Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 16:17:08 -0400
From: Philip Rippa
To: Bill Barnwell
Cc: Ed Agner
Subject: Re: Poor Little Next Big Thing

First off - what the fuck is going on with that bizarre y thread on primer.

I was wondering if you knew what happened with the game. I will sum up either if you know what happened. And if you haven't read the angry, bitter
Neyer column yet - you need to. He pulls the Gammons of dropping the name of a "popular" music artist to seem hip.

Here we go:
- Clemens gives up 3 runs in the first. Weaver is actually warming up already.
- Yanks load bases with no outs in the 2nd. Karim Garcia whiffs, Boone hits sac fly. Clemens grounds out. Wasted inning. This is a theme.
- Marlins don't score again.
- Clemens leads off the 5th a single. Jeter grounds into a double play after Soriano strikes out. Shocker. Roger trying to slide was comical.
- Bottom of the 7th - Clemens whiffs Castillo. Everyone gets misty since they know it was his last batter since the pitcher is supposed to lead off the 8th. Blah, blah, blah
- Nick Johnson grounds out to 2nd to start the 8th inning. I kick something.
- Jeff Nelson pitches the 8th - doesn't fuck anything up
- Top of the 9th. Here we go. Urbina comes in to replace Carl Pavano - who told Trader Jack that he was gassed and couldn't go anymore. Giambi is out #1. Bernie Singles. Matsui walks. 1st and 2nd. Posada - again no shock - hits into a fielders choice. The fish probably could have turned too but they wanted to make sure they got the one. Here's were the chaos begins...

David Dellucci comes in to pinch run for Posada since Jorge is now on first. Torre pinch hits Rueben Sierra for Karim Garcia. Sierra goes to 3-0 and then
takes two pitches on the corner. Count is now 3-2. I am about to vomit. He fouls off one or two pitches. Then he laces a shot down the right field line
all the way into the corner. Two runs score to tie it up as Dellucci has zero problems getting all the way home from third. Sierra actually goes into 3rd standing up. So the Yanks now have a man on third with 2 outs. And Aaron Boone grounds out....

- Bottom 9 - Dellucci goes out to right. Flaherty is your new catcher. Jose Contreras comes in and pretty much looks like the guy NY paid 80 billion for. He hits 96 mph a bunch of times. 2 Ks including Todd Hollandsworth who hit for Urbina.

- Top 10 - Chad Fox is in the game. Yes, Red Sox fans - Chad Fox. John Flaherty. Yes JOHN FLAHERTY!!!! leads off.... and he crushes one to the deepest part of the park. Stupid Juan Pierre hauls it in. God, I really have grown a hatred of Pierre during this series. Soriano whiffs for the 49th time this series (or whatever the actual number is - all I know is he has a set a record). Jeter doubles and Giambi foolishly ks and a couple of balls near the dirt.

- Bottom 10 - Contreras looks like the guy who got sent to Tampa. He walks Pierre to start the inning and I am convinced its over. Pierre gets bunted over to 2nd. And then Contreras flips the switch again and blows away Pudge and Cabrera. And this was one of the things McCarver was babbling about. How
he couldn't understand why Pierre hadn't stole 3rd since the Yanks weren't holding him on.

- Top 11 - Now it gets really really really interesting.
Bernie leads off with a double. The Marlins unintentional intentional walk Matsui. So you got 1st and 2nd - no outs. Weaver is back up, so is Mariano. McCarver tells everyone that Weaver is in if the Yanks don't score, Mo is in if they do. Collective auidence goes - DUH! (And one of the reason Neyer is bitter - because Mariano never makes it in.) Anyway - Dellucci lays down a perfect bunt. Phil Rizzuto is wet. Billy Beane throws a chair in disgust. 2nd and 3rd - 1 Out. Juan Rivera is pinch hitting for Contreras. Juan Rivera gets intentionally walked. McCarver is enraged. Looper comes in to replace Fox. Joe Buck reminds everyone that Looper is very wild... so we all know where this is going. (Oh - it was the DOUBLE SWITCH!!!! and Encarnacion goes out to
right.) Aaron Boone - ALCS HERO~!... strikes out as Looper through about 29 pitches on his hands that Aaron insisted on swinging at. So its based
loaded, two outs and your hitter. JOHN MOTHERFUCKING FLAHERTY!!!!! who pops out to third.

- Bottom 11 - Jeff Weaver in the game. Jeff Weaver somehow retires three straight batters on about 6 pitches. I am thinking "FUCK! Jeff Weaver just
pitched the best inning of his life. We have to win this game. That will never happen again." So I knew, one way or another, that this was the last
inning.

- Top 12 - Soriano manages to not strike out. Still didn't come close to getting on base though. Giambi gets a 2 out single. That's all that happens.

- Bottom 12 - Weaver is back out. Its the "bottom" of the Marlins order as its supposed to be Alex Gonzalez, Encarnacion (I think) and Pierre. Weaver
gets two strikes on Gonzalez then it goes to full count. Weaver then throws a sinker or a slider or something that gets a little too much of the plate.
Bill - remember how you discribed the Sierra home run against the Red Sox - as to how lucky it was? Some exact thing here. The ball hugs the left field
line, clears the wall with like 6 inches to spare and by about a foot. No one thought it was going to go out. In fact, Buck was calling it like depending on how Matsui played it - they might have a shot and gunning him out at 2nd. But no - HR. Series tied at 2.