Sports > October 22, 2003

By Mike Scott

Senior Reporter

The sports world is chock full of people giving you their opinion on all the comings and goings in the games we love. Frankly, I get a little tired of hearing what these “experts” have to say about anything and everything going on in sports. So, in the spirit of America, I’m going to completely saturate that market by giving you, the reader, a quick rundown of the recent happenings around the sports world and, less importantly, my comments on the said happenings.

Red Sox and Cubs eliminated

Let me tell you what, I never believed in curses before, but after last week’s games, I’m really hoping that old lady that spit at me at the Fair last weekend was only trying to get the corn out of her teeth, as opposed to sealing some kind of ancient hex. Game six at Wrigley was just plain eerie: Mark Prior, the hottest pitcher in baseball, is cruising along, then the fan interference on the foul ball keeps the inning alive, followed by Alex Gonzalez, the league leader in fielding percentage among shortstops this season boots a double play ball that would have also ended the inning. I haven’t seen that many coincidences since the last time I watched an episode of 7th Heaven (not that I would ever watch 7th Heaven). The whole thing definitely had a prophetic, preordained, force of nature kind of feel to it, like there was absolutely nothing the Cubs could have done to avoid losing.

On the other hand there was the Red Sox. After Pedro Martinez barely got out of the seventh with a three-run lead, I really thought for the first time that they were actually going to win. And then Grady Little sends him out for the eighth — a pretty questionable decision, but with two relievers warmed up and at the ready, possibly justifiable. Then Pedro gives up a double to Derek Jeter and a single to Bernie Williams, bringing the Yankees within two runs. Little emerges from the dugout, and I knew he was going to the bullpen, which after a shaky regular season had been outstanding in the playoffs. But what does Little do? He leaves Martinez in the game, having asked his ace whether he wanted to stay in the game. Absolutely unbelievable. Hideki Matsui then doubled down the line. And Little still leaves Martinez in the game. That’s borderline criminal. Yet another double followed, scoring two to tie the game, and finally, mercifully, Pedro was lifted. The look on Little’s face as he walked to the mound after Williams reached must have been the same look California voters had as they entered the voting booths in the recall election. The decision he made was that bad. And now we get a Yankees-Marlins World Series instead of a Cubs-Red Sox one. You could hear the executives at Fox crying. Of course, that Series would have inevitably been interrupted, what with the Armageddon going on and all.

Hearing on Yankee bullpen fight

A hearing will be held Nov. 7 in Roxbury District Court to determine whether there is probable cause to charge Yankees Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia for their role in a fight involving a Red Sox grounds crew member during Game three of the ALCS. My favorite part of this whole thing was when Garcia remarked that the game was going on and, the next thing he knew, his hand was bleeding. Garcia hopped the outfield wall to join his other teammates who were pummeling this kid. That’s like Jeffrey Dahmer saying he was driving down the road and the next thing he knew, there was a dead body in his freezer. So, once again we see that my view of the sports world isn’t all that broad, as quite a few angry tractor pull enthusiasts have been kind enough to inform me. But that’s a story for next week.