Lonely Are the Brave

Game 14: Durham Bulls 6, Charlotte Knights 5 (12 innings)
Season: 11-3
Wrap, Box

Not only a terrific movie, but a good description of the seriously die-hard (or maybe there’s another adjective?) Bulls fan. Those who know where I usually sit will notice that I am not in the picture. Note that Wool E. Bull stuck it out, though.

Did I miss anything by leaving in the middle of the 8th after the rain had been pouring for a while and the temperature had dropped at least 15°? As a matter of fact, I did. But I would have had to wait a couple of hours until the bottom of the 12th when, instead of the sheer power of the last five games, the Bulls won their sixth game in a row through guile, speed, stubbornness, and a bit of ineptitude on the part of the Knights.

The Bulls opened up with what has become a signature power display: a three-run homer by Hank Blalock in the first and a two-run homer by Dan Johnson in the 3rd. Then things got awful quiet to the bottom of the 8th, a 1 ½ hr rain delay, and another four innings before Fernando Perez singled his way on to first, then scrambled second and on to third, and then came home when the Charlotte shortstop let Hank Blalock get on base.

We used six pitchers. The starter, Virgil Vasquez, simply wore himself out. He threw 98 pitches in only 4 ⅔ innings and that’s just too many. Joe Bateman had a fine two innings. Joaquin Benoit got through 1 ⅓ without giving up a home run. Winston Abreu, Dale Thayer, and Brian Baker kept us in the game. Baker got the win. We really need Carlos Hernandez to go deep tomorrow, though.

A win.

Here’s hoping none of the Bulls got the chilblains.

As for the dedicated fans, I raise my cup of Irish coffee to you!