Sep 30 2008 05:32 PM
Hi, it's me again. Chris Aguila. Boy, did I like getting a second chance to play some big-league ball. Problem is that sometimes the ball plays you. And those are the woist days. Like, if you want a day, you go someplace else. Only the woist here.
I don't know why they say it that way.
Anypucket, on June 12,
| =http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_06_12_arimlb_nynmlb_1&mode=wrap]I was watching a clinic |
Bad idea, my friends, bad idea, but, I tell you. I didn't help much. I'm the --- let me be honest --- bag of douche that pinch hit for him. That's harsh, but you better have a good reason to take a guy pitching like Johan was out of the game, and the difference between my bat and his wasn't that reason. It certainly wasn't this day.
Bottom of the seventh inning. Dan Haren has held us to two runs and kept his team in the game. Doug Slaten comes on for Haren and promptly pegs Damion Easley with a pitch. Castro follows with a double and we're rallying. When Fernando Tatis drops a soft liner into center --- soft enough for Castro to score, we're looking like we're about to crack the game open.
But Skipper looks down his bench and calls my number, and, like I said, bad idea. Changeup, changeup, changeup outside the strikezone, and fastball for a called strike three. C-Dog never made contact and I left a man out there. It was the game turner. Reyes followed with a double but the Mets were done scoring for the evening. Four runs would score against the bullpen to tie it, followed by the game-winner in the tenth.
I got up two more times, stranded three more runners. How do you like that? I don't even get into the game until the seventh inning, but that's enough time to make three outs and strand four runners. I caught a fly, but most of my defense was turning around to field liners of the wall.
My love was like bad medicine that day.
There was internal clubhouse disagreement that day about the part vs. the whole.
"It's easy to point the finger at a few people in here," David Wright said. "It's us collectively as a team."
Billy Waner disagreed. "It's really not the team. Right now, it's all on me. The team's doing their job. I'm not."
Another Met added, "It's ridiculous right now. I'm just awful."
Actually, that was Wagner also.
Other quotes? "I can't say a thing about our team. I just can't get it done right now."
That was Wagner too. He stunk on ice and he stood up and owned it like a vet. Let history record, though, that a rookie contributed generously to stink that day.
I did at that.