Baseball talk...

Good baseball day yesterday – the Yankees won… and Boston has lost three in a row, which is slightly heartening. I should’ve played Tyler Clippard on my fantasy team instead of Ted Lilly… and here I thought I was playing it “safe.” Clippard pitched a fairly decent game and would’ve earned me twenty points, whereas Lilly decided to toss the ball around like it was his first day on a pitching mound. I mean, he gave up like 150 runs in the first three innings. It was not pretty. Very disappointing, Lilly. Very disappointing.

Fortunately for me, my first-round draft pick C.C. Sabathia continues to remind me why I love him so much. He pitched his first complete game shut-out of the year, netting 55 points and making me feel a bit less annoyed about Lilly’s -4. (But see how much better it would’ve been if I’d played Clippard? Why, Lilly? WHY??) The Cleveland game was making me very nervous, as I noticed somewhere around the sixth inning that Kansas City had yet to score. Cleveland was ahead – by ONE run. Franklin Gutierrez hit a home run in the third. And by the time the ninth inning rolled around, the score was still 1-0, and Sabathia was in to pitch the ninth. Rick started to say something about it… he was like, “whoa… I just noticed…” And I immediately cut him off – “shut up shut up don’t jinx it…” I sat on the couch, rocking back and forth in a baseball trance… one out, two out… someone got a hit, I can’t remember who – a home run and it would all be over. I closed my eyes for a second, and then, from back in Rick’s study, I heard the cry of “complete game shut out!” Whew. That was too stressful. Seriously Cleveland, how about a few more insurance runs next time?

The guys in the fantasy baseball league tend to have lengthy email-chain discussions about whatever is going on in the world of baseball. Sometimes my name gets included in the chains, and sometimes it doesn’t – and it’s always interesting when it does, because I get to see just how hard these guys are working at their jobs. Er… maybe not. :) Yesterday someone started a discussion about a proposed trade – Carlos Zambrano for Scott Kazmir. Neither one has been doing particularly well this year. It’s kinda like a few weeks ago, when someone offered me Bobby Abreu for Garrett Atkins. I was like, “uh, sure, whatever…” (Although Abreu does seem to be doing better now… perhaps he’ll end up being worth the trade…)

Anyway, after an email inbox full of back-and-forth messages from all the guys yesterday, my fellow fantasy-leaguer and frequent blog-reader Greg wrote me a little poem:

A POEM FOR LISA

The e-mails started with two pitchers name Carlos and Scott;
One plays at Wrigley Field…the other does not.
Both have really been sucky ever since day one;
Both wasting a roster space….not a lot of fun.

Matt submitted the offer….and then Blue said YES;
Then Blue admitted he’d trade C-Zam for even much less.
Then enters John Kruk…the Baseball Tonight god;
The talk quickly digressed by mentioning his rod.

The e-mails became crass and somewhat shady;
So my apologies go out to our token Band of Brothers Lady.
Our league has boys and girls involved…and that ain’t no jive;
Proof of this is our little couple whose offense is 2.5……


Yes, yes, Rick and I both have a 2.5 offense average right now. Sigh. Although lately I’ve been averaging around 3.0, so I’m hoping MY average will change soon. Rick’s can stay at 2.5. :) So thanks for the poem, Greg. Although to be honest, no apologies are necessary. I’m quite used to crude guy talk, and it doesn’t usually bother me much. I grew up with my two brothers and no sisters, plus all my male cousins (I don’t have any female cousins)… and, seeing as I’m much-too-shy for my own good, I’ve frequently spent time hanging out with Eric and all his friends – in fact, I’d have to say I’m more comfortable with a group of guys than I am with a group of girls. Girls can be so weird. Always talking about, like, babies and kids and where to buy shoes… I’d much rather talk about baseball than shoes…

I guess I should find another girl who truly appreciates Derek Jeter’s pinstripe-clad butt… :)