I just saw Mariano Rivera leap from the mound like a bobcat, take a high chopper over his shoulder and throw out the Cleveland runner at first to seal the Yankee's victory. The first thought that came to my mind was that "no other pitcher can make a play like that." The second thought was: "Well, except for Jason Roif."
The Big Guy does it all. He pitches like Tom Seaver. He hits like Rusty Staub. He fields like ... Mariano Rivera (if you'll pardon me, Jay, for throwing a Yankee into the mix). Speaking of (wannabe) Yankees, he makes guacamole, as he demonstrated tonight, like Martha Stewart. And he's an all-round good guy, like Marv Thronberry. It has also occurred to me, from time to time over the years, that he also runs the bases like Marvelous Marv. (Only joshing, Jay Man.)
Nail-biting observers who were not at the game tonight may have surmised that the Reachers failed to win. They would be correct. While there were few blown opportunities and a miscue here and there, it was, overall, a fun game to play. We came back in the top of the seventh with three runs to take a 5 to 4 lead. Steve Tilley hit a two-run single and Fred Wertz doubled him home with a towering drive that hit the fence and missed being a three-run homer by inches. Steve, by the way, earlier drove in a third run with a sac fly. I will take credit here for advancing all three of those runners into scoring position with bloopers down the right-field line, a rather dubious talent I seemed to have developed.
If there's nothing quite as exhilarating as battling back from a deficit in the last inning, there's nothing quite as sucky as having the other team battle back to defeat you in the bottom of the frame. But that's what happened. 6 to 5 was the final.
Fred went 2 for 4 on the night and also perpetrated a dazzling catch on a hard-hit fly ball to left that Steve lost in the lights. (He didn't make that excuse, but I've been there.)
Kevin also went 2 for 4, including a picture-perfect line drive to the right-field gap. He also made a nifty grab of a wide throw at first and, more important, did not split his pants or groin in the process.
Jim hit the ball extremely hard all three times up, but two were right at infielders, leading to two double plays. I just checked with Rizzuto. "I've never seen that before, White," he said when I told him what had transpired. "Do you believe it?" No, and I've been watching Jimmy tear up the bases since 1967.
Arch played his usual stellar game all around. He was on base with a double and walk in three at-bats and, pinch running, flew home on Steve's RBI line drive to left.
Pete went 3 for 3, scored twice and reminded us that he had nothing to do with our other two losses. Vell, he is a wirgin no more.
Robert, filling in for Rick at second base, was flawless with the glove and would have gone 2 for 3 except for an exceptional play by their left center fielder on a sinking line drive.
Larry, who got clobbered in a home-plate collision yesterday, called an excellent game tonight -- something I got to observe close-up since I was not playing the field. He also worked a walk.
Mark, the wily veteran, took the count deep on all three at-bats and hammered out two singles despite the shenanigans of the opposing pitcher, who has developed a new delivery designed to disrupt our timing, if the concept of timing be allowed to be mentioned in the same sentence as slow-pitch softball.
So, to sum it all up, we lost 6 to 5 on a beautiful spring night. There was mirth. There was camaraderie. There was guacamole. And nobody got hurt. At least more than before.
I know Steve and Robert are out for next Monday at 9. Pete and Jim are in. How about the rest of youse?