RMJ 210 September 13
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 ● Houston, vs Dodgers
We all got up late and lounged around reading the paper and drinking dark French roast coffee while Judy prepared a breakfast feast. Fresh juices, fresh fruit, including mango and papaya. She confessed some concern that everything would come together at the same time, and Karen stepped up to make sure.
The eggs were scrambled with mushrooms, onions, and garlic, with a little cheese to sweeten the mix. The bacon was crisp, and the homemade biscuits were buttery and warm. We didn’t finish eating until almost noon.
The scene at the ballpark was altogether different from yesterday: no reporters, no conferences, no fires to put out. I ran on the treadmill and did a few sit-ups.
I’ll sure be glad when I can play some sports again. I’m a reluctant lab-rat who wouldn’t get enough exercise if I had to do it all with machines and weights.
I worked a crossword at my desk, and no one interrupted me. Went down on the field and played
catch.
Talked with Vern about Cabrera’s repertoire. He is going to play winter ball in Santiago, and Tony Peña will be his manager. We have some ideas to help him get more action on his slider. With his speed and poise, he could become a top hand.
Six future stars on the Astros’ horizon twinkled in the clubhouse before the game. They were all the MVPs of Astros farm teams, and they will be honored before the game tomorrow.
Tonight’s game got off to a quixotic start. Biggio got an infield hit off a Tom Candiotti knuckleball. Derek Bell was plunked by the knuckler. Both runners moved up on a passed ball.
Bagwell lunged at another knuckler for strike three, and the ball bounced off Mike Piazza and rolled down the first-base line. Candiotti retrieved it and threw to Piazza, late and high. Piazza got a mitt on the throw, but he couldn’t stop it. Bell came around and scored, all the way from second. Bagwell ended up on first base, having plated two runs by striking out. We had two runs on one hit that rolled about 40 feet.
Candiotti was bamboozled. He gave up two more hits and two more runs, and he had a 3-2 count on Biggio with the bases loaded and two outs. We could have put the game away right there, but Bidge popped a fastball a mile into the air.
Candiotti regrouped and pitched a good ballgame after that.
On our side, it was Darryl Kile. D.K. pitched one of his best games of the year, striking out 13 batters — a career high. He was a little wild at first, and Todd Zeile hit a homer off him in the second on a 3-1 pitch.
The Dodgers had a few more chances, but each time Kile stiffened and got the strikeout. With four walks and 13 Ks, Kile had built his pitch count to 127 after eight innings. Luis Gonzalez homered in the bottom of the eighth, and Mike Magnante came in to bolt it down. Did he ever: he struck out the side, giving us 16 strikeouts in all. We won 5-1.
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darryl Kile, W (18-6) | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 2.38 |
| Mike Magnante | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.51 |
The Pirates lost to the Cubs, and our lead stretched to 4-1/2 games. Our magic number to clinch the division title went from 13 to 11. Single digits are just a day away. And the uneasy feeling I had in Denver is gone.
I sat on the deck with Bill and the dogs, talking about the future. Bill made some money in real estate, then went back to get a counseling degree. He is a great listener and thinker.
I was curious to get his opinion on the book deal. I am leaning toward publishing these pages, if I get the chance. I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy the epic struggle of the baseball season, day by day. As far as I know, Jim Bouton was the last one to attempt this sort of thing with Ball Four, and that was almost thirty years ago.
My fear is that I will ruffle a few feathers, and undermine my ability to manage. That was Bill’s fear too.
“How much is it worth to you?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know.” I said. “My agent seems to think it could be a big seller. I doubt it would be profitable enough to compete with my salary, though, and I’ve never made this kind of money before.”
“Do you think there is anything in there that would offend anyone?”
“Derek Bell,” I said. “Obviously, I wouldn’t want to have to manage him again after what I have written. I’m not sure of the rest.
“But, of course, I will have to go through it and do a lot of editing. I think it is too long already, so it would be easy enough to take out anything that seems overly sensitive. But I’m not sure I want to do that, because I want it to be an honest effort, not just pablum.”
“People can be very sensitive, you know,” he warned. “They can object to things that you don’t even consider critical.”
“I know that for sure,” I said. “There have been a few times when my quotes in the paper have bothered people — even Gerry. That’s what I am worried about: that I might leave something in that someone will take the wrong way.”
As we went along, I could tell that Bill was quite skeptical about publishing this journal. His concerns are clearly valid.
On the other side, I know this job can’t last forever. I also know that a book could give me a national audience — which could, in turn, help me get another broadcasting job.
The questions I have to ask myself — and eventually answer myself — are
- Will this venture increase my earning power?
- Will I be able to keep managing?
- Am I kidding myself to think that a lot of people care about what we’re doing here?
- Is this an ego-driven project, or is it simply a labor of love?
The last question is the most-difficult to answer.
I am not going to manage and write a journal next year.
Sometimes I laugh at myself for being so gullible; I hear a publisher talk about the possibilities for sales and promotion; I hear my agent talk about how this is the best baseball book he’s ever read, and I eat it up.
Sometimes I think, This is a siren song, and you’re going to end up shipwrecked. Sometimes I think, This is really cool. Baseball fans are going to love it. It will be a career breakthrough.
Most of the time, I just write and don’t think.
I guess the safe thing to do would be to hold off until I get fired. But then, the material would be dated.
I know one thing for sure: I am not going to manage and write a journal next year.