By Jim Coffman
It didn’t rival doing the Tomahawk Chop in celebration of the Braves rallying to knock off the Brewers late last year and move the Cubs that much closer to a division title. But my fellow upper-deck reserved fans and I did enjoy some scoreboard watching on Monday. It was the highlight of a game otherwise memorable only for a depressingly dominant performance by Astros ace Roy Oswalt.
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My all-time favorite scoreboard-watching scene played out during the last the week or so of last year’s Cubs regular season. I don’t even remember if the home team won on the evening in question, but I do recall that Milwaukee lost to Atlanta. It took a while (at least for me and my fellow Slowskis) to figure out what the vendor in our section was doing when he busted out The Chop. My first instinct was to just dismiss the guy as yet another sufferer of getting-attention-deficit-disorder who needed to be ignored. Then it finally began to dawn on us that this was a better-than-average way to express our appreciation for the Braves playing the role of spoiler. And every time a new, promising number went up on the scoreboard indicating Atlanta was that much closer to a win, we started in again with the Chop’s distinctive arm motion and moderately melodic chant.
Up here in Chicago we don’t see the scenes of thousands of Braves and Florida State fans doing The Chop like we used to. The teams in question, who used to be in the hunt for championships year after year, have faded from the national scene. But you only have to hear it a time or two for it to stick in your memory, and all sorts of folks dove right in at Wrigley that night. I must, however, report that there won’t be a repeat this time around. The Brewers are done playing the Braves in 2008. And the Cubs will go ahead and take care of business on their own this month, right? They’re still ahead by four games (in the loss column), they’ll put together a final, finishing kick and clinch this thing in style, right? Bueller?
One final out-of-town score observation: In this day and age, with Blackberry-type technologies all over the stands enabling fans to not only follow out-of-town games but also out-of-town pitches, Wrigley’s still adds a cool little bit of drama. Every once in a while you happen to glance at it at the exactly the right moment. That’s the moment when a key little green panel is removed (and someone nearby hasn’t already given you the updated score). Tension builds for a moment or two and then the number goes up that indicates a key out-of-town score is going your way.
And that was exactly how it played out on Monday after the panels chronicling the first seven innings of the Mets-Brewers game showed Milwaukee clinging to a 2-1 lead. The panel for the top of the eighth was removed, we all held our breath a bit and then the “3” came into view. That occasion was met with a cheer and an even bigger one went up when the scoreboard guys did the end-of-game ritual. That involves taking down all the inning-by-inning numbers, replacing them with those flat green panels until only the final score remains.
Otherwise the only other memorable part of the game (other than Oswalt facing one hitter over the minimum through eight, two-hit innings) was a little history being made. Sure it was tiny and obscure history but still . . . I’m thinking no extra-base hit has ever rebounded back off a Wrigley wall further than Miguel Tejada’s lead-off triple to left in the third. Maybe that’s a little strong. Maybe there have been a few balls that rolled even further past the bullpen mound than Tejada’s shot. But this one had to at least be in the top five all-time, right?
We also had time to ponder the question, “If an outfielder just misses throwing a base-runner out at the plate and another base-runner is able to advance on the throw, should he automatically have thrown it in front of the other base-runner instead?” Because while Jim Edmonds almost threw out Tejada at the plate on the ensuing sacrifice fly (after a walk), he didn’t and the runner at first managed to move up on the throw. I was all for taking the shot at the time but in the aftermath I wasn’t quite sure.
And of course there was appreciation for another solid outing from Jason Marquis (two earned runs given up in six innings of work). There was exasperation with Jeff Samardzija for not covering home plate quickly enough on the wild pitch that gave the Astros their third run. There was marveling at Hunter Pence’s great sliding catch near the right-field line. And there was griping about Derrek Lee again failing in the clutch with runners on base and two outs in the ninth. Lee has decent overall numbers and he hit the ball hard to right, forcing a catch to be made right at the edge of the warning track, but he never seems to get it done in late innings, and he either leads the league or is right there in double-plays grounded into.
In the game’s aftermath, the optimist notes that the Cubs are going to lose a few games this month they might otherwise have won as they strive to make absolutely sure their pitchers are in top form (i.e. well-rested) heading into the post-season. The number that really matters isn’t the Cubs’ lead over the Brewers, after all, but their double-digit lead over the Cardinals for the wild-card spot. The pessimist would probably have to point out that if the Cubs could not only not hit Oswalt but not even make him work (Oswalt cruised through those aforementioned innings in about 90 paltry pitches), how will they fare against Dan Haren, Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson in the playoffs (assuming the Diamondbacks manage to hang on to their lead in the NL West)?
Bear Down
Where to even start with the Bears? I think I’ll go with a plea. Lovie, I beseech you, at least have your linebackers and your strong safety play more aggressively from start to finish this season in passing situations and when down-and-distance usually dictates a rush. The coach’s beloved Tampa-2 defense almost always dictates that the players in question playing read-and-react football. They’re either playing soft as the handoff goes to the halfback or they’re taking deep drops into zone coverage as a potential pass proceeds.
If you’re going to go down, and just about everyone agrees these Bears will go down, at least go down aggressively. Bust out the blitz more than a time or two in any given game. Get your playmakers into opposing backfields even if it means exposing yourself to occasional big plays. Please. I can’t take much more of the bend-but-don’t break defense that has led to the Bears giving up massive amounts of yardage in game after game during the last season-plus. I know you believe if you can force opposing teams to take the maximum number of snaps on the way down the field you will force a turnover, but that’s not getting it done, now is it?
OK, OK, perhaps the opener against Peyton Manning and Colts isn’t quite the right time to go all aggressive back there. But no matter how badly Indianapolis thumps the Bears (and hey, it isn’t completely hopeless – Peyton Manning had minor knee surgery and there’s a chance he’ll be rusty – a miniscule chance, but a chance nonetheless), there are still 15 games to at least strike at least a little fear into opposing offenses.
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Jim Coffman brings you SportsMonday every Monday. Except on the days he brings it to you on Tuesdays. You can write to him personally! Please include a real name if you would like your comments to be considered for publication.
Posted on September 2, 2008