Another Close Game

August 3, 2001

"We don't have any hidden secrets. Teams know what our strengths are." -Jamie Moyer

I have to say that I am SO GLAD to have Edgar back but I was not happy to learn that we'd sent down Ryan Franklin to make room for him because he was the only one with options and I am going to politely not comment on how lame I think that is AND MAN IS IT EVER LAME, I mean seriously, how much does that suck.

"It wasn't easy telling him. He didn't deserve to go down. We just have a roster where there aren't many alternatives." -Lou Piniella

So this game actually began with me missing the first two innings because I was getting a pedicure and because I have really ticklish feet and I can't stand for anyone to touch them, this always turns out to be an ordeal because I end up kicking water everywhere with my "don't touch my foot!" kick-reflex and as all this is going on, Edgar "Welcome Back!" Martinez and John Olerud both walk but we can't do anything with it, and then Jamie Moyer retires the side in order, including a strikeout, so it's quickly the second inning where we're down in order as well, and Jamie 1-2-3'd Cleveland again with another strikeout.

So third inning and I'm in my car on the way home and I end up catching this Britney Spears commercial on the radio where that obnoxiously horrifying Pepsi song is even LONGER than the one they play on TV and anyway, Tom Lampkin led off with a single and then he's out on a fielder's choice from Ichiro and then Ichiro went to second on a wild pitch and Mark McLemore walked and Edgar flew out and Ichiro got to third on it and then Mac got to second when Kenny Lofton bobbled it a little and I arrive home around this time and flip on the TV and am very dismayed to see that we leave them both stranged and then Jamie sat them down in order AGAIN, with another strikeout to end the third, and during the third inning I have to mention that Dave Niehaus and Ron Fairly were all talking about Elvis-Night at Safeco Field which is coming up and they start playing All Shook Up in the back ground and Fairly GRUNTS along with it in time to the music which cracks me up.

So fourth inning and the incredibly lame umpire whose strike zone is pretty much anything the catcher catches calls Bret Boone out on strikes which I didn't care for and Bret didn't care for if my lip reading skills are of any credibility, but I think Gerald Perry, the M's hitting coach, didn't care for it the MOST as he got himself tossed right on out of the game because he was jawing off to the umpire and I was like "GO GERALD PERRY!" because how lame was that call and then I cracked up because as Gerald is like red-in-the-face-furious all yelling at the ump, they pan to Bret in the dugout who is all calm and just drinking his Gatorade, but then to add insult to injury, Al Martin and Carlos Guillen are both called out on strikes to end our half and I have to say that umpire was a real [expletive deleted]. So then Jamie gave up a harmless double to Roberto Alomar and we're off to the fifth inning but not before I suffer through the horrendous pounding of some drum in the crowd, like knock that off already, what is this, Oakland? Just add in the honking tuba and I'd swear we were playing the A's.

So then we quickly have 2 down and Ichiro is called out on strikes and I was up out of my chair cursing out the umpire at that point I mean COME ON and Ichiro, in a rare display of emotion was very obviously NOT HAPPY with the call either and he DREW A LINE BY THE PLATE where the ball had been thrown (inside, TOTALLY INSIDE!) and Niehaus was all "that's a no-no, but the ump didn't see!" which cracked me up and then Jamie retires the side in order and records another strikeout, but Jamie got his guy swinging so that one was honest at least and we head to the sixth inning, still no score.

Mark McLemore struck out looking and that one actually appeared legitimate but then Edgar struck out looking on what I'd have called an outside pitch which had me all up in arms again over that lame umpire and we're gone in order as we head to the bottom half and Jamie RUNS out to the mound, I mean he is out there before Bartolo Colon is even off of it and Jamie retires the side in order for like the billionth time this evening. So seventh inning and we're down 1-2-3 and then Jamie is pitching to Alomar and they had a little bit of a disagreement which I would later learn was more of a misunderstanding, but anyway Jamie appeared to say something and then Alomar took exception to it and started towards the mound and Jamie started towards HIM and Tom Lampkin is all getting in front of Alomar talking to him and gets him calmed down and even gives him a sportsman-like baseball butt-pat and the rest of the inning passes without incident, Cleveland down in order AGAIN, no score.

"Jamie was talking to me, reminding me to watch Alomar's feet. I think Robbie thought when Jamie pointed to his eyes he was saying something to Robbie - like 'I'm going to hit you in the head.'" -Tom Lampkin

"I was just talking to Tom. If he wants to be in our conversation that's his choice." -Jamie Moyer

So eight inning and David Bell led off with a single and Tom Lampkin layed down a perfect bunt on a hard pitch to do it with and moved Bell to second and you can see David talking with our old friend Omar Vizquel and then Ichiro reached on a bunt single, and with runners at the corners, Mac hit a sac fly to score David and there's Jay Buhner in the dugout and I'm always so happy to see him and he is all excited and hi-fives David so hard I thought he was going to knock him down and then Ichiro stole second and the announcers are talking about Edgar and are all "all of a sudden, there's panic that goes through the opposition", talking about how much Edgar improves the lineup whether he gets a hit or not and he ends up walking and then John Olerud singled which scored Ichiro and we head to the bottom half leading 2-0.

So bottom of the eighth and Jeff Nelson relieved Jamie and hit Marty Cordova with a pitch and then Travis Fryman singled and I was starting to panic and then Wil Cordero sacrificed the runners over and Arthur Rhodes came in for Jeff and got Jolbert Cabrera to ground out but that unfortunately scored a run and is it just me or do the Cleveland Indians' player's names all sound alike? Cordova, Cordero and Cabrera, say that 3 times fast. So then Kenny Lofton grounds one over to David Bell who makes a SPECTACULAR PLAY to get him out at first and I am mighty impressed and I think Artie was too because he headed towards David to say thanks as we head for the ninth, still leading 2-1.

"He plays third as well as anyone in our league, and probably as well as anyone in baseball. What a play. And he had just moved back because Lofton had two strikes on him. If he's in, that ball shoots by him and the game's tied." -Lou Piniella on David Bell

"Down in the bullpen, we may not all get the saves, but what we're about is picking each other up. Nellie got in a jam in the eighth inning - second and third with one out - and I picked him up. He's picked me up a few times this year, too. I apologized to him for letting that one run score." -Arthur Rhodes

So Mike Cameron struck out looking and I was all "WHATEVER!" which startled the cat and we are quickly out in our half, and enter Kazuhiro Sasaki who retired the side in order and we win which always makes me really happy but it made me especially happy tonight because it shut up that godawful drum, I mean if I were an Indians fan, I would be destroying that thing right away.

"I have no idea what it was about. All I know is we've won two straight 2-1 games and I'm exhausted." -Lou Piniella, when asked about the exchange between Jamie and Alomar

"This is a hell of a game." -Pat Gillick

"Games like that are fun. We come in and we show that we can get these guys out. They've got a great lineup." -Arthur Rhodes

"There are no hidden secrets. It's not like we found out how to do it, and we're just not telling anyone. We pitch good, we play good defense and we don't make a lot of mistakes." -Jamie Moyer

"We do everything so fundamentally well, that's our strength. We play good baseball. We play the game the right way. You do that many good things, good things happen." -Lou Piniella