There are goofy occurances in sports. Sometimes, a game plays out as predictably as a WWE-driven storyline. There are the predictably unpredictable events that don't really have that drastic of an impact outside of that day. Then, there are those unpredictable events that leave you searching for an explanation, either out of anger, amazement or a little of both.
The 2007 Cleveland Indians season has been mostly the latter.
The Tribe have
become the Comeback Kids this season, surging from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Take friday, June 1st as an example. Trailing 11-7 heading into the 9th inning against the second-place Tigers, everyone, including myself, thought the game was over.
Victor Martinez has been bringing out the whoopin' stick all season for the tribe.
Standing in the Tigers dugout (I work for the Indians), I patiently waited for the final three outs. Grady Sizemore picks up the first out by grounding to second. Casey Blake would single, but no one really seemed worried or excited. Todd Jones, the Tigers closer, then walked Travis Hafner. The stadium was starting to buzz. Then, the red-hot Victor Martinez ripped a three-run shot over the left field wall. The place was going legitimately bonkers. Jhonny Peralta (who looks like DJ Connor from "Rosanne") doubled. The feeling in the dugout went from joy to "what the f--- is going on?" After a Ryan Garko strikeout, Trot Nixon was intentionally walked to get to struggling second baseman Josh Barfield. Barfield would tie it up with a single, scoring Mike Rouse who came in to run for Peralta. By this time, the Jake was absolutely deafening. Dave Dellucci finished the job by singling to center to cap off the Tribe's rally.
Now, I remember helping the batboy after the game and the first thing he said to me was "it's 1995 all over again." Absolutely incredible stuff. The crowd stayed for a good 20-25 minutes after the game just to keep cheering the highlights on the scoreboard.
Where am I going with this, you might ask? Here's where I'm going with it: when a team has a special year, stuff like this happens all the time. They come back even when they've been struggling all game. They find ways to win that no one thought they could find. They just come through. And that's what this Indians team makes you think. No matter the score, the situation or how the rest of the game has gone, they leave you thinking "it's not over until it's over." And that's how that 1995 team was. An it's-not-over-till-it's-over kind of team that came through all the time and pulled off improbable wins all the time.
You might also remember that the 1995 team went to the World Series. Maybe it is one of those years.
Loyalty seems to be a rare thing these days. Gone are the days of players spending their entire career with the team that took a chance on them. Gone are the days where guys take less money to stay with the team that brought them to the dance. Everyone is simply a hired gun these days.
And if there's anyone who exemplifies the hired gun, it's Roger Clemens. The latest news saw Clemens headed back to the Bronx for prorated $28 million deal. The Yankees, who Clemens pitched for from 1999-2003, were desperate for pitching help and throw their... Continued
In this day and age, people look at hockey like the ugly duckling. Too much violence, they say. Stars with names that have more vowels than consonants. Bland interviews during intermission that make it hard for any casual fan to tell them apart. But to those who look, there is a beautiful sport there.
So without further adieu, here are the reasons I love the game of hockey.
1.) Overtime Playoff Games: Is there any other sport that can keep you hanging on the edge of your seat for an entire quarter/period? Well with playoff OT hockey, it's possible for as long as the game is running. With a playoff OT game, everyone knows it can end at any second and there are "ooh's" and "ahh's" everytime the puck... Continued