Years of being a Cubs fan are bound to pay off tonight. Tune in at 7 p.m. when The Franchise takes on the one who got away. All that’s at stake is control of the NL Division Series. It will be electric at Wrigley and electric here. Chances are, the Cubs won’t disappoint. For once.
crap….I hate it when I’m the first one at the party.
Too bad I won’t be in tonight to continue with my eternal optimism quickly changing to pessimism (Is that how you spell that word?) when we leave 14 runners on base in the first five innings…
Mark Prior provides the offense (Again) in a 4-1 win is the B.C. pick.
Who is doing the game tonight on ESPN, by the way??? I’m assuming it’s Skip Miller and Joe (Simpson) Morgan tonight at Wrigley… Too bad for them, I’ll be on the road and listening to WGN Radio.
Miller and Morgan….Ugh. "Turn the TV down and turn the radio up" has never sounded sweeter.
Evening all. What are the conditions like at Wrigley for tonight’s game?
OK, I am here, so let’s start the game!
Dry (after rain most of the day), 52 degrees, with wnw winds 15-25.
Getting dark too, and I’m getting scared.
The dude on the weather channel just explained how the wind can actually help fly balls become home runs! Who knew?
Just wondering how those $1000 rooftops seats are selling tonight…
Meanwhile, it’s 2-2 in the 10th in Sunny Florida, and I’m wondering when I’m gonna hear "it could go all the way" from Boreman…
Lets get ready to rumble
Bags loaded, and up to the plate struts the all-time pinch hitting king – Lenny F. Harris! And the fans are cheering?
A foul pop up – who would have guessed that? 2 -2 going into the 11th….
I can’t believe Lenny didn’t get a hit there.
Hello again, everybody. While the Marlins and Giants battle to see who will lose to the Cubs in the NLCS, the main event is ready to start in Chicago.
Mark Prior, aka The Franchise against Greg Maddux.
If there was ever a time for Maddux to revert to his "I get pounded in every playoff game form" it’s tonight.
The winner of the game tonight probably wins the series. And if it’s the Cubs, it sets up another Saturday full of champagne baths and naked women in the bars around Wrigleyville. OK, MORE naked women in the bars around Wrigleyville.
…sounds like a decent incentive to win, right there…
Braden Looper is pitching the 11th inning in Florida like he’s in the Dave Veres Appreciation Society.
3-2 Giants, runners at second and third and one out.
Uhm, Andy, I thought that was what the internet was for…
Rain delay in Chicago.
Jon Miller’s glaring scalp just said he didn’t think it’d last long.
The Anti-Christ, Joe Morgan just opened his part of the show by ripping us for praising Mark Prior.
If anyone would like to spend the rain delay beating Joe over the head with a sock full of quarters, be my guest.
For your rain delay entertainement, we always have the Dancing Herves. But…I regret to tell you. They’re missing. So check this out. If you do a google search for Dancing Herves, Desipio is second and third on the list. So that’s something. Right?
So, what’s the key to victory tonight, guys?
Pressure, keep it close, let the fans bring us home?
Looking at the season series, the Braves seem to be able to put up a lot of runs…
And here I always thought nice guys finish last….
This Joe Morgan guy – was he specifically ripping Desipio, or just Cubs fans in general?
Desipi-who?
The key to tonight’s game is to get a couple early runs and let The Franchise pitch until either the game ends or he collapses in a heap on the mound.
If he collapses, we go out there, prop him up and make him throw until he suffers a coma.
Then, we’ll consider going to the bullpen.
ahh, so it’s the royal "us" then, Andy…
Has anybody ever intentionally walked Juan Pierre before? Ever?
I say let him pitch through the coma…there’s always a chance he comes out of it.
The Anti-Christ was just mad that anybody would say nice things about a young punk like Prior when a grizzled veteran (with an ERA that’s a full run higher) like Maddux is around to blindly throw your love to out of sheer habit.
By the way, that’s a helluva play Tim Worrell just made there. I just wish Chris Berman could think of another dozen lame hockey references to throw out there.
Cubs record overall in Desipio GameCasts: 5-1
Cubs record in playoff Desipio GameCasts: 1-1
Cubs record in Desipio GameCasts that start after a rain delay: 2-0
Cubs record in Desipio GameCasts when Andy takes his pants off during the GameCast: 5-1.
yeah, makes sense…
this Maddux is the same one from about 10 years ago, right?
Wow, these goat horns are huge.
And heavy, too.
Marlins win 4-3.
How good would the 2003 Cubs be if Jim Hendry had signed Jim Thome and Ivan Rodriguez in the offseason when both of them wanted to play here?
Hey, I’m just asking.
Bad news sports fans.
Tomorrow, ESPN will have game four of the Giants-Marlins and Chris Berman will not…repeat…WILL NOT be there. Oh, that’s just terrible.
In a related note, Giants and Marlins fans expect their ear bleeding to end at noon tommorrow.
It’s not raining at Desipio HQ.
Oh, and the tarp is off. Karl Ravech’s toupee says the new start time is 7:35 CDT, or 13 minutes from now.
The Dancing Herves are gone, but the Viking Kittens singing Led Zeppelin are alive and well.
Viking Kittens
Is that J-Lo guy playing again tonight? He was the difference on Wed from what I’m hearing…
By the way, Moises Alou is still chasing Mark DeRosa’s popup…er…double from Wednesday.
A metranome, for no good reason plays a huge role in ESPN’s opening.
Wrigley Field is full of delirious Cubs fans. It’s at full roar and we’re still seven minutes from first pitch.
Think anybody’s fully kreusened?
Can you imagine how bright Joe and Jon’s foreheads would look in HDTV.
Javy Lopez is catching for the Braves tonight. He normally does not catch Maddux because Greg thinks he’s a complete moron and a closet case behind the plate (Greg’s right). But the Braves need offense and Javy’s been their best (albeit most chemically enhanced) hitter this season.
Anybody want to lay odds that in the next two years Javy ends up arrested in a motel room with Ken Caminiti and a crack pipe made out of a Bic pen?
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Weeeeeeeee…oooh, hot dogs!
I think the rain delay was just a Cub conspiracy to push up their beer sales, and at $4.75 a pop, I can’t blame them. will that give us enough extra money to sign a shortstop this offseason?
Gary Miller says he hasn’t seen anything this wet since that Cleveland cop showed him his urine stained hat at the All-Star Game a few years back.
Who needs a shortstop?
The GameCasts Tuesday and Wednesday were the second and third busiest days in the history of Desipio.com according to our Web stat report.
First, of course, is a Friday Cubs-Sox GameCast from 2001.
You all remember it. Todd Hundley…yes TODD HUNDLEY hit two homers in a Cubs win.
The Thome signing is going to come back and bite the Phils in the ass. He’s signed for like 5 years and he’s got a bad back. Don’t fool yourself, Thome wasn’t walking into Tribune Tower with a blank contract and saying "just fill in the amount later". The guy was going to the highest bidder, regardless of location. After you’ve played in Cleveland, anywhere looks good.
Sammy leads the charge onto the field and it looks like they tried to re-sod that patch in right that he kills every season.
The Braves lineup
ss Furcal
2b Giles
rf Sheffield
lf Chipper
c Javy
Cf Druw
1b Bob Fick
3b Mullet
p Maddux
i’m in favor of long term contracts for all major league players. Sorry Augie, I amm not including you in that…
I think Thome’s career ending back surgery is still on schedule for July 2005.
Prior’s first pitch a 94 MPH strike to Furcal.
The AC sneezes in the background and Furcal grounds to Gruddy for the first out.
Really, he sneezed. Eww.
Marcus Giles is wearing a hooded sweatshirt under his uniform. Is it 45 degrees or -4 degrees?
ESPN though Ramon Martinez was playing short, but it’s Alex Gonzalez. Apparently Rush Limbaugh got demoted to the graphics department.
Giles whiffs. Muahahahahahaha!
Two out.
Morgan said "it may ONLY be 96 MPH".
ONLY?
I’m glad this has started finally, I’ve had a 6 year olds birthday party going on next door…
Although, 2 blonde chicks did just turn up…
Prior walks Sheffield on four pitches. He got behind 2-0 and pretty much just put him on to get to Larry Wayne.
Larry Wayne spent the rain delay looking for a Hooters to scout for wife #3.
Prior has thrown six straight balls.
Seven.
Miller thinks Larry Wayne is Sheffield. One of them fouls off a pitch.
The Franchise walks Larry Wayne.
When was the last time Prior walked two guys in a row?
His freshman year at Vandy?
Ac sez "you can’t just try to get ahead of the hitters". Huh?
Jon Miller really got excited about a foul ball that Javy hit that landed about 20 rows foul. How much meth is he on?
Prior K’s Javy on a curve, and you just get the feeling the Braves inability to get to him in the first will cost them.
After half an inning, it’s Braves 0, the Cubs coming to bat.
Chipper got the 3-0 green light in the first inning. Pretty much proves how scared the Braves are of Prior. They were hoping to get an early meatball.
A 2 minute delay equals a man on base.
A 3 minute delay equals 2 men on.
Prior doesn’t even know how to get into a first inning jam, correctly. What a punk.
All’s well after the first half inning, and Lenny F Harris is jetting to Chicago so he can give the Cub’s another clutch pop up…
Cubs lineup
cf lofton
2b gruddy
rf sosa
lf alou
1b simon
3b e-ramis
ss gonzalez
c miller
p The Franchise
I’m already here!
Hey, did Greg Maddux used to be a Cub? Really? I had no idea, thank you ESPN!
Maddux throws a first pitch ball and he’s all over the place!
Second pitch–strike.
Oh, well.
Lofton keeps fouling off pitches. Somewhere, Chip Caray is blindly saying, "Good at bat."
It is a good at bat, as Lofton singles to right.
Maddux’s got nuthin.
AC: "The Braves infield makes a lot of errors, but they get the job done." Huh? For whom? The opponent?
Gruddy bunts, Bob Fick falls down, everybody’s safe.
He must have "gotten the job done" eh, Joe?
Lofton singles, and Morgan is gushing about the Braves defense. Next pitch, a but, and Javy slips and falls on his himey. Love that Brave’s "D"!
A good start. According to your menu, Andy.
Maddux is running the North Carolina four corners offense. In five minutes he’s thrown two pitches to Sosa.
It’s a 1-1 count.
Sammy whiffs on a pitch in his eyes.
AC is now fellating Maddux. Moises can put a stop to this right now.
Alou flies to Druw in center. Druw is also wearing a hoodie.
It’s up to Simon.
Ahh, the Cubs…if they ever get a killer instinct, they’ll be a sight to see.
If you throw it in his area code, Simon will swing at it. Maddux has thrown him three balls and it’s 1-2.
Wild pitch, Lofton and Gruddy advance. Kenny slides past the bag and almost gets picked off.
2-2 count on Randall.
Newsflash from Mr. Morgan – when the ball goes past the catcher and to the wall, it will either be a wild pitch or a passed ball. Who knew?
Simon singles.
Lofton and Gruddy score and Wrigley is happy.
2-0 Cubs.
Hey hey. Consolidate.
Lett’s go Pirates errr Cubs!
E-ramis singles…Simon to second.
That brings up the beginning of the end of the offense and Alex.
Given the way everybody’s falling down on the wet grass. Alex should bunt at Fick again.
Alex grounds to short.
The Cubs get
one
two runs and lead it 2-0 after one.
Three more and everybody’s getting laid tonight!
Or something.
Is there a dumber commercial than the GEICO one where the mimes call the 800 number and can’t talk?
I didn’t think so.
Cubs-Braves on Fox and here of course at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
Prior walks Druw.
Bob Fick grounds into a very slow developing, but very nicely turned 4-6-3 DP.
Two outs. The Mullet is up.
Vinny hasn’t hit a curveball since 1994. Throw him one!
Prior does but it’s low. 1-2 to the Mullet.
Let me reiterate, throw the curve for a strike. Vinny will not hit it.
2-2 to Vinny.
Your attention please…the point I will be hammering to death tonight is not swinging at outside corner fastballs while ahead in the count. Thank you!!
The Mullet flies harmlessly to left.
Still two-zip Cubs.
Alf is still doing phone commercials only now he’s hosting a talk show and has a sidekick. Can you put that on a resume?
10/03 — Alf’s sidekick
It’s a proud time for that guy.
Whoever he is.
Roger Daltrey is hosting a show called "Extreme History" on the History Channel. In the commercial he asks the immortal question, "Have you ever eaten beaver?"
From one rock star to another…you bet your ass, Rog.
Jon Miller wonders if Maddux is pitching his last game for the Braves. I hope it’s his last goddamned inning.
Damian Miller grounds to third.
Gary Miller’s update is basically, "Javy got some hits this year, that’s why he’s catching Maddux tonight." Very indepth.
But watch how many times Maddux shakes Javy off. He’s going to get a sore neck trying to talk Javy out of bad pitch suggestions.
Prior grounds to Furcal.
That’s gotto be a career highlight.
Assuming anything can be less prestigous than having your fist up inside Alf in the first place…
AC is alibi-ing for Maddux saying nobody hit the ball well in the first off him.
The scoreboard says 2-0 and Kenny Lofton singles AGAIN. So somebody’s hitting him.
Is Alf big in Austrailia, Matt? I’ll be he’s huge there.
Lofton steals second, the throw manages to knock down both Furcal and Giles and roll into center and Kenny scampers (good action word) to third. Two outs, though.
Come on Grud.
That’s what, 5 Hits?
But no "well-hits", obviously.
Gruddy lines it hard to right, but Sheffield catches it. Though, he almost played it into a double.
Still 2-0 as we head to the third.
Grudz hit it too hard. We were doing better with bloops or balls hit to Fick.
He was big round about the time Maddux started his career…
Sounds like the Braves have never played on grass before.
Exuse me…did Miler just say SMOLTZ got the best of Morris? Get a clue, dude.
Jon Miller is talking out of his now. He’s comparing the Prior-Maddux matchup to great young v. old matchups. He brought up the Smoltz-Jack Morris matchup in ’91 and said Smoltz got the best of it. Despite the fact that Morris threw a ten inning shutout and won the World Series for the Twins in what might have been the best World Series pitching performance since Don Larsen’s perfect game.
Yikes.
Maddux flies to Sammy. One out.
Gruddy makes a diving catch and hurts his shoulder. There are two out, and Gruddy looks like he’ll hsake it off.
Nice play.
The trainer should run out ther just in case, though.
Instead, Giles singles on the first pitch.
That’s the first hit for Atlanta.
Where are all the gratuitous shots of me? They kept showing that cheap tramp that Kerry married.
Sheffield grounds short to second.
The middle of the Cubs lineup is due up. Gruddy looks like he’s OK and after three it’s still 2-0 Cubs.
Giles is playing hurt, right?
Key out.
Note to Mark Prior’s girlfriend:
We don’t have any cameras at the Chicago Hot Dog stand down the first base line. You’ll need to lug those dozen meat tubes with you to your seat. Or seats, depending on how many you’ve already engorged.
Prior’s girlfriend is on the move, she’s now at the Connie’s Pizza stand. She ordered an entire pie.
Repeat. She ordered an entire pie.
She won’t be sitting down until the sixth, at the earliest.
Your hubby’s gotta win a playoff game first, hon.
Have they shown Prior’s girlfriend? I bet I’m hotter.
Sammy is robbed of a single on a nice play by Furcal.
AC is hitting on all cylinders, check this out.
"The Baker Boys, as they’re known in Chicago, had better not sit on this lead. They should try and score some more runs."
So many things wrong. So little time.
Anybody ever heard them called that?
Do we really think they’re not trying to score?
He then notices that Alou hits a smash to Larry Wayne that nearly gets over Larry’s head and says, "Wow, they’re hitting it hard now."
The Cubs see five pitches in the third.
Five?
Simon grounds to second on that fifth pitch.
Off to the fourth. 2-0.
…takes credit for that as well, probably…
AC is on fire: "I was always taught that when a guy throws harder you try and swing the bat quicker."
They’re asking Albert Pujols how to hit Prior. Looks like he forgot how about August 30. Hee hee.
Larry Wayne grounds to short. One out.
Javy grounds to short. Looks like the Braves want to match the Cubs five pitch inning.
I hit against all the greats:
Mark Prior
Randy Johnson
Walter Johnson
Cy Young
AG Spalding.
Prior has been hosed on the last two pitch calls.
He walks Druw.
How many strikes do you have to throw a guy?
Nice shot of Shane Reynolds watching Greg Maddux clean the dirt out of his spikes in the dugout. Shane looks bored out of his mind.
Fick flies to Lofton.
E-ramis, Alex and Damian due up in the fourth.
Still Cubs 2, Braves squat.
That delay put 2 men on.
Choice Hotels is still using the Johnny Cash song "I’ve Been Everywhere" in their commercial.
I love that song.
I miss Johnny Cash.
OK, enough of that crap.
Here’s E-ramis.
no it didn’t.
E-ramis hits a towering flyball to Larry Wayne. One out.
Dig Greg Maddux’s pants in that flashback to him getting lit up by Will Clark in 1989.
How long ’til Robert Palmer gets a commercial?
…always has been a nice career move…
Alex grounds one off of the Mullet and reaches on an error.
Damian Miller should be bunting here, and yes I know that would mean two outs for Prior.
Just do it.
Damian Miller to himself: "Let’s see 6-4-3 or 4-6-3?"
Instead, Alex runs, there’s a pitchout and even Javy can throw him out on that.
Miller says that Eric Karros told him hitting Maddux is like playing whiffleball. ESPN then shows a closeup of Shawn Estes.
Either a) they think one scruffy Cub is the other one.
b) They want to show a guy who looks like he’s literally throwing a whiffle ball.
Miller walks.
Dammit. Doesn’t feel like the Braves are on top of their game here.
But are the Cubs being similiarly lulled?
(‘similiarly’ is a tough word to type)
Prior hits one that Furcal boots, looks like Prior beat it out, but he’s called out.
End four. Cubs 2, Braves bupkus.
Did you predict another soccer score, Andy?
Larry Young is the umpire at first. I know Larry Young. Larry Young’s a hack.
It means he has home plate tomorrow and it means the strike zone will move from pitch to pitch.
Boooooooooooo.
My prediction is that the Cubs will not trail tonight.
Very good line from Miller, "We saw Tom Goodwin in the dugout and it looks like he just came in from building a snowman."
The home plate umpire WILL NOT call a Brave out on strikes. They have not had a called third strike yet.
The Mullet pops one foul that Randall Simon can’t track down.
Oops. The Mullet strikes out looking. But that one was so obvious even Frank Drebin couldn’t have called it the other way.
Maddux flies to Lofton on the first pitch. Thanks Greg. Way to make your opposing pitcher work.
Mark DeRosa has a microphone on in the dugout.
Mark: "Hey guys did you see that popup to left I hit Wednesday that Moises Alou couldn’t catch?"
…and you’re going to take credit for that, right?
The Franchise gives Furcal the high hard one and the Braves have but one skinny little hit.
Jim Edmonds just heard "high hard one" and felt a tingle.
Hide your puppies.
It’s Lofton, Gruddy and Sosa to hit in the fifth. The Cubs need to score here.
Actually if they could score two, or ten or maybe 14 runs, then we could all relax.
Is that so much to ask?
[tingles]
Lofton grounds to second and breaks his back. Giles tried to throw it away, but couldn’t.
One out.
Gruddy flies to Druw.
Maddux is throwing a lot of balls now.
Sammy needs to get to hacking here.
Whoooooooooooooooooooo!
Where am I?
Sammy’s wife is still hot.
His mother…looks like Sammy with a wig.
Sammy lines one off of Furcal and reaches on an error. Man, these Braves cannot hit.
And if you don’t think there’s a delay between the action and the broadcast, in a replay of Sammy’s wife going nuts that he got on base, you could see her cheer and then you could see him hit the ball on a TV monitor behind him.
Moises singles to center. Druw falls down and doesn’t get up. Sammy goes to third.
That’s error numero quatro.
Sammy’s mom is doing the tomahawk chop and has no idea why.
Randall’s up with a chance to break this puppy open.
Cue Jim Edmonds…
Randall hits one just foul that would have been a double.
Simon grounds to second.
I think AC forgot there was a runner on third. He wanted the Cubs to run Alou. Alou! And his reason was, if you throw him out, Simon just starts his at bat over again.
Oh, shut up.
After five. Cubs two, Braves zip.
And now for something completely different during this mid-inning break…Since I’m not quite as emotionally involved as the rest of you, figured I’d pop in with some random thoughts, some of which I hope you’ll appreciate…
Ricky Vaughn was right, there’s a lot to be said for looking cool on the diamond. If you’re a Braves fan, you can’t be happy with guys like Andruw Jones and Marcus Giles wearing hood contraptions. I don’t care how cold it is you big babies. Advantage = Cubs.
Mr. Miller, what is the difference between a regular tomahawk chop, and a sarcastic one? My apologies if this comment has already been noted—I didn’t take the time to read the previous 123 comments in this thread.
Over on the deuce it’s Max Kellerman and Friday Night at the Fights. During an interview with James Toney and Evander Holyfield, Toney challenged, "Bring ass, get ass!" Which amused me, almost as much as Holyfield predicting he’d be "vict-urse". Which I’d assume translates rougly to vic-tor-i-ous in English. I have no problem with the sweet science, and realize these guys have to make a living, but don’t they have someone close to them that cares a little bit about them that can throw in the towel before they have to employ Mushmouth as a translator?
Finally, what does say about your career and fan appeal when you’re the most annoying long distance pitch man in a group that includes Alf and Carrot Top? Mr. Stamos, be thankful that the negotiations for your soul turned out so well for you… Who’s your agent?
2 runs plays 4 errors.
Nice.
Even it up here, boys.
I just wanted Alou to run with 2 outs and a runner on third because if I am out Randall gets to start the next inning with a clean slate. Of course no runner on third. How can a person who played so smart be so stupid?
See, that’s me up there!
Too bad McGriff isn’t still around…I think it’s a good time for Tom Emanski’s Defensive Drills!
Uh, Mark’s wife. No it’s not. You’re not Rebecca Romijin Prior.
More like Nell Carter Prior.
The Braves are trying to give us runs. We don’t seem to want them.
Where is "up there"?
Where is "up there"?
Giles grounds out to short.
Gary Miller says that DeRosa and Giles are playing with a football mentality.
Let’s hope they pattern it after John Shoop.
save them for game 4.
Prior hits Sheff on a 2-2 pitch. It’s the umpire’s fault, the 1-2 pitch should have been strike three.
Sheffield is acting like his fingers just fell off.
Paging Darren Bragg! Darren Bragg to right field.
Hee hee.
I wish. Oh, and I hope I broke that wimp’s hand.
AC thinks it’s a good sign that Sheffield can flex his hand. However, Sheff needed help getting his other batting glove and his elbow pad on. Sheffield will not be playing right field in the bottom of the sixth.
Boy, is my hand throbbing.
AC is encouraged that hitting Sheffield didn’t bother Prior. Of course, Larry Wayne nearly hit Sheffield (Avenue) with that last foul ball.
But the Cubs hit guys all the time. They’re used to it.
Larry Wayne reaches base the only way he’s been able to all week. He beats out the relay on a double play. Sheffield out at second. Larry Wayne to first. Two out.
Don’t get him angry.
He’s what, 1 for 9 this series…
I like it when Edgar Renteria throbs.
Javy "fouls" off strike three. But he didn’t. He didn’t foul tip it, he just plain whiffed.
Regardless, E-ramis makes a fine stop of a shot hit right at him and throws out Larry Wayne at second.
Off to the bottom of the sixth. Cubs 2, Braves 0.
You can tell it’s either Wood or Prior pitching. After the top of any inning I want to just head right to the next one. I keep typing "after five" or "after six" even though the bottom is coming up.
Time for an unlikely hero or two to extend this lead.
Sorry Atlanta, but the last two innings I have found my really, reallyu good curve ball. Good luck tomorrow.
Every Cubs fan born earlier than 1980 is now dreading the inevitable Darren Bragg game winning homer later on in the game.
E-ramis is leading off and, whew, Sheffield is still in right.
Instant karma’s gonna get you.
E-ramis grounds to Furcal. Every third grounder he drops. That’s one…
AC on the ball hit to E-ramis to end the top of the sixth. "If you’re a Braves fan you just call that an "at ’em" ball because that ball was hit right at ’em."
Is that way you’d call it that?
Alex grounds to the Mullet.
The Braves have tied an all time division series record with four errors.
They can break it.
Furcal throws out Miller, but that’s two. That means he boots the next one.
AFTER six. Cubs 2, Braves nuthin.
AC is advocating the Cubs allowing a baserunner so that Maddux’s spot in the order will come up and he’ll have to leave the game.
Prior is throwing a one hitter and HE’S WINNING. You don’t just put a guy on for fun.
Druw whiffs.
Jon reminds us that Jimmy Carter is a Braves fan. One loser likes another.
9 more outs, guys. That’s all.
And Prior is going to go all the way?
Bob Fick is the only Brave hitting the ball in the air and he flies to Moises.
Two outs.
Castilla grounds to short on Prior’s 102nd pitch.
He’s got plenty in the tank folks.
Six more.
Ryno’s singing Take Me Out To The Ballgame and his throwback home jersey has no buttons and a 1984 National League East Champions patch on it.
Nice touch.
He even seems excited.
For once.
LET’S GET SOME RUNS!!!!!
Maddux is gone and Jaret Wright and his 7.35 ERA is in. The Franchise pops out to Castilla who catches it right in front of home plate.
One out.
Time to light up Jaret Wright.
The kiddie music from next door has finally stopped. I tried to out-duel them with REM at a loud-but-inoffensive volume but they beat me.
No sign of the blondes, must have dropped their kids off and left…
Lofton grounds back to Wright.
Two out.
Gary Miller says the Braves trainer says Gary Sheffield’s hand’s not broken. Apparently he has x-ray vision.
The Cubs do nothing in the seventh off the immortal Jaret Wright.
A pinch hitter will lead off the eighth for Atlanta, which means the big boys will all bat one more time.
Well, maybe not all of them. :)
Get your eyes off of my wife!
Wednesday’s hero, Mark DeRosa is up and hopefully Moises is inching towards left center.
DeRosa dumps one over Lofton’s head and gets to second on Sammy’s weenie arm.
Apparently that football mentality works. Or something.
Potential Turning Point.
Come on lads.
Is Derosa still mic’d? Surely he’s tried to talk to one of his teammates this inning about Prior’s ‘Giddyup’…
He’d get a lot more air time if he lightened up a little bit, and threw in a little Chris Farley-schtick.
"Hey Giles, ‘member that one time you tried to tackle Prior, ‘cept he ran over you and knocked you out? That was awe-some!… Hey Larry, ‘member that one time you banged that really hot Hooters waitress but forgot to throw on a jim hat? Um, that was a stupid question—I’m so stupid!"
Jon Miller tells us that DeRosa is the first Brave to reach second since the first inning.
Furcal grounds to Gruddy. DeRosa to third.
Giles hits a sac fly to center. DeRosa scores. Lofton’s throw his comedically short.
Had Kenny not dove for DeRosa’s blooper, it might still be 2-0.
But, it’s 2-1 and there are two out, nobody on.
Sheffield is up.
3 minute delay. What’s the man on base doing?!?
Sheffield hits a foul pop to E-ramis and we’re off to the bottom of the eighth.
It’s not Cubs 2, Braves 1.
Regular Joe will warm up, but Prior should—should start the ninth.
That delay was extended due to a temporary loss of Internet connectivity. Sorry. Hope your heart is back in your chest.
The Cubs have some guys you may have heard of due up this inning.
Samuel Peralta Sosa
Moises Alou
Randall Simon
E-ramis Ramirez
Kevin Grybowski is in to pitch for the Braves.
Sammy grounds to Fick. His throw makes Grybowski fall down, but they call Sammy out. On the replay it looks like he dropped the ball.
You guys don’t need insurance runs, but they’d be nice.
You need execution. But you have to do it wisely. Atlanta are a good road team, right?
Alou grounds to Furcal, it’s his third of three chances and so Alou is on first.
To be fair to Furcal, he did a good job just getting to it, it’s a clean infield hit.
So he can kick the next one.
Simon’s up, but I have a good feeling about the E-ramis matchup with Grybowski.
Simon strikes out, but get this, Alou steals second.
Seriously.
Two out. Alou at second.
E-ramis doubles into the ivy. He missed a homer by about two feet. The run is back.
The Cubs lead 3-1.
That was a great at bat (not in a "whoo he fouled off some pitches" Chip Caray kind of way) by E-ramis.
The run is huge. And, E-ramis is in scoring position, now, too.
All set up by the Moises Alou steal.
Had Moises been on first, by rule he’d have had to have stopped at second on the ground rule double.
Good work. Good work E-ramis. Good work Andy.
I meant third up there. You knew what I meant. Things are a little excited at Desipio HQ right now.
Grybowski walks Gonzalez to bring up Miller.
Can we pinch hit, please?
Apparently not.
Here’s Damian.
Regular Joe is warming up now. AC thinks it’s because the Cubs scored.
I’m very afraid because Troy O’Leary is in the on deck circle in Prior’s spot.
Regular Joe is going to pitch the ninth.
Gulp.
Better get another run.
114’s really not that many pitches for Prior… He could go 130 easy tonight and still be fine… You gotta go with him, right?
If I were the Braves, I’d walk Miller and force Dusty to decide what to do with Prior right now.
Instead, Miller whiffs.
Prior’s still sitting.
It’s Regular Joe’s game to save.
Hold onto your butts.
Cubs 3, Braves 1. Heading to the top of the ninth.
Going to commercials, it looked like Prior didn’t even know what the call was…
"Me? Him?… Throw me a freakin’ bone Dusty!"
It’s not as if you guys get into the playoffs every year, right? You’ve gotto share the experience around.
These are the guys who got you there, go with them.
Maybe?
It’s not like this is important. It’s just the biggest game of the year. If the Cubs win, they’re in the driver’s seat in the series. If they lose. Well, you know what that means.
However, I got fooled by the fact Prior didn’t get right up at the end of the eighth. He’s in.
Joe’s got his back.
Go get ’em, Franchise.
3 outs. that’s all.
Larry Wayne, Javy and Druw are scheduled.
Larry Wayne showed bunt, but he didn’t mean it.
Larry Wayne grounds to Alex, who was perfectly positioned. He bobbled it, but easily threw out Chipper.
One down.
Javy’s up.
Prior’s first pitch to Javy buckled his knees. Strike one.
That grounder to Alex hopped up and knocked his hat off.
Prior throws another mean curve to Javy. 1-2.
You’re not going to believe this.
It happened again. Prior struck out Javy, the ball got past Miller and Javy’s on first.
Actually, I have no idea why Javy swung at that.
One on. One out.
Druw’s up.
And Miller was worried about fatigue during the Chipper at bat… Moron!
Damian, turn your glove dude! Little scoop action, big fella…
My ghost is haunting you!!!
They’ve dropped Druw down the order, right? This is where we see how smart that decision is…
Not very…
Prior fans Druw on a beautiful curve. Miller catches it.
Two outs.
Bob Fick. The only guy to hit the ball in the air (other than DeRosa) all night is up.
Just keep him in the park, Franchise.
The Braves last hope, Robert Fick… Advantage = Cubs
Fick pops it up. It lands harmlessly in the glove of Gruddy and if you didn’t know it before, you know it now
Mark Prior is the shit.
Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!
Matt Clement and his chin beard will try and be the hero for the second Saturday in a row.
First postseason complete game by a Cubs’ pitcher in 58 years?!?!?!?!
Giddyup boys!
Good luck this weekend, Karry just called and said he’s being detained and needs me to stop by an ATM on my way to the station… It’s gonna be a long night… Be careful…
So far the Braves have two earned runs and four hits off of Wood and Prior.
Remember when we said you didn’t want to face the Cubs in the playoffs because of their starters?
Yeah, this was kind of why.
Hey hey, well done Cubs.
That never felt like a Braves win, did it?
Your Desipio.com player of the game is…um…let’s see…let’s count these ballots…
Why it’s Mark Prior! What a shock.
Nine innings, one run, two hits allowed. He didn’t knock in any runs like his pal Kerry does.
But it’ll work.
Thanks for everybody who stopped by. Those of you who followed along and those of you who’ll stop by and read it later.
We’ll be right back here tomorrow for a 3 p.m. tilt between these same Cubs and those same Braves. With the Cubs poised to end the city Chicago’s postseason series losing streak at…86 years.
Eighty-six years?
That covers the ’18, ’32, ’36, ’45, ’84, ’89, ’98 Cubs and the ’19, ’59, ’83, ’93 and ’00 White Sox.
Twelve series.
That’s a lot of spent up karma.
We’ll pop the cork on it about 6 p.m. tomorrow.
See you there.
One more thing, the Braves will bring back fat Russ Ortiz on short rest to pitch tomorrow against Clement and then Hampton on short rest to pitch against Wood if there’s a game five.
Advantage…in both situations…Cubs.
Religious tolerance has developed more as a consequence of the impotence of religions to impose their dogmas on each other than as a consequence of spiritual humility in the quest for understanding first and last things. by online poker