OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Yet Another OOTP6 Dynasty, Year 2: One Flew Over the Pale Hose

cknox0723 · 06-26-2005, 03:09 AM

But just as suddenly as we jumped out into the lead, the Tigers cut right back into it. Garland's first pitch of the third is a fastball up and out over the plate, and light-hitting shortstop Tony Giarratano squirts some mustard on his bat and hits a drive deep into the right field corner. The 24 year old who's hit a consistent three home runs a year for three straight years gets the tenth of his career in this universe as the ball clangs off the right field foul pole, and just like that, the shutout's gone.

Ivan Rodriguez, who is hitting around .400, follows by whistling a line drive past Adam Kennedy and on into right field, and I swear I heard the somber notes of a dirge as the ball flew past. As if to drive that point home, Alan Trammell decides to let his pitcher Redman hack away. Is he just trying to play some sort of mind game, or can he tell that Garland's lost it? And if he has in fact lost it, why? Does he have a blister on his hand, or were those two second inning fly outs an ominous sign of things to come? Or perhaps he just isn't cut out to be a starter? If I had the answers...

Redman bashes a hard ground ball that only turns into a forceout at second because of the acrobatic machinations of Adam Kennedy, but it doesn't make me feel any better. The next two batters both hit screamers to the right side, as if to turn this into a test of the superhuman abilities of Adam Kennedy. Somehow he knocks down the second of these two balls, this one struck by Omar Infante, and we've still got a chance to get out of the inning, if only Garland can induce Carlos Pena to hit something other than a screamer to the right side. And sure enough, he does just that.

"From the stretch, Garland's one-one...kicks and deals, changeup on the outside half and Pena tomahawks it to the opposite field! Oh, baby, there's fire coming off the end of that one and Hammonds will just turn and watch it clatter into the seats. A three-run home run for Carlos Pena, his first of the year, and the Tigers take a four to two lead."

Well, that's not exactly what I was going for, Jon, but at least you gave Adam Kennedy a break.

The air's out of my sail after that dong, but we manage to make it through the next few innings without turning the deficit into something titanic, and we stumble into a chance to comeback in the bottom of the sixth when Frank Thomas and Miguel Olivo both break their bats on nasty change of pace pitches -- and manage to each get credit for a bloop single over second base. With one out and those two on, Jeffrey Hammonds fires a bullet into left (who said his bat was slow?), and we've got the tying and lead runs on base. Shea Hillenbrand hits a fly ball deep enough to score even Frank Thomas, and it's a one-run game with the tying run at second. For Jon Garland. That signals the end for him, but Enrique Wilson can't come through, hackneying a fly ball to left and leaving me to ask the bitter question of what I could have done differently.

But I don't have to beat myself up for long, as Kiko Calero keeps his ERA at a perfect zero with a quick seventh, and then we get that missing run in the bottom of the inning when Magglio Ordonez doubles home Ramon Vazquez, who had walked after pinch-hitting for the rookie Cuevas when Alan Trammell went to a right-hander named Cressend. Calero continues to dazzle in the eighth, striking out both the first sacker Pena and the team's best hitter in right fielder Reed Johnson, but T.J. Tucker gets the bottom of our lineup to hit three straight ground balls, and it's on to the ninth, with the winner of that inning the winner of the game.

06-26-2005, 03:09 AM	#475
cknox0723 All Star Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: NJ Posts: 1,957	it's a bird! it's a plane! But just as suddenly as we jumped out into the lead, the Tigers cut right back into it. Garland's first pitch of the third is a fastball up and out over the plate, and light-hitting shortstop Tony Giarratano squirts some mustard on his bat and hits a drive deep into the right field corner. The 24 year old who's hit a consistent three home runs a year for three straight years gets the tenth of his career in this universe as the ball clangs off the right field foul pole, and just like that, the shutout's gone. Ivan Rodriguez, who is hitting around .400, follows by whistling a line drive past Adam Kennedy and on into right field, and I swear I heard the somber notes of a dirge as the ball flew past. As if to drive that point home, Alan Trammell decides to let his pitcher Redman hack away. Is he just trying to play some sort of mind game, or can he tell that Garland's lost it? And if he has in fact lost it, why? Does he have a blister on his hand, or were those two second inning fly outs an ominous sign of things to come? Or perhaps he just isn't cut out to be a starter? If I had the answers... Redman bashes a hard ground ball that only turns into a forceout at second because of the acrobatic machinations of Adam Kennedy, but it doesn't make me feel any better. The next two batters both hit screamers to the right side, as if to turn this into a test of the superhuman abilities of Adam Kennedy. Somehow he knocks down the second of these two balls, this one struck by Omar Infante, and we've still got a chance to get out of the inning, if only Garland can induce Carlos Pena to hit something other than a screamer to the right side. And sure enough, he does just that. "From the stretch, Garland's one-one...kicks and deals, changeup on the outside half and Pena tomahawks it to the opposite field! Oh, baby, there's fire coming off the end of that one and Hammonds will just turn and watch it clatter into the seats. A three-run home run for Carlos Pena, his first of the year, and the Tigers take a four to two lead." Well, that's not exactly what I was going for, Jon, but at least you gave Adam Kennedy a break. The air's out of my sail after that dong, but we manage to make it through the next few innings without turning the deficit into something titanic, and we stumble into a chance to comeback in the bottom of the sixth when Frank Thomas and Miguel Olivo both break their bats on nasty change of pace pitches -- and manage to each get credit for a bloop single over second base. With one out and those two on, Jeffrey Hammonds fires a bullet into left (who said his bat was slow?), and we've got the tying and lead runs on base. Shea Hillenbrand hits a fly ball deep enough to score even Frank Thomas, and it's a one-run game with the tying run at second. For Jon Garland. That signals the end for him, but Enrique Wilson can't come through, hackneying a fly ball to left and leaving me to ask the bitter question of what I could have done differently. But I don't have to beat myself up for long, as Kiko Calero keeps his ERA at a perfect zero with a quick seventh, and then we get that missing run in the bottom of the inning when Magglio Ordonez doubles home Ramon Vazquez, who had walked after pinch-hitting for the rookie Cuevas when Alan Trammell went to a right-hander named Cressend. Calero continues to dazzle in the eighth, striking out both the first sacker Pena and the team's best hitter in right fielder Reed Johnson, but T.J. Tucker gets the bottom of our lineup to hit three straight ground balls, and it's on to the ninth, with the winner of that inning the winner of the game.