We arrived ten minutes before the first pitch and ordered onion rings and a pitcher of Coors Banquet. I'm partial to the Banquet beer because I used to work for a company that distributed Coors products to the Sacramento area. It's also the first beer I ever remember trying and liking. It's also the perfect cheap beer. And we would need a lot of cheap beer on this night.
The Colonel and I would need as much beer as possible on this night. Jonathon Sanchez was taking the hill for the Giants.
Sanchez can be the most talented left-hander pitcher in the majors. He can also be the most troubled. And inside is an enigma that nobody can figure out. And I mean no one. Coaches, teammates, broadcasters, fans, anyone can't figure out the riddle that is Jonathon Sanchez.
Does he not have the mental capabilities to pitch? Does his mind drift, because he's certainly the only pitcher I've seen who can strike out seven batters and then immediately walk two batters, give up a double along with a couple of runs, and then strike out another seven guys in a row.
Emotions fly when Sanchez is playing. You can go from thinking, "Hey this guy could win the Cy Young" to thinking "I wonder if we could trade Sanchez to the Mets for Jose Reyes" in a split second. Can you think of another pitcher in the majors today that elicits emotions like that? Neither can I.
Me: Are you looking forward to seeing Sanchez pitch?
The Colonel: Nope. I'd rather have my hair catch on fire.
(The conversation is off to a rousing start!)
Sanchez strikes out Grady Sizemore to start the game and then immediately walks the Cabrera twins. Then of course Carlos Santana made the Giants pay with a booming double into left-center to give the Indians a 2-0 lead with just one out in the first. The enigma everybody!
The Colonel: Can the Giants please trade Sanchez?
Me: They're too late. He's due for arbitration this year. No one will want to trade for him now unless the Yankees want him and they have nothing to offer.
The Colonel: Dammit
We proceeded to order more beer and onion rings. During the fourth inning Sanchez walked more runners and allowed another run to score to make the game 3-0 Indians. Andres Torres' home run in that inning would make the score 3-1 Indians.
Me: So do you think Sanchez doesn't have the mental capabilities to pitch? What I mean is Sanchez can drift from one batter to the other and look spectacular and crappy all at once. Is he mentally soft or is there something else wrong with him?
Sanchez proceeds to walk a few more batters in the fifth and is eventually pulled by Bruce Bochy once he loads up the bases.
The Colonel: (Before I proceed to transcribe what the Colonel says, I should mention that he fancies himself a physiologist when in reality he's full of crap.) I believe Sanchez has confidence issues. Remember he's from Puerto Rico, went to a small school in Columbus, Ohio that isn't Ohio State, drafted in the 27th round, and had to fight just to stay in the Giants rotation in for a couple of years. I believe he's worried that in a moment's instance, his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy and maybe it is. He doesn't have the security of being a number one pick like Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner. In his mind, he's always fighting for his spot in the rotation and that affects his confidence from batter to batter.
Me: Makes sense. He came from nothing and in the back of his mind he could go back to having nothing in a moments notice. I would probably have confidence issues as well.
The Colonel: How this team wins games let alone scores runs amazes me. Houdini can't create magic like this.
Me: (Sarcastic tone) They're lucky! Just ask Phillies fans!
The Colonel: (Laughs) There's a lot of luck involved, but they do punish teams when they make mistakes. They punished the Braves last year in the NLDS. They punished the Phillies in the NLCS. They punished the Rangers in the World Series. And tonight they're punishing the Indians who have committed two errors and a couple of other blunders in the field. The Giants definitely make teams pay for their mistakes.
Me: Rowand just struck out again.
The Colonel: (Becoming angry) I wish I could drop Rowand right off the Bay Bridge. He's stealing from the Giants anyway. They would never convict me in a court of law in San Francisco for the death of Rowand.
Me: They might even give you the keys to the city.
The Colonel: Speaking of which, Austin Kearns is still playing in the big leagues? I thought he would be in a Independent League by now.
Me: Yeah he should be playing for the Marysville Gold Sox.
The Colonel: What's your thoughts on Chief Wahoo?
Me: I'm the wrong person to ask about that. It takes a lot of offend me and that doesn't offend me one bit.
The Colonel: I've never really be offended by it either. I see though the Indians are using less Chief Wahoo and more of their block C logo. I guess they're cutting back on the smiling chief. Probably a smart decision on their part.
Me: (Brian Wilson has entered the game to close out the Indians) Do you enjoy Wilson's high-wire act at all? For me it's starting to become grating. I know the Giants won't trade Wilson because he's marketable for them, but I would love for the Giants to trade him for a power hitter for the lineup.
The Colonel: I wouldn't trade Wilson. He racks up 40 plus saves year after year. It's hard to find closers that consistent despite the high wire act.
Wilson would pick up the save and the Giants won the first game of the series.
Me: Well Sanchez starts are always interesting. It's like taking a journey into the wilderness. You never know when you might come across a beautiful elk in the meadow or a hungry bear.
The Colonel: What did you say? I think I've had too many beers tonight.
It's time to put The Colonel to bed.
That quote from Churchill on Sanchez is spot on.
ReplyDeleteSanchez is the only person in the Giants rotation I wouldn't mind seeing let go.
ReplyDeletedont drink and drive.
ReplyDelete