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I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:55 pm
by Van
Home opener. They bring out the '62 Giants for a 50th Anniversary ceremony celebrating the one-inch-from-winning-the-World Series-against-the-Yankees team. Mays, Marichal, Cepeda, McCovey, et al—including Don Larsen, the only guy to throw a perfect game in the World Series, for the Yankees in '56, who happened to be a member of the Giants in '62—are all introduced to the crowd. They also brought out the son of the poor Giants fan who was assaulted a year or two ago in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium, Brian Stow, the guy who was in a coma forever and is now a nearly mute cripple. On the Jumbotron they have the guy in a live feed from his home in the Bay Area. Sitting in a wheelchair and shakily holding a baseball, he motions as if handing the ball to his son, who then throws out the ceremonial first pitch.

Of course the hottie on-field announcer is crying, and tons of people in the crowd are crying.

Oh, and last night's weather included this (thanks to Mikey for the pic)...

Image

...so there was genuine concern about this one getting washed out. Instead, it was a perfectly sunny, beautiful day.

As is my wont when I'm editing, I was watching the game with the sound down. I keep it just loud enough to where if Kruk and Kuipe get all excited about something I'll hear it and turn up the TV.

So, as the game meandered along, I noticed in the fourth inning that it appeared Cain hadn't allowed a baserunner. The fifth inning comes and goes, same thing. Now I'm watching the game, though still with the sound down.

The Giants are comfortably ahead so I'm not too worried there, but because I had the sound down I'm not 100% certain that Cain has a perfecto going. Maybe he walked someone only to double him up?

Two outs in the 6th and the Pirates' pitcher is at the plate, and I'm dying to know whether Cain is in fact throwing a perfect game. I know it's a no-no because the screen says the Pirates have no runs, hits or errors. Still, maybe it's not a perfecto?

'Don't do it,' I tell myself. 'Do not turn the TV up and jinx this. Leave well enough alone. He's at least got a no-no going, and you just KNOW you'll fuck it up if you change anything right now.'

'Yeah, but it's just the fuggen pitcher. You're fine. Go ahead and check.'

'Dude, they may not even say anything. If he does have a perfecto going, they probably won't mention it. They probably won't even mention the no-no either, never mind the perfect game. You may just jinx this for nothing. You probably still won't be able to tell whether he walked anyone.'

'IT'S JUST THE PITCHER! C'MON! DON'T BE SUCH A WEEPING VAGINA!'


My Bad Belushi wins out. I turn up the sound. First pitch...an opposite field one-hopper between short and third. No-no gone. Perfecto gone. The goddamn pitcher, a career .069 hitter, broke it up.

I literally took the Snickers bar I was trying to eat and smooshed it on my head.

Since the game was basically over then—there was no way Pittsburgh was going to come back—I turned the sound back down and returned to my editing, occasionally peeking over to see how things were going.

Cain goes on to get the next batter before retiring the side in order in the 7th, 8th and 9th for an assknuckled cakewalk of a one-hit shutout with no walks or errors and eleven Ks.

Entirely my fucking fault. I knew better. I know better.

Friday the 13th, too.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 12:54 am
by M2
Yeah, I was watching that game also on Comcast 720 for the HD. It was also around the 4th inning when I noticed that Cain had a no-no going and thought he had a good chance since Shittsburgh looked like crap.

Nice going Annie.


At least Huff put one into the drink... even if it did have to bounce of some dude's noggin in right field to get there.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:03 am
by Van
Did you also catch Vida Blue afterwards flat-out saying there is no way that should count as a Splash HR? Dude was adamant!

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:11 am
by MgoBlue-LightSpecial
A perfecto through the 5th that gets fucked. Sounds like every Justin Verlander outing.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:13 am
by M2
Missed it.


What the hell is going on in Sacramento ??? Just turned on Chronicle Live and it looks like the Kings are leaving town.

KJ (Cal) is on right now and he looks pissed.



Bwhahahaha... the guy on the show just called Sacramento "the arm-pit" of the Bay Area.


Too funny

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:18 am
by Van
Mgo, yeah, but Cain would've gotten this one had I not been such an impatient asshole.

M2, this thing was supposed to have been all wrapped up a decent while ago, then they started quibbling over $3 million or so in what basically amounts to administrative fees.

No fucking idea what they're doing now.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:25 am
by M2
The Maloofs' have always wanted to get there ass outta Sacramento. Can't blame them.

I feel bad for KJ since he worked his ass off to keep them there.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 2:50 am
by R-Jack
I feel bad for the people of Sacramento.

Now if they don't want to see next weeks Athletics, they might as well just kill themselves.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 4:54 am
by Van
The recompense she must have had to have administered, though...the mind boggles.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 10:25 pm
by The Seer
...and that perfect game was against the eventual World Champion 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers....

Speaking of which, some nobody named Harang set the Dodger record and came within one of tying Tom Seaver for the consecutive strike outs record...9.....last night.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:48 am
by Truman
Early March, 1995. Gorgeous March day in the Flyover. Had spent that entire Sunday putting the finishing touches on a kick-ass, CCA-wood swing-set/fort for my then three-year-old son.

But had the Tournament game on the radio, natch.

No expectations of Mizzou. They had finished a respectable 4th in the VIII and had defeated Indiana in the first round. Still, Mike Kelly’s dulcet tones on Mizzou radio set a perfect backdrop to do outdoor man-work on this perfect day.

I had just sunk the last nail when I realized that #8 in the West Mizzou had a one point lead over the Number 1 ranked team in the country with less than 5 seconds to go. Unable to contain myself, I sprinted to the house to catch this:



To this day, I am convinced that Mizzou woulda won that game had I stayed in the yard. The Seer owes that National Championship to me alone. No way UCLA would’ve won that game had my junky ass not witnessed the finish. I shoulda just contented myself picking up nails…

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:08 am
by Van
Okay, did Missouri have a foul to give there? If they did, that was about the dumbest matador defense I've ever seen on a final play.

If Missouri was out of fouls, fine, don't just maul the guy in the backcourt or anything, but that big white doofus in the paint at least needs to make an effort to get in the way of Tyus Edney. "Stop the guy with the ball" is fairly basic stuff. Doing nothing but turning sideways to let him scoot on by?

Not a particularly great idea.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:33 am
by MgoBlue-LightSpecial
Van wrote:Okay, did Missouri have a foul to give there? If they did, that was about the dumbest matador defense I've ever seen on a final play.

If Missouri was out of fouls, fine, don't just maul the guy in the backcourt or anything, but that big white doofus in the paint at least needs to make an effort to get in the way of Tyus Edney. "Stop the guy with the ball" is fairly basic stuff. Doing nothing but turning sideways to let him scoot on by?

Not a particularly great idea.
Hell, throw a couple bodies at him when he gets in the paint. A guy has to literally get murdered for a ref to call a foul on a last-second shot.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:16 am
by The Seer
Truman wrote: To this day, I am convinced that Mizzou woulda won that game had I stayed in the yard. The Seer owes that National Championship to me alone. No way UCLA would’ve won that game had my junky ass not witnessed the finish. I shoulda just contented myself picking up nails…
To whatever degree your cosmic influence played, I thank you.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:21 pm
by Dinsdale
The Seer wrote:some nobody named Harang

You mean the Nobody who led the NL in wins, Ks, and complete games a couplefew years ago?

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:13 am
by The Seer
I guess he did have a couple of good years in '06 & '07 for the Reds....


Yeah, that's the one.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:46 pm
by Dinsdale
"Nobody" probably isn't that far off -- as mentioned, led the league in Ks, CGs, and Ws, and if my memory is working right (unlikely), this garner him a grand total of... zero Cy Young votes.

Re: I cost Matt Cain a perfect game today.

Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:20 pm
by jiminphilly
Dinsdale wrote:"Nobody" probably isn't that far off -- as mentioned, led the league in Ks, CGs, and Ws, and if my memory is working right (unlikely), this garner him a grand total of... zero Cy Young votes.
He tied 5 other guys for most wins that year but you are correct that he led the league in Ks and CGs. He likely didn't get any votes because it was such a crowded field and those 11 losses didn't stack up well against Webb, Zambrano, Carpenter, Smoltz and Oswalt.