Your friendly neighborhood Prof here. It’s just going to be me today so more of a “She Said, She Said”. So, Game Six started out with the Indians hoping to slam the door on their visitors, and the Cubs suddenly playing an underdog role. Anthony Rizzo, an Italian Jersey kid if ever one existed, played nothing but Rocky Balboa movies and the theme to “Rocky” all day long. This is not a joke, this actually happened.
From the jump, Jake Arrieta looked sharp. The Magical Land of Cleve was hoping there was some propane left in Josh Tomlin’s tank. But y’all… the pilot light burned out.
Kris Bryant started it off with a solo shot, an absolute bomb, to get Chicago out early. Rizzo gets on board, followed by Ben Zobrist, and then a hit by Addison Russell turned into two runs due to a throwing error charged to Jason Kipnis.
Second inning was uneventual, and the Indians were hoping that was all the Cub Juju that would happen in the game, but like my boy Rizzo once said…
Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs’ DH and beloved Ruthian doppleganger, was walked to lead off the third. Rizzo and Zobrist then loaded the bases for 22 year old Addison Russell. Who promptly hit a MONSTER GRAND SLAM!
7-0, third inning. The Jake…er….Progressive Field sounded more like a tomb.
The Indians made a good faith effort to come back, but even against an Arrieta who was rapidly cooling off it didn’t make much of a difference. Mike Napoli attempted to throw a party, but it was only a single. However, that single let to a run from Jason Kipnis. Later on, in the fifth, Kipnis solo homered to make it 7-2.
Cleveland trotted out pitcher after pitcher to stop the bleeding, and it helped for a while. Joe Maddon brought out Chapman, who tweaked his lower body running down Lindor at first. But still, it was all good, if you’re a Cubs fan.
Then the ninth inning happened. Kris Bryant gets on base, then my boy Rizz hit a huge homer to pad the lead. 9-2.
Depending on your views, Maddon either left Chapman in too long or left him in WAY too long and allowed a runner. Out comes Pedro Strop who allowed a hit and a run to score, bringing us to 9-3, bottom of the ninth, although it really wasn’t all Strop’s fault. Joe West was your home plate ump and he was out there doing Joe West things.
After that Strop run, Travis Wood came out for the last needed out, facing Jason Kipnis. Wood delivered.
So, after decades and decades of futility for both Chicago and Cleveland, and inspired baseball played by both teams in this series, it all comes down to one game. One final game for the whole shebang.
We will see you tomorrow night for Game Seven, and a World Champion will be crowned!
Fan Interference 
“She said, She said”. One of my favorite songs from the greatest album of all time. Thanks for getting my day off to a good start. Unfortunately not much available in the way of videos for this one.
http://www.jukebo.com/the-beatles/music-clip,she-said-she-said,uvr0s.html
At the start, I was completely ambivalent about this series. Not liking either team, it was hard to get interested in making time to watch it, but being a baseball fan I tuned in for the last couple innings of the last 3 games. After reading a week of stories, blogs and my friends Facebook posts, it seems as though everyone has jumped on the Cubs bandwagon. So just for tonight, I’m a full blown fan of the Forest Cities/Blues/Spiders/Naps/Indians. From what I’ve read here, Cleveland could use the excitement.
Francona has done a great job of keeping Kluber’s pitch count down so even though this will be his third start of the series he should be strong. It would be cool to see him be the first pitcher to win 3 starts in a single series since Mickey Lolich in ’68. (Randy Johnson’s 3rd win in ’01 came in relief). I don’t understand why Maddon thought a 7 – 2 lead required the use of Chapman. Does he really have that little faith in the rest of the pen?
Regardless of the outcome, after the final out tonight we head into the long dark abyss of the off season.
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“It is not to be thought that the life of darkness is sunk in misery and lost as if in sorrowing. There is no sorrowing. For sorrow is a thing that is swallowed up in death, and death and dying are the very life of the darkness” –Jacob Boehme
Coincidentally, this year the darkness drops on the traditional Mexican Dia de los Muertos. Happy Day of the Dead to all, except Cleveland, which isn’t interesting enough to merit a Day of the Dead in the first place.
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Hey, I haven’t seen Marlins Man at any of the Series games. I thought he went to them. What gives?
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“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
Rogers Hornsby
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One team will end their drought tonight.
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Yes indeed, and one will continue to wander in the desert.
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Cubs. Ya gotta believe. Fly that W tomorrow morning!
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I don’t know. As an outside observer, this has been a good Series. My friends who migrated from Chicago have turned into Cleveland fans. (Makes sense, no? Move to Houston, root for Cleveland against your old home).
I feel like a good team wins either way. It just seems like it would be so much fun to be able to say to Cubs fans,
“No, you were wrong. All of those magical 108’s in which you found such deep meaning were merely random manifestations of a universe that cares not one whit for your existence. Now go over in the corner and wait another 108 years for your next chance.”
Have a nice day! 🙂
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“No, you were wrong. All of those magical 108’s in which you found such deep meaning were merely random manifestations of a universe that cares not one whit for your existence. Now go over in the corner and wait another 108 years for your next chance.”
Get thee to Cafepress immediately, and I’ll buy one of those t-shirts.
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A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
– Stephen Crane
I was gnawing on a marzipan skull this morning and contemplating how a Cubs victory might affect the Chandler Wobble. I decided that “Chandler Wobble” was a great name for a new dance.
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Here’s your Chandler Wobble
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I think I was channeling Stephen Crane a bit when I wrote by T-shirt logo.
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I kinda want both teams to win, but if Cleveland wins, that guy who got that tattoo man.
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I’m kinda rooting for Cleveland–no particular reason really– and it’s funny, because my wife has family in Chicago, so of course she’s rooting for the Cubs. Slightly weird scene on the home front right now..
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Mom and I are on opposite ends of the couch taking turns being insufferable. Go AL!!!
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Has anyone seen the umpire lineup for tonight? Cowboy Joe can’t screw things up behind the plat tonight, at least.
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*plate
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