2076 Playoffs (Divisional Round)
Phoenix Coyotes (2-1) @ Los Angeles Leopards (1-0)
This wouldn’t be LA without scandal and we wouldn’t be the Leopards without Brisky in the fold… your boy was photographed late last night, with a supermodel on each arm, wearing a pair of leopard print tights (him, not them) by TMXYZ. This guy… not sure what to do with him – here he is, about to start in one of the biggest games of his life, and instead of getting a good night’s sleep he’s out gallivanting with a couple of runway models, smuggling plums in a pair of way-too-tight leopard print pants, and carrying on like he hasn’t a care in the world… and who knows, maybe he doesn’t. Hell, it was only two seasons ago when I bailed the guy out of jail in Mexico City, so he could start a game for us – he twirled a complete game, 2-hit shutout that night – and he was none the worse for wear. He’s a legend, no doubt, a real, true-to-life Magnum PI / Charlie Sheen hybrid sent here from outer space to seduce women and win ballgames. His opposite here, starting for Phoenix, is no slouch though – we’ll need Brisky to shake the sheets and come up tossing bee-bees if we are to get a game 2 win with Matthew Townsend on the hill. We haven’t exactly struggled against the guy this season – Pepper and Zippo are both hitting .400+ against the guy – but if experience tells us nothing else, some guys dial it in with their backs against the wall and some guys don’t. Townsend’s got good stuff, even if his secondary pitches leave a bit to be desired, and is a battle-tested, 13-year vet with a 2074 championship under his belt. He’s been here before, knows what it takes, and is, undoubtedly, motivated to put his best foot forward against us in game 2.
Game 2: Matthew Townsend (0-2, 6.38 against LA in the 2076 Regular Season) @ Michael Brisk (2-1, 2.01 against Phoenix this year)
Win, 5-4.
Brisky started off a bit sluggish here – he gave up his first hit to Scott Kaszuba on his 3rd pitch of the game, a nice little bloop just out of our second baseman’s reach – but struck out the next guy, picked Kaszuba off, and followed that up with another K to get out of the frame unscathed… must’ve been a good night last night, I guess.
Otto opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first with a solo homer that traveled 411 feet, but
Brisky followed that up by surrendering two infield singles followed by a 2-run double to 2B Tony Zepeda, and, just like that, Phoenix had their foot on the gas… nothing doing though as we’d grab the lead back a couple of innings later when
SS Ernie Sparacino hit a 2-run single to give us our 1-run lead back. Unfortunately, or not given how this one ended, Phoenix was able to claw their way back and regain their lead in the top of the 8th, but, in the end,
1B Arnold Webster had the last laugh as the reigning HR champion sent a 2-run, moonshot ding dong over the fence for the dramatic, awe-inspiring, and, sure to be entered into LA folklore, walk-off game-winner. That trade, in retrospect, may have been my finest moment as the General Manager for these Los Angeles Leopards.
Up 2-0 and headed to Phoenix... we're off on the good foot so far and looking for trouble...