RMJ 209 September 12

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 ● Houston, vs Dodgers

We stayed up late, talking through the night and into the early-morning hours. Bill and I were the last to retire, at about 2:30. I slept well, and woke up at 10:30.

 

Darryl Simon called to tell me that Jim Rome was in town on his worldwide tour, and that he wanted to have me on his show sometime between 2:00 and 3:00. I told him I wouldn’t be arriving in time for the show. Then I called Cubby to tell him I would be leaving late.

From what I understand, Rome was a centrist when he broke into the sports-talk business. Now he is out on the extreme, and he is exceedingly popular.

From what little I’ve heard, his schtick is to be outrageous and to use as much sports slang as possible, which I suppose makes his listeners feel like they are “in the know.”

On the way to the Dome, I listened to Rome, and several of the players were on with him, apparently having a good time. Jan Cubbage likes to listen to the show.

Maybe I’m just a crusty curmudgeon, but I don’t like all the “tell-it-like-it-is” Howard Cosell style of broadcasting. It seems like an excuse for being obnoxious. It’s like watching a movie that has no plot, no reason for being — except to test the limits of car chases, explosions, and gratuitous violence.

 

When I got to the ballpark at 3:00, the show was just ending and my day was just beginning. A steady stream of reporters came and went, making it impossible for me to prepare for the Dodgers series. I did a little work on the treadmill while I awaited news on Chuckie Carr.

When he arrived at 4:00, he was limping. It was obvious he couldn’t play. Gerry had already told me that I could satisfy Drayton’s desire to change things up by batting Bell second. I was thinking about doing that anyway, but I was also hoping to get some lefthanded bats in there against Chan Ho Park.

I ended up playing Berry over Spiers, hoping Sean might hit one out. Looking at the stats, the home-run ball was about the only blemish on Park’s record.

I put Tank Howard in center, on a hunch. And I crossed my fingers, hoping Shane would pitch as well as he did in San Francisco.      

It worked out perfectly. Howard got a couple of hits; Berry had an RBI double. Ricky made up for an error with a single and a triple, and Bidge scored three times to give him 131 for the year.

But the best part was Bell and Reynolds. Derek had a single, a double, and a home run, and he drove in four. Shane pitched seven strong innings, striking out 11.

We won 10-3, with Wagner pitching a scoreless ninth and striking out the last batter.

 

The Greifs, Ashley and Craig, Chris and Sharon and Lorraine, all trucked over to Pappadeaux to help Julia work on her tip money.

When we got back, Bill and I sat up talking about baseball and religion, which led to a discussion of psychology, personality types, and leadership.

Bill conceded that he would be a lot different manager than I am. He makes lists for everything he does.

“I’d probably be a bit more detail-conscious,” he said.  “I’d have lists to tell me where to find my other lists.”

We had a few laughs, the best of which concerned Bagwell. I told him that I was watching Jordan play baseball on Ryan’s PlayStation.

“They got Bagwell in a rundown,” I said. “So he ran right over the second-baseman and across left field, banging into the wall. He turned around and ran back into the infield, making loops around the shortstop and the second-baseman. Then he headed back to the outfield and ran into the right-field fence. Finally, he made a fast circle around the entire ballpark.”

“Maybe I’ll tell Baggy about this tomorrow,” I said. Maybe it is Jordan’s way of letting the air out of his favorite player’s slump. Perhaps Baggy will try to duplicate this route in tonight’s game.  

Bill was amused by this image. I was too. I really do wish that Baggy could loosen up a bit, but it is not his nature. The concentration that makes him an absolute terror when he is hot, tends to make him stiff and mechanical when he is cold.

I don’t think you can have the best of both worlds in a player. The guys who stay loose when they are struggling tend to be too loose when they’re not.    

At least I was able to relax during this game. After the seventh inning, the Dodgers didn’t have a chance.