Spit

So far, the World Series has been like my last trip to the dentist, not as bad as it could have been but still not all that much fun.  Joe Buck only seems like a talking drill.

The first game had the virtue of going a snappy 2:28.  Given how the telecast started at 7 PM, you’d think that would mean the game was over before 9:30.  Alas, no.  They sang the national anthem at 7 only to start the game at quarter after.  Then, in true Fox NFL broadcast fashion, there was the seventh inning.  After the Astros finished hitting, they cut to commercial, to come back to the singing of “God Bless America,” followed by more commercials.  This was straight out of the old PAT/commercials/kickoff/commercials routine of seasons past.  I didn’t like it for football, and I don’t like it in the World Series.

As for yesterday’s game two, Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts won the Matt Williams’ “Dumb as a Bag of Rocks” Award hands down for coming up short on pitching, this despite having a 12-man staff.  Hey, Dave, maybe you shouldn’t have lifted starter Rich Hill after four innings of one-run, three-hit ball.  Oh, you say the Astros had a bunch of right-handed batters coming up in the fifth to face the lefty Hill?   Well, if you’re so worried about matchups, don’t start Hill in the first place.

But, No, Roberts burned through four relievers before calling on Kenley Janson, his closer, in the eighth inning of a 3-1 game.  Here’s another thought, Dave:  If you want your closer to pitch two innings, get him used to the idea during the regular season.  Janson pitched two innings once during the season, 1.2 innings once and 1.1 innings ten times.  In nine September appearances, Janson went one inning six times and 1.1 innings three times.  Holy Joe Maddon, was Janson unprepared to go two.

With the score tied after nine, Roberts burned through another two pitchers before calling on Brendan McCarthy in the eleventh; because of injuries, McCarthy had pitched all of six innings since July 20^th.  Guess who didn’t have it?  McCarthy or Roberts, take your pick.

Speaking of McCarthy, here’s a bit of interesting trivia for you White Sox fans.  To the best of my knowledge, this is the first World Series game ever not involving the Sox where both the winning and losing pitchers (McCarthy and Chris Devenski, respectively) started their careers with the South Siders.  McCarthy left as part of a deal in 2006 that netted John Danks and Nick Masset while Devenski was one of three players traded to the Astros in 2012 for the immortal Brett Myers.  I’d like to see the Cubs top that.