Thanks XS. You as well.
When I saw Vin today, he looked cold and confused, like an old man lost in the city, sitting alone in a strange diner.
What's up, I asks. You look like you were abducted by aliens and got the extra large probe.
What a fucking disaster last night, he said, shaking his head. It's criminal that we can't score for Tanaka. All he does is give us solid starts and he gets shit for it! Shit!
Time to forget it, I said. Boston's coming to town tonight.
Appearing not to hear me, "1992," Vin muttered, slurping his coffee. 1992... They haven't been this bad since 92. This team might be historic. Historic! We're in uncharted waters here and drifting toward the wrong end of history.
Drifting? I laughed. I'd say we're sailing along at a pretty good clip. Last night was torture to watch, but I couldn't turn it off.
People are drawn to disasters, said Vin, his teeth starting to chatter as he gripped the coffee with both hands. Hard-wired. It's like a message from the creator. Recognize. Appreciate life. Shit can and will and does fall apart. Makes women want to have sex. Procreate now before its too late. Ephimeral nature of being and all.
Ooookay, says I. Anyway, the Red Sox aren't falling apart.
No, they're hot, nodded Vin. They won 10 of the last 12 and Big Papi's crushing it. He always kills us. Always. (Boston hitting .298 as a team over the last 11 and Big Papi .381 3HR 4DBL 10RBI - ESPN) And we usually hit Pancetta (Or even Porcello) well, but this year he's pitching really good, Vin says. I don't understand it but I don't understand much this year. This is the first year in a long time I really feel like I don't have a good read on the team.
(That's not good, or is it? If Vin starts a downward spiral, hopefully we can get a good run of fades. As I stated at the start of the season, I just hope he'll be consistently good or bad/have runs one way or the other. -Stand)
But I been thinking, says Vin, you noticing lately that the Yanks will put up a respecatble number of runs one night and turn in a stinker the next?
Yeah, I guess so. Are you saying the offense actually brings some runners home tonight?
It's now or never, said he, trying to get the steel back in his voice. And this is the second time we'll see Pancetta in the space of a week. This is a desperate situation. Time to throw everything you got out there and try to get a win. We've gotta hit this guy and bring some runners home. If we don't win tonight, I think we're looking at a 60-win season. Joe's job is on the line. He don't make the playoffs he gets the axe.
But hasn't he already used Betances and Miller too much to pitch them again if we have the lead tongiht, I asked. You told me than he'll never throw a reliever more than two nights in a row.
You gotta ask yourself, said Vin, what the hell would he save them for? We're 7 games out already. Time to win. Now. Tonight.
You think Pineda's slider will be there tonight in the damp cold and wind? Hard to dig your fingers into the ball and get your grips in this kind of weather. You've said that before.
Maybe it'll be there, maybe it will hang up and get rocked. But I think we will score more than they do. (I had to wonder if old Vin had been drinking more than coffee at this point. -Stand) Michael actually didn't pitch bad in the game against Pancetta last week, said he. Just the bats weren't there.
So now or never huh?
Now or never, said he, slurping the coffee again and thumping his side with a rolled-up newspaper. Time for us to win. Save the season. But - watch with a chick you want to bone just in case shit hits the fan, said he.
So there you have it. Desperate men doing deperate things in a desperate time (yet again) and time for the Yanks to win and the season to be saved.
GLTA!
5/6/16 7:05pm MLB Baseball 968 Boston Red Sox -105 vs New York Yankees* (R Porcello - R must Start M Pineda - R must Start)
(For thread purposes I will record the Yanks to win for one unit, but personally I am fading this pick. Desperate men do indeed do desperate things and to me this is a Homer pink donut with sprinkles special. That said, watch the Yankees actually win, but I'm going with the better team who's swinging the hot bats. Perhaps I'm being 'square' and Vin is being 'sharp' - we shall see. -Stand)