Gardner WebLog

Caleb:  “Adam, you haven’t given up any runs yet in spring training, huh?”

 

Adam:  [silence]

 

Caleb:  “Gardner.  Runs.  Spring training.  Any?”

 

Adam: [silence]

 

Caleb:  [silence]

 

Adam:  “Well, there goes that.”

 Conversation in the bullpen before Adam goes in to pitch today against the Brewers:
 

Nick:  “Sometimes I think that it’s better for a pitcher to just give up a bomb, you know, to reset, and let him refocus.”

 

Adam:  [silence, pensive]

 

Nick:  “I don’t know, I think that it makes them feel better.  Nobody else on base, you can start over, you know?”

 

Adam:  “OK, there’s two outs, I should warm up.”

 OK.  Now cut to a slow motion shot of a hitter in a Brewers uniform, wide-eyed and salivating.  He sees the ball, up and away, and immediately recognizes a curveball.  Swinging out of his shoes, eyes closed, he connects with the ball.  Silence.  Somewhere a baby cries.  A hawk circles above.  In slow motion, the impact is truly violent.  The bat, the ball, the look on that poor lefthander’s face, everything stops for a second.  The ball takes off.  Were it not for the ear-shattering smack the ball made as he hit it, the batter might think, based on its trajectory, that it might just be a line drive.  But this was no line drive.  It just keeps going.  Flash to the pitcher’s face.  Sadness.  Flash to the batter’s face, now running to first base.  Elation.  Flash to the dugout.  Awkward glances.  The ball is still in the air, halted finally by the net, maybe 15 feet above the left-center field wall.  It’s over.  Hitter keeps running.  Pitcher kicks dirt.
 Cut.
 

Haha.  This is why in baseball, you never (ever) mention streaks, no hitters, or generally anything that someone is doing consistently well.  Because as soon as you draw attention to it, it will come to an end.  Watch on TV, while a pitcher throws a no hitter, as the other players avoid him at all costs, trying to make conversation about anything but baseball in the dugout.  Nobody wants to ‘jinx it.’  Well, maybe I was jinxed.  Maybe I just left a curveball in the exact right spot for a rather large and lucky hitter this afternoon.  Either way, that ball was hit really hard.  And it’s spring training, so we can all laugh about it.  But seriously.  Don’t ever tell someone they’re throwing a no hitter.