It would be tough to call tonight’s loss by the Vancouver Canadians
a result of a ‘bullpen meltdown’, because you can hardly blame a
bullpen for giving up a single run in an entire ballgame, even if that
single run brought about a loss.

In most games, you expect the other team to score at least a few runs,
and you hope your offense can keep you out in front by scoring more,
but when the hitters go for half a game without even getting a man on
base, the pitching staff has every right to wash their hands of blame
and say, "We did our bit."

The Vancouver Canadians right now are hurting when the bat is in hand,
and they have been for several days now, but tonight’s effort came with
something that last night’s outing didn’t; and that’s desire.

Sure, the C’s lost to a team that only managed five hits (the C’s
managed four), but you can’t always look at a box score line and assume
the team that lost was hopeless. Case in point, tonight the pitching
staff of the Tri-City Dust Devils featured ERAs of 3.79, 1.17, 1.63,
1.80, and 3.60. Now, in anyone’s language, that’s hardcore nasty, and
it’s no shocker that the Vacuum Cleaners would roll out their best
staff all on the same night, especially when the game was tied 0-0
going all the way into the 7th inning.

Last night I sat in the front row and looked guys in the eye and could
see their minds were elsewhere, and it pissed me off. Tonight, I looked
those same guys in the eye and saw determination, drive, desperation,
and even dread when the Dust-Devils finally broke the deadlock.
Tonight’s Canadians wanted to win, and they wanted to win BAD.

But they just didn’t have it. They faced a strong pitching staff, they
didn’t get the lucky breaks, and though they loaded the bases in the
1st inning with one out, they just couldn’t bring a guy home.

The man feeling it most is no doubt Jake The Rake Smith. He was the
one who came up last night with bases loaded and one out, seemingly
shaky under the pressure of a big-crowd, big-moment situation, and
grounded weakly to score one run on a fielder’s choice. Tonight, almost
the exact same situation played out in the very first inning, and the
result was once again what he didn’t want – only this time no run
scored.

Smith was in the hot seat a third time late in the game, with Matt
Sulentic on 2nd and Howling Greg Dowling on 1st with one away, and once
more, The Rake couldn’t make the magic happen, grounding to third for a
game-ending double play.

So over two games, one player has had to endure the pressure of two
potential game-saving grand slams, and a potential game-winning
single… Man, I know I ragged on Smith yesterday for not having the
steel to embrace the pressure situation, but let’s be honest, that’s a
whole lot of pressure for one guy to have on his shoulders. I don’t
blame Smith for not converting those chances, because right now it’s
all falling on him, and if his teammates could convert a few
baserunners into runscorers, he wouldn’t be in that situation nearly as
often. As things stand, it’s simply too much pressure for one guy to
embrace. Much like the pressure Pat Currin had when he relieved Chad
Lee.

‘The General’ had gone six innings without giving up a base hit, but
with the offense running cold, Currin’s job as reliever was
all-important – he had to keep the Dust Devils blanked or this game was
over.

Sadly, he wasn’t up to it tonight, giving up a double and a single to
let in the go-behind run in the 7th, and as much as Anthony Rea kept
the score from getting any worse for the C’s, and as much as the
hitters willed themselves forward, it was just too big a mission on the
night.

And that’s why these C’s need a big time playmaker right now to step up
to the plate and decide that they will be the team leader going into
the playoff stretch. Someone who can grab these games by the horns and
manufacture something out of nothing.

Clearly, such talent isn’t something every player has. ‘Clutch hitting’
is a factor that is widely debated by statheads, some of whom claim
it’s a bona fide skill, while others say it’s nothing more than ’small
sample sized’ luck. But no matter whether you believe in the clutch or
not, you have to say that leadership is important in any team
situation, and right now this team looks rudderless in the leadership
department.

They need a Chad Boyd, or a Javier Herrera, or even a Chalon Tietje -
someone who’ll step into the breach when nobody expects any good to
come of the game and jack one against the outfield wall to spark a
2-out rally, or run at a catcher twice their size and level him with a
flying shoulderblock. They need someone who will break a bat over his
knee in frustration, or kick dirt on an umpire making a bad call, or
stare down a pitcher so he’ll know that a plunking is flat out
unacceptable.

This team can hit. It can field, it can run, it can sure as hell pitch.
But who will be the one to walk up to the bull and kick it in the nuts?
Who has cajones big enough to turn a ballgame? Who will lead by
example, and force all others to follow their lead?

I’m calling you out, Larry Cobb. Every person in the pressbox will say,
to a man (or woman), than you’re one of the most fun guys to watch in
the field. You take chances, you play hard, you sprint with every step
you take, and of all the players on the roster, you’re the one who
wears his heart on his sleeve.

So be the leader, Corny. Own this league. Make ‘em fear you. Inspire
your guys by taking a chance, and then push them to do likewise.

Be the drill sergeant. Be the enforcer. Be the acrobat. Be the one that
we can see, all the way in the cheap seats, will live or die with every
at bat.

The last player to be ‘that guy’ was Chad Boyd. With a rehabbing
shoulder, he rounded third base, saw the catcher taking in a throw to
home, and finding himself stranded, turned on the afterburners and
shoulderblocked the hell out of that catcher, watching the ball roll
free as he rolled over home plate. Four days later, he was in Kane
County.

So who’s going to be the next Chad Boyd?
 

July 29, 2006
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Tri-City 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 0 Vancouver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 wrap | box | log W: W. Harris (1-0, 1.17); L: P. Currin (2-5, 6.46); SV: G. Delgado (7) HR: None.