This is the Game that Never Ends...

Thoughts, feelings, and attempts of keeping down my food during last nights Game Three of the World Series. This is over 4,000 words only because this game seemed like it would never end. Anyway here is all five hours and forty-one minutes of it.

Pre-Game: Just heard the worst song of my life… “Heart of America” where four signers take themselves way too seriously and sing a really stupid song about liberty and America… I seriously thought about moving to London during that song. Can you picture the Brits or Germans singing a song called, “Heart of Germany”? Case closed. But that wasn’t the worst of it… it was just a bad song. I mean it sucked and it never ended. Talk about bad times.

Top of the First:
Pods gets over powered, Iguchi singles for his 104th hit after Pods makes an out, and then Dye hits into a double play. I have nothing to add.

Bottom of the First:
Biggio doubles… and they play the buzz of bees over the PA, talk about annoying. Why must all non-Midwestern and East Coast teams have annoying fans and gimmicks like that?... Berkman has a Bonds like sized head. Yet no one talks about this. Berkman singles home Biggio and the Astros set off fireworks!!! This was a RBI single! And they shoot off fireworks. They should be banned from baseball. I’m serious…

Top of the Second:
This whole roof closed/open controversy is weird. First of all, who really cares? Second of all, isn’t baseball an outdoor game? And finally, how is it such a huge advantage to have the roof closed? I’m missing something here… Joe Buck should be shot and the sooner the better; can he not let anyone enjoy anything? He has to make a big deal out of everything and it’s beyond annoying. In fact it’s RBI single fireworks annoying, but would Buck ever say anything about that? Of course not… Konerko doubles to lead off the inning and AJ follows with a walk… Rowand crushes one right at the shortstop and Konerko gets doubled up…Oswalt is nibbling, and after that short profile he’s also very, very Southern.

Bottom of the Second:
Not much to add, small strike zone tonight… Uribe is awesome.

Top of the Third:
Sox go down 1, 2,3… Oswalt throws all of eight pitches, not a good inning.

Bottom of Third:
Adam Everett gets a gift single then gets caught in a run down, but in the run down he is hit with a throw and is safe at first. Things are not going well for the White Sox. They don’t look sharp. Biggio singles and Everett scores. 2-0. Garland strikes out Tarvares, but Berkman singles and runners are on first and third with two outs. Cooper just made a trip to the mound… After Ensberg hits one foul about 450 feet Garland gives up another single and it’s now 3-0, things don’t look good.

Top of the fourth:
Dye hits one well, but Taveras runs it down for the first out… Scooter just explained what a fastball was… Thankfully AJ has gone back to the work the count tactic that worked okay in the first two innings.

Bottom of the Fourth:
Garland is starting to get rocked… Lane hits a solo shot to make it 4-0 and the Sox really need to do something with the bats now… Buck now wants to see if this was a home run. It looks like it does but it’s close. I’m sure we’ll never hear the end of it now… The fact that you can’t tell if that was a home run or not speaks for itself about this ballpark the Astros play in. I mean a home run should be clear and never in doubt, but of course in this gimmick filled sandbox that shouldn’t be allowed to host baseball games, it isn’t a clear home run. This is inexcusable.

Top of the Fifth:
Crede hits an opposite field home run to lead off the inning! 4-1 now and McCarver says that Lane’s home run wasn’t a home run… And the video now shows it isn’t a home run so it should be 3-1. I can’t really complain since the Sox have gotten some calls, but this Minute Made Park is bullshit. The entire place… Garland gets a chance to kill Ensberg since he’s playing about twenty feet from home plate waiting for Garland to bunt, but Garland can’t get the job done and strikes out…. Pods singles… Iguchi lines one up the middle and Uribe scores from second to make it 4-2… Oswalt’s fastball isn’t there tonight he’s also thrown over 70 pitches. If the Sox can get to this bullpen by the 7th…Why isn’t Joe Buck going on and on about a home run that shouldn’t have been a home run, but he went on and on about Dye’s ball four/hit by pitch in Game Two?... Dye with a nice at bat and then bloops a single into center with Pods and Iguchi running to make it 4-3. Very nice at bat from Dye… AJ doubles into right center to make it 5-4!!!! And it goes up the hill at the same time a insult to injury!! This is great! The Sox have batted around in the 5th!!! The Houston crowd is stunned. Fanfuckingtastic!.. Crede is hit by a pitch and he’s pissed, I’ve never seen that much emotion from Crede in my life, I love it. Now the two benches are yelling at each other, now this is baseball. I love it when two teams don’t like each other. Carl Everett just shouted, “Shut the fuck up” to Phil “Jagoff” Garner… Meanwhile the bases are loaded and Oswalt is coming apart. Right on cue, Joe Buck defends Oswalt by saying that he’s been getting squeezed even though he’s been nibbling all game… Uribe just, I mean just, missed a grand slam, that would have been a dagger, and the Sox look fantastic this inning, they are hitting good pitches and making Oswalt work… Uribe pops up to right, but what an inning, down 4-0, they score 5 to make it 5-4 and probably end Oswalt’s night.

Bottom of the Fifth:
The Astros don’t respond in the fifth going down 1, 2, 3 with only Berkman hitting the ball hard, but Rowand runs it down in center.

Top of the Sixth:
Garland and Pods go down quickly to start the inning… Ozzie just gave a shout out to Venezuela in his dugout interview… Ensberg with another bad defensive play. He doesn’t get his body in front of the ball and can’t field the bad bounce because of it. Therefore, Iguchi reaches on an error. Ensberg also made a bad play in Game Two by not getting in front of a ball, but wasn’t charged with an error… Dye pops out to center to end the inning. Oswalt is at 107 pitches…

Bottom of the Sixth:
The Astros have yet to respond to the Sox five run fifth by again going quietly in the sixth. They do not look good right now… The inning did allow us to see Uribe’s sick arm once again which is always fun as he threw out Lane from deep in the hole at short.

Top of the Seventh:
Oswalt’s demeanor doesn’t look good on the mound visibly showing that he disagrees with some of the calls and looking rattled out there. He’s almost showing too much emotion out there, as if he’s lost some of his poise. It’s sort of like watching Carlos Zambrano without the 492,487 cup adjustments and pointing up to God between pitches... He walks Konerko on four pitches and Garner makes the call to the pen… They just showed a Gatorade commercials where Jordan misses the shot against the Cavs and he looks all dejected while the Cavs and the fans celebrate. That was the weirdest thing I’ve seen in a while. In fact I actually got a little upset watching that. Wow that was weird. I never want to see that commercial again… Springer on for the Astros and he quickly gets AJ and Rowand… Crede grounds out to end the inning.

SEVENTH INNING STREACH
After a moment of silence for Rosa Parks (ironic only because the Astros don’t have a single American born black player on their team) FOX shows the singing of “God Bless America” and then cut away before we can hear “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. I don’t get this. What’s more American than Take Me Out to the Ball Game? Not much I’ll tell you that. So if you want to celebrate America, do something that is American, like singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. That is American. I’m repeating myself.

Bottom of the Seventh:
Ausmus with the dreaded lead off walk. I don’t like this one bit… After he’s bunted over to second Bagwell comes on to pitch hit and they play that stupid bee buzzing. How that pumps up the Astro hitters I don’t know… They just showed Frank again and I can’t tell you how happy I feel for him. I never knew I had these feelings for Frank until the last week or so. And I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, he was much needed in late May, June, and into July this year when he was hitting all those home runs and getting on base. It’s been somewhat over looked, but in those 34 games he played for the Sox in the middle of the year were huge… Bagwell pops out to Konerko for the second out and a huge out… Garland is throwing his change up for strikes right now, four in a row to be exact… Garland gets Biggio on the outside corner looking with a fastball after throwing six straight change ups… YESSS!!!!

Top of Eight:
First it was being a man of the High Life and now it’s the Girl on the Moon. The High Life is something that I desire to reach… Uribe pops out… Carl Everett on to pitch hit for Garland who is done for the night, not a bad start from Garland who settled down after struggling in the first four innings… Everett singles and there is Steve Perry from Journey!!! Cool!!... Harris pitch running for Everett steals second, and a very noticeable “Let’s Go White Sox” is being chanted. I like it… Pods pops out to left… The Sox bring a “Play Like a Champions Today” sign with them? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...Iguchi grounds out to end the inning.

Bottom of Eight:
Well this is it. Houston needs one to tie and two to take the lead and Garland is out of the game. If they can’t the Sox will take a 3-0 lead in the series at it will be all but over. If Houston can tie or win this game, we’ve got a whole new series… Tareras pops out to left…Berkman strikes out and Ensberg is now up… Ensberg walks and Cotts is going to come on and face Lamb. I’ll go out on limb and saying this is a big at bat… They just played the “This is Budweiser, This is Beer” commercial which always makes me want to drink. Only one song has ever come as close to making me wanting to drink and that’s “Someday” by the Strokes, especially in 2002… Lamb walks on five pitches…Bad words… And Dustin Hermanson is coming on to pitch for the Sox for the first time this postseason…Hermanson gives up a double to Lane to tie the game and the Sox need an out here in the worst way…Hermanson gets Ausmus looking to end the inning. I hope Garner brings on Lidge. I hope that Garner brings on Lidge.

Top of the Ninth:
As our kitten Alex plays with a bottle top and ball of paper in the room running around like an idiot, I play “Go, Go, White Sox” to get ‘em pumped… Wheeler still pitching for the Astros…I’m really nervous, really nervous. I was at Game Two and I wasn’t as nervous as I am right now… Dye grounds out to short… Wheeler hits Konerko and he goes to first. Very nice…Gallo comes on to pitch and gets AJ to ground out. Konerko moves over to second… Garner makes the no brainier double switch bring on Lidge and putting Burke in center. The most overrated and obvious move in baseball, the double switch, strikes again!... Anyway Lidge is on and if he gives up a home run here he should just retire. That said there is no one I would rather face right now as my muscles tighten up and my stomach turns to knots… And he gets Rowand swinging. Damn it.

Bottom of the Ninth:
El Duque on for the White Sox and I feel confident…Pop up down the line in left and Uribe gets it but not before Pods almost runs into him. I love Uribe’s confidence… Burke walks on four pitches and then El Duque almost picks off Burke… Konerko just missed the throw to first from El Duque and it gets by him. Burke moves on to second… And Burke goes and steals third. Just great… Biggio is walked so now it’s first and third with one out… I feel sick… I hate Houston… The Sox infield is in so there is no chance of a double play. I don’t like that… My heart is pounding out of my chest and my hammies are tighter than a drum right now… El Duque gets Taveras to strike out… one more El Duque, one more… Ozzie comes out to talk to El Duque, I love it when Ozzie comes out to talk to Contreras and El Duque just to talk to them in Spanish… The Sox decide to put Berkman on and it all comes down to this: Ensberg vs El Duque… Anxiety would be an understatement… It’s 2-2 and I feel like a mess. It’s a very similar feeling to the times when I didn’t study for a test… EL DUQUE GETS HIM SWINGING!!!! HAHA!!! I’m smiling and laughing, that was great! I love Cuba!!

Top of the Tenth:
After that you’ve got to like the White Sox chances right now after the bottom of the ninth when the Astros had a runner on third with one out and couldn’t get him home… Crede grounds out to second… Uribe strikes out… And we now know why Lidge can’t get the job done. He’s a Doomer! But he looks really good right now, which I don’t like… And Widger strikes out. Still tied in the bottom of the 10th now.

Bottom of the Tenth:
El Duque gives up a four pitch walk and walks off injured and now… Oh no, Luis Vizcaino comes on… But he gets Lane to pop out in foul territory. One away… Ausmus pops up to center and two are away… Everett walks with two outs and now a single will probably win the game…Burke hits a come backer to Vizcaino to end the inning.

Top of the 11th:
Qualls on for the Astros… After a gift no-strike call, Pods singles to right. I would send him… Iguchi can’t get a bunt down and is now down 0-2… Pods steals second!... Wow and the Astros catch a huge break. Iguchi flies out to right, Pods fakes the tag up to third and the throw to third is air mailed, but hits the fencing and bounces back into play. If that had either gone down the line or into the stands Pods is on third or even scores… Dye strikes out in his worst at bat of the World Series… Konerko up is walked by the Astros and Timo Perez on deck circle to pitch hit… TIMO is coming up to bat. Mr. Clutch as some say… Timo grounds out to first and the inning is over. The Sox have to start worrying about having enough pitchers… I’m emotionally drained, so much so that I’m totally numb right now so no matter what happens it’s cool. Well not really, but I’m not as freaked out now.

Bottom of the 11th.
This is a great game, I haven’t mentioned it yet, but it is… Jenks on for the White Sox… Biggio strikes out for the first out… Taveras is hit in the head with a curve ball sending him to first and Berkman to the plate… I’m noticing a decent amount of empty seats in Houston… Berkman walks and Jenks needs to just throw some gas here… And not that I’m going to bitch, but this game should be over. The White Sox should have won 5-4 if it weren’t for this fucking bullshit stadium… Jenks’ fastball doesn’t seem to have that extra kick in it… Uribe goes out and takes a ball that Pods should have in mid left. He just decided to do it himself, sort of like Kobe Bryant in every basketball game… And suddenly Jenks has discovered his fastball going up 0-2 on 99 mph fastballs to Palmeiro… Jenks gets a come backer and the inning is over. This game may never end.

Top of 12:
Rowand strikes out to lead off… Crede grounds out to short… Uribe up and here is to hoping… instead he breaks his bat and pops out to short. In a way I don’t want to watch this game any more.

Bottom of 12:
I’m openly trying to avoid this game at this point… Lane pops out and it’s now 6:21 in London… Ausmus strikes out and once again looks really bad at the plate… This game is starting to feel like a playoff hockey game expect that neither team can get the puck past the center line… Everett strikes out to end the inning and we go to the 13th… The Astros haven’t gotten a hit since the 8th inning… And where are the Astro fans? Seriously, it’s almost as if they don’t care any more. They’re sitting on their hands or something because they don’t seem into it.

Top of 13…
McCarver said something stupid put I don’t feel like remembering it or writing it down… A leadoff walk for the Sox!! Widger gets the walk… 1,605 camera cuts in this game and about 843 of them were of rich, white people from Houston who are at their first baseball game ever… On a very, and I mean VERY questionable play, Ausmus fields a ball that’s barely fair, and I mean it was a foul ball, throws to second and are able to double up Pods who didn’t run on the play. Of course Buck says nothing about this and I’ve turned off the TV. I’ve had enough. Joe Buck is a fucking asshole. Fire Joe Buck. He bitches about the AJ play or Dye’s non-hit by the pitch, but he says NOTHING about the home run that wasn’t a home run or the few calls that have gone against the Sox tonight… Wouldn’t it be cool of Dieon Sanders dumped a tub of Gatorade on Joe Buck right now?

Bottom of the 13th:
So now Marte is in the game and gives up a lead off walk. Then again, what else is new since this is the Sox 28th walk in the last four innings. I’m also listening to the radio now because I’m starting to think that Buck is the anti-Christ and is the worst announcer of all time. Another good things about turning the TV off is that I don’t have to see the 492,337th crowd shot of some rich white person from Houston who owns a brand new “Astros/White Sox World Series” hat… Marte gets Biggio looking for the first out… I hate not watching the game… Tarveras strikes out looking. Two away now… Berkman now up from the right side of the plate. A match up that I like… Berkman grounds out to short and Uribe flips to second for the force.

Top of 14:
You have to figure now that the Sox have the advantage. The Astros have had about 937 runners since the 9th inning but haven’t gotten one of those runners home. Meanwhile the Sox have done next to nothing in the extra innings… someone seems due on that side… Ezequiel Astacio is on for Houston and I won’t make any jokes about the fact that his face looks like it has an huge bug on it… Dye leads off with a single and the TV is on, but the sound is off… Konerko steps up to the plate and kills one to third where Ensberg has to make a diving stop, goes to second, and since Konerko is so slow, he is doubled up. Why can’t Paulie be a half step faster. Crap… Blum lines a HOME RUN to right for a 6-5 WHITE SOX LEAD!!!!! Unbelievable! Awesome, just awesome… Garner chucked a stool down the stairs, what a prick… Blum hits a home run to take the lead in the 14th inning in his first World Series at bat. How awesome is that!?!?!?!... Rowand hits a weak grounder to third and Ensberg has no play… Crede hits a soft roller down the line that Ensberg allows to roll and it hits the bag. First and second with two outs now and Uribe coming up… I wish I was making this up, but ESPN just cut into the radio broadcast for a SportsCenter update, Who the fuck cares?... Uribe walks and I only know that because of TV since the update is still going on the radio and now they are broadcasting a commercial… In fact I have to turn the radio off because it’s “Up All Night” instead of the baseball game, I really am happy I’m not in a car right now… Seriously who cuts off the broadcast of a baseball game for “Up All Night”. I hope people are being fired for this… Astacio walks Widger to make it a 7-5 game… The Sox dugout looks joyful, the Astros like a bunch of dead men… You’ve got to wonder why Garner brought Astacio on. He’s been hit hard and now the bases are loaded to the point where this game could get out of hand. Yet another bad move made by Astacio… Pods goes down to end the inning, but the Sox are three outs from basically ending this series. Come on guys.

Bottom of the 14th:
Matre out there to hopefully finish this game… Ensberg goes down on three pitches and doesn’t even look remotely good at the plate… Matre is working faster than Buehrle right now… After a walk, Lane then pops out to second… One out from having a 3-0 lead in the World Series. ONE OUT… come on… come on… Ausmus coming up and he hasn’t looked good at the plate in the entire game… The Astro bench could show some encouragement or at least try to cheer on their team. Instead they are just sitting there all pissed off and dejected… Astros down to their last strike… full count… Fucking eh… Ausmus grounds to short, but Uribe misplays the ball to keep the game going… damn it and here comes Buehrle… Buehrle gets the pop out to short and the Sox win. All I can manage is a fist pump…. I can’t believe this game is over… And the Sox are now 27 outs from winning the World Series!!!! Wow! One more game… one more game… Let’s do this tomorrow.

Final thoughts (Wed afternoon)… I still can’t believe Garner ripped his team in the post-game press conference. What a prick this guy is. Not only did he manage a horrible game, now he’s blaming his players for not getting the job done. Nice work Phil. If I were the Astros I’d fire him tonight… The Astros had only one hit after Lane's home run, and that was Lane's double in the 8th. The Sox walked about 477 batters after the 8th, but the Astros couldn't get a run. Amazing. Did the Astros ever not have a man on second in extras last night? How did they lose that game? They couldn't get one hit, not even a single… Where was the crowd last night? After the 9th inning they seemed to give up. Just a horrible performance by the Astro fans last night. You’ve got to cheer on your team and go nuts. But it was almost like they were waiting for the White Sox to win. Get off your hands and cheer on your team in the biggest game of the year, maybe ever for the Astros… I know Uribe dropped that grounder in the 14th, but he took over the left side of the field last night. He was running half way out to left to catch pop ups (knowing that Pods shades away and pulls up). He basically took it upon himself to make every play hit to the left side last night. And the fact that he was in shallow left on Lane's double I'm still trying to figure out, but it probably saved a run and the game… And I didn’t say it at the time, but how huge is Buehrle coming out of the pen with only one day off? Amazing and awesome.