I watched every pitch of the 2 hour, 16 minute dismantling of my favorite team last night, by none other than Jason Marquis. It was a sobering, infuriating experience, strangely combined with awe over the sheer artistry displayed by Marquis. The experience left me thoroughly frustrated and angry that the Dodgers didn't make any attempts to break up Marquis' rhythm; no stepping out of the box, not near enough bunt attempts, no 10 pitch at-bats. It was one of the more lackadasical offensive efforts from the Boys in Blue I have seen this year, and it makes me think they are already looking forward to the end of the Manny-less stint.
Marquis' gem also got me thinking about how different baseball is than other sports. Is there any other game where a great performance is so much like art as opposed to athletics? Notwithstanding the adjectives thrown around about Kobe's 81 point game, or an 18 of 20 passing performance, or a hat trick on the ice, I really think only baseball has the combination of athletic skill with artistic panache. (And yes, I did just use the word "panache" in a sports blog).
But back to the practicalities of the games. Don't look now, but thanks to the Cardinals inability to win at home (what the hell Chris Carpenter, you pick NOW to finally have a bad start?!), the Hated Ones are just 6 games back, and the red-hot Rockies (led by ex-Dodger manager Jim Tracy) are only 7 1/2. If I am right and some of these guys are looking ahead to Manny's return, then Manny sure has hell better hit like he is still on the juice because our offense is going south fast.
