Judging the Royals

Games » Colorado Rockies

Lee Judge

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There’s a fine line between good teams and bad teams: Good teams believe they’re going to win. If something bad happens, they think it’s an aberration: a single, isolated incident. Bad teams believe they’re going to lose. If something bad happens, it’s just the first in a string of bad things that will lead to another loss.

Both attitudes are self-fulfilling prophecies. If you look for bad things, you find them and then your bad attitude takes one bad thing and makes it two, then three and pretty soon the game is gone.

The team that believes its going to win looks for good things and, when it finds them, turns one good thing into two, then three and pretty soon the game is won.

(Come to think of it, I’m just about positive this is the way most marriages work, too.)

Right now the Royals look like a team that believes it’s going to win. I hope they’re right, because, as long as I have to watch every pitch of every game, it would be a hell of a lot more entertaining if they continue to play good baseball.

Blame Steve…

Once again, I got to watch the game with former umpire Steve Palermo. I’m supposed to watch and record every pitch, but Steve’s far too entertaining for me to do that accurately while listening to him. On the other hand, he’s making me smarter. (Of course, there are Blue Collar Comedy Tour audience members in need of dental care that could make me smarter, so maybe it’s no big trick.)

Just wanted you to know if I made any mistakes recording this one, blame Steve.

Outstanding defensive plays…

Jason Kendall did it again: blocked a ball in the dirt with a runner on third. That saved another run. By my count it’s the fifth time he’s done that this year. I asked him if he had any idea how many times he did that in a season and he said no, it was just a point of pride to block balls in the dirt.

I told him this season he would know, because I was counting. (Do they allow cartoonists to testify in arbitration hearings?)

Later in the game, Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo whiffed on two pitches with runners on third, just to remind fans why they ought to be grateful Kendall’s here.

Base running…

Kendall also picked up points for heads-up base running in the seventh. His single sent Callaspo sprinting for home. Meanwhile, Jason took off for second right in front of the Rockies right fielder. This makes the defender choose between letting the run score and taking the out, or trying for the runner at the plate and allowing another one into scoring position.

The Rockies didn’t get Callaspo at the plate, and Kendall scored from second on Aviles’ soft single, later in the inning.

Aviles at second…

If you think about it, after the catcher, the gutsiest player on the field is probably the second baseman. He’s got to turn double plays with his back to the runner. The play often calls for him to receive the ball and blindly step INTO the runner with his left leg.

(To me, this is like being told you’re going to get punched and it would be a good idea to lean toward it.)

The second baseman makes the throw off his left foot and then hops, allowing the left leg to be taken out while jumping over the runner and lands on his right leg. This is known as a “pirouette step,” or, as it’s known in my circles, @#%$#* stupid.

Really? I’m going to stand there with my back to a guy whose job is to try to push my spleen through my stomach, lightly hop over him as his helmet narrowly misses my crotch, one of the favorite body parts I have, make an accurate throw, land on the other side of this mess and come out smelling like a rose?

Instead, how about if I panic, make a throw that hits a vendor working the section behind the dugout, while running and screaming at the same time?

I think people would pay to see that.

Doing this right is probably one of the things Aviles is working on at second base and it ain’t easy.