damn Dodgers

jeez. one night after one of the great comebacks in baseball history, and they fall to Pittsburgh! they get the lead back from the Padres via miracle, and then give it back via crappy pitching.

i love baseball, and i hate baseball. it really is my favorite sport, especially to go to a ballpark to watch -- big leagues, minor, pickup game, t-ball. i love it all. but the line between success and failure is so fine. the difference between a pop-up and a big fly is not even an inch: it's a fingernail's width. a split-second too early, too late, just the wrong angle of bat to ball. as Kevin Costner pointed out so passionately in Bull Durham:

Know what the difference between hitting .250 and .300 is? It's 25 hits. 25 hits in 500 at bats is 50 points, okay? There's 6 months in a season, that's about 25 weeks. That means if you get just one extra flare a week - just one - a gorp... you get a groundball, you get a groundball with eyes... you get a dying quail, just one more dying quail a week... and you're in Yankee Stadium.

that's baseball. it's so beautiful and it hurts so much. when the Dodgers hit 4 home runs in a row last night, it was one of the most amazing things i've ever experienced. then Nomar wins it with a walkf-off; the people at the Stadium were jumping and spinning and dancing like dervishes. it was simply too amazing and wonderful to be comprehended. it was the game of the year, and will be remembered as maybe the greatest regular season games ever.

and tonight: a 10-6 loss to the Pirates. of course Pittsburgh probably gave a huge extra effort for their skipper, Jim Tracy, who was fired by the Dodgers after last season -- a stupid mistake. and the Dodgers trotted out some pitchers who've not been that dependable. now they're 1 loss behind San Diego and 1 loss ahead of Philadelphia. i had hoped last night would be the start of a great run to the pennant, but it's likely it was a delay on their way out of the playoff race. i don't know they've got what it takes. Nomar's health is iffy, Kent's been subpar, Drew's been ok, Ethier's really collapsed, and the only two pitchers earning their keep are Maddux and Lowe. i think next year will be the start of many good years; the kids will be even better, and more steady. we'll get some pitching over the winter. but i find it hard to hope much for this year.

but even if we do fade away, nothing can take away last night. amazing finishes in other sports can be special: the Catch, for example. but nothing has the instant and overwhelming power of a walk-off homer. the 4-in-a-row followed by Nomar's winner; Gibson in 1988; Bobby Thompson. thrilling beyond hope. and just so bitterly painful.

i love baseball. and i hate baseball. it's the best.