You know, I took for granted all the years when the NL shoved it up the ass of the AL during my youth. That's right, every stinkin year I would get to laugh at the Freddy Lynns and Luis Tiants as Pete Rose and Steve Garvey would run around the bases every July. 12 consecutive wins to none for the AL
I am now paying dearly for all those years.
In what can only be described as an NL West pitching nightmare, Tim Lincecum, Chad Billingsley and Heath Bell gave up all four runs to the American League All Stars tonight in front of the most knowledgeable National League fans, in perhaps the most storied National League city, with their most storied current player, in front of their greatest player and perhaps the greatest NL player of all time, and laid a big fat doodoo on the front lawn. The American League won 4-3 over the National League, and broke the NL record of 12 consecutive wins to go 13 and 0 over the National League who hasn't won an All Star game since 1996, with apologies to President Clinton.
Once again, they lost by a single stinkin dangleberry out of their asses. But it was enough to propel perhaps the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Anaheim Angels, or any single one of any team you want, to home field advantage no matter what National League team they play in October. Granted, home field in Baseball is by no means a fait accomplis, but it still makes a difference. No team would it make a greater difference to than....the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the best home record in Baseball (as well as the best road record mind you). But are Dodger fans more comfortable today with the prospect of a game 7 in Fenway against Josh Beckett, or New York against Sabathia, or game 7 in Anaheim against Lackey and his band of faggots? You get the picture.
The most un-fucking-believable thorn in Dodger fans sides after tonight's game, though, has got to be the despicable and gutless performance of their very own Billingsley, who very well may have single-handedly lost the world championship for them by allowing a 2 strike, 2 out double to left field by Joe Mauer, after Yadier Molina couldn't hold onto a third strike foul tip. Forget about Molina. The fact that this loser came back to allow the tying run, setting up the debacle of Heath Bell, is simply too much to take and sends the most detestable message, yet again, to your team that you are 100 % GRADE A PRIME CHOICE ASSHOLE, who cannot be trusted with an important game at any point the rest of your Dodger career.
And how about Lincecum? What the hell was that? Or Roy "let's trade our whole Dodger roster for him" Halladay giving up four consecutive hits and three earned in the first.
What may have been the most galling moment in a litany of humiliations, however, was that immediately after Chad Billingsley ate shit on the mound in the fifth, ex Dodger Edwin Jackson came out for the bottom of the 5th and made what seemed like three pitches to quickly end the inning. Great trade Ned!
But a more sinister and touchy subject needs to be addressed here, I'm afraid. That is the decision by either MLB itself, or the NL bigwigs, to chose players of color who are not legitimate All Stars in an attempt to fit the bill of political correctness and use the NL squad to fit some kind of marketing quota totally compromising the NL's chances of actually having the best players on the field to compete with the AL. Are you telling me that Arizona D'Backs Justin Upton deserved to be in left field late in the game for the NL over JUAN PIERRE? Or that Ryan Howard was the best choice to come up with two men on when all the NL needed was a stinking single? All one needs do is look to both squads and see the difference in ethnic makeup. How ironic that a player of color, Carl Crawford, wins the MVP on an overwhelmingly anglo dominated AL Squad. As long as the NL plays the Jackie Robinson card year in and year out, it will lose. And with the World Series at stake, it is too high a price to pay and is unfair to the fans of this great league and, I feel, the better game.
And what about Charlie Manuel and his decision to leave in Heath Bell, the third Padre pitcher to lose an All Star Game IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS with Johann Santana, Francisco Rodriguez and two more pitchers on the NL bench?
It ain't just AL dominance. It is really really bad coaching, combined with political correctness, and gutless NL pitching that has cost them home field the last six years.
Hey NL, your fate is in your own hands. For tonight, I'm sitting on mine.
