Opening Day
I support the proposal that this should be a national holiday. And all teams should open on the same date, with them all playing day games.
29 Days til 2011: My Favorites of 2010
Favorite baseball game of 2010.
August 10, Cards @ Reds
“The comment he made yesterday that he’s got no friends over here – then why you touch me? You are not my friend, so don’t touch me. I mean, if we’re no good for you, you are not my friend.”
There was something genuine and reassuring about the Cardinal players’ resentment towards the “trash talk” Brandon Phillips made 24 hours before this series started.
Phillips was doing what players do nowadays. They speak with bravado without actually believing or caring about what they say. Guys guarantee victories witha shrug. They talk about their passion to win, then go on the court/field and smile-n-goof with opponents for two hours. There are no consequences, no accountability… just dudes putting on jerseys while thinking that their mouth is part of the job.
“Hey, we’re all getting paid, right? Don’t take it personal, it’s just one millionaire talking crap on a bunch of other millionaires. Heck, it may even be a way to show the fans we actually care, right?”
And then, occasionally, thankfully, some player or team comes along and proves that they do actually care. That they invest something more than their accountant into what they say. That they speak what they mean, and let other players spew selfish, team-less, masturbatory noise.
“If it’s me you’re talking about, there are consequences. You’ve got no friends over here, remember?”
(St. Louis nose-dived their season away after this series. The Reds went to the playoffs. He who laughs last, blah, blah. I don’t care. It was an important day. An old-school day. Sports are dumb and meaningless. We shouldn’t care so much about what happens. But when the participants aim to prove that true, then I’m happy to oblige. For instance, it’s easy to not be a LeBron or Carmelo fan this year. They give me permission nightly. But on this day – the Cardinal players showed they care. At least as much as they should. Molina backed it up with a homer an inning later. Cards won 8-4. Twas a good day.)
the full list of Chesty’s 2010 favs
