RMJ 194 August 28

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28 ● Atlanta, vs Braves

I suppose The Mask of Apollo is putting me in a tragic frame of mind. The book weaves characters such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Homer, Greek playwrights, actors, and political leaders into a plot rich with philosophy and rife with treachery.

It is impossible to ignore the comparison between the book and the power struggles of the diamond and the intrigue of the backroom politics.

 

We are still wavering on the Dave Clark trade. The Cubs are clearly willing to part with him, but we have to decide what price we are willing to pay. The money will amount to about $180,000.

The players they want are only marginal prospects, but the contribution he can make is impossible to predict. He could help us win a couple of games, which could be the difference in winning or losing the division. Or he could see very little action and provide no help.

This is a tough call — and in the end, Gerry will have to make it.

One thing that may argue in favor of the deal is injuries. Tank Howard aggravated an Achilles’ injury last night, and Chuckie strained his left shoulder in batting practice today and had to be scratched from the lineup.

These injuries are thought to be minor, and we should know how long they will be out before Sunday, when we have to set our playoff roster. If those two guys are still hurt, we will likely make the deal.  

On the upside of the injury equation is Sean Berry, who is recovering rapidly from his calf-muscle pull.

 

It is hard to see how Denny Neagle wins so many ballgames. He doesn’t throw all that hard, and his breaking stuff isn’t really sharp. His changeup is excellent, and his control is good. These attributes, combined with the ability to hold runners, along with confidence and poise, allow him outpitch guys who throw harder, like D.K.  Both were 17-3 going into the game.

The difference in this one could be measured in inches and feet. Ryan Klesko and Javy Lopez hit 800-feet-worth of home runs. Lopez’ long ball followed a catcher’s-interference call on a pitch that Klesko grounded to short for the apparent third out of the inning. The interference could not be seen on the replay, but Tony Eusebio felt it.

“He didn’t hit my mitt,” he said. “He just hit the lacing.” Lopez hit a three-run homer on the next pitch.

Later, James Mouton hit a fly ball to the outfield and trotted to first. Bill stopped him on his way back into the dugout.

“You have to run a little better on a ball like that,” Bill said. “You never know when a guy will drop it, and you’d be mighty embarrassed if you didn’t make it to second.”

Well, wouldn’t you know? One inning later, Tim Bogar hit a fly ball to Klesko. Bogey hustled around first, and was halfway to second when Klesko dropped the ball. Bogey made a big turn back to the dugout; he had dropped his eyes just before Klesko dropped the ball.

We screamed at Bogey, but the Braves got the ball back in in time to tag him out. What a way for him to come back from a funeral leave.

Kile was the next batter, and he could have bunted Bogey to third.

Biggio hit a long fly to left. There is no way of knowing what would have happened if Bogey had been safe at second, but there is a pretty good chance he would have scored.

Kile went the distance, but the Braves won 4-2.