game since before the strike…but I don’t control the remote tonight.

8:59 – NESN just announced that "Kevin Millar and the Baltimore Orioles" are playing the Red Sox on Sunday.  Honestly, only in Boston could Kevin Millar become immortal.   I love it.

9:01 – My dad mentions that he hasn’t noticed if the other flags are backward on the USA’s uniforms.  I read him the ‘rules’.  See, it’s hereditary.

9:03 – I sense this crowd is rooting for Mexico.

9:05 – Captain Intangibles is up.  According to Rick Sutcliffe, "There’s nothing he doesn’t do well".  And I have no punchline for that.  I just have a visual of Sutcliffe on his knees in front of Jeter.  That guy who hosts ESPN Classic Now thinks that "Captain Intangibles" is a compliment from Red Sox fans.  Ah, ESPN, how you make me laugh. 

9:11 – That’ll teach my dad to watch the Bruins.  Winning 2-0 in the third period and now it’s tied.  This is why there is an autographed picture of Bobby Orr in my room and not Glen Murray.

9:13 – I just told my dad if Clemens comes back to Boston I’m becoming a Mets fan.  Neither of us believes me.

9:14 – I think Team Mexico could kick the butts of Team USA in a fight.  They look t-u-f tough.

9:15 – Bye, bye Roger.  I’m guessing we get to see another retirement ovation as my dad yells "Who cares?".  I worry that someday my dad will meet Jon Miller or Rick Sutcliffe (or Joe Morgan or Tim McCarver or Joe Buck or Chris Berman) and tell them what he thinks of them.  I worry, but I also hope I have my video camera with me when it happens.

9:23 – I wish my dad kept a blog.  He’s cracking me up. These ESPN guys are going to make his head explode.

9:25 – The goalie for the Senators is black.  A lot has changed since I last really paid attention to hockey.  Next thing you know, they’ll start letting women play professional basketball.  I’m sure the WBC is back on but my dad needs to torture himself a little more with some overtime hockey.  Hey there’s a fight.  A fight in overtime.  Pig pile on the ice.  I sat in the front row at Disney on Ice a couple of weeks ago and froze my butt off.  If I was a hockey player I’d want overtime to end as soon as possible.  I wouldn’t be starting any fights.  I might have to wrestle my dad’s remote away soon.  I’m probably missing Buck Martinez moonwalk in the USA’s dugout.  If this keeps up I’m going to have to start watching it on the computer.  I love Gameday.

9:31 – Just checked Gameday – ARod grounded out to end the inning.  Way to go, Slappy.  Bruins have a four on three power play.  Man, I used to love hockey.

9:33 – I’m starting to get antsy watching hockey knowing there is a baseball game on.  This is sick.  I need help.  And my dad is yelling words like "pathetic" at the tv.  This is my bloodline, you see.   I too yell at the tv when I’m not typing on the computer.

9:37 – Did Brian Fuentes flip flop between Mexico and America when deciding to play in the WBC the way Dora did with the DR and USA?  (that isn’t fair…I know nothing about Fuentes except that he was born in California – is he Mexican?)

9:40 – I suppose I should mention that it’s the 7th inning and the USA is losing 2-1…and if they lose this game, Roger gets the loss.  As nice as that SOUNDS, I don’t want it to happen.  Guess I DO want the USA to win.  Go figure.

9:45 – Holy cow the Bruins won.  3-2 in the shoot-out.  And now Bud Selig is in the booth on ESPN.  I’d rather be watching the Bruins again.  Blech.

9:47 – Wait a minute.  Did Jon Miller just say if the USA team loses they could still get in the finals?  Are they making up these rules as they go along?  Who is writing these rules, Selig?

9:51 – This is me not saying anything because I have nothing nice to say.

9:55 – See 9:51.

9:56 – Why did Rick Sutcliffe and Eric Karros get kicked out of the booth for this interview?  Was ESPN afraid that they would say something negative to Bud Selig?

9:57 – A USA chant!  It’s about flipping time.

9:58 – Bud Selig just called Jon Miller "Tom".  I love live television.

9:59 – There seem to be a lot of pictures online lately of Jake Gyllenhaal holding his dog.  A poogle, puggle, whatever the heck it’s called.  Hot guys and cute little dogs…gotta love it (yes, I’m surfing for Jake stuff in one browser, while blogging here and watching the game…multi-tasker that I am!  I know I’m an old lady compared to Jake, but I have a teenage girl crush on him.  I’m so embarrassed).

10:02 – "That’s Jason Varitek!" I yell as my dad turns the game back on.  And Jason makes the out.  Ugh.

10:03 – Dammit.  Now I have to root for Jeter.

10:05 – Caught him looking.  Nice job Captain Intangibles

10:12 – The USA has to rely on Junior, Chipper and Slappy to win this game.  Not insurmountable odds by any means.  Let’s put the gas on boys.

10:21 – I promise to stop referring to "Slappy" as "Slappy" if he can win this one for the USA again.  Honestly.  Okay, I’ll still call him "Slappy", but I won’t call him "Dora" any more.  Promise.

10:25 – ARod just did the David Ortiz "spit in his hands and clap them together".  Dude means business.  Ball four – good job, ARod, good job.  And JD is in to pinch run.  This could be interesting.

10:27 – I’m not in a March Madness pool this year and I find I couldn’t care less about the games.  Funny how that works, huh?

10:29 – Wow.  Bye, bye team USA.  I’m sad for them, I know it meant a lot to most of the guys on the team, but hey, good for Mexico.  They played a great game.  Roger Clemens comes through again. 

    Congratulations to Team Mexico and their fans!