Defensive Struggle
Last night I missed the game of the season (between the Twins and White Sox). I only checked it out on the computer twice (once about the middle of the seventh and in the bottom of ninth inning). When I first checked it was 0-0 and Garcia (pitching for the White Sox) had a no-hitter going. Santana had a three hitter going (with seven strike-outs). When I checked the second time, it was 1-0 Twins and Nathan was pitching. It was over.
For some this “pitchers duel” would be boring, but for me a game like that would be exciting if the game was well played. And what a game that was. There were three hits taken away by outfielders who crashed into the wall (two by the Twins, Jones and Stewart — who incidentally is injured, and one by Dye). In a defensive struggle like this, every small play counts. Every bunt, every extra base taken, every pitch left hanging out over the plate. One of the those pitches is what decided the game. Garcia left a hanging curve-ball and Jones smacked out the park. One bad pitch and the game is decided.
The same is true for a low scoring football game. One missed tackle or one player not backing up another leaves somebody too open and someone scores. Of course if the play is poor filled with mistakes like interceptions thrown right to the defender or fumbles where the player is untouched can also cause a low scoring game that is no fun to watch.
Next time a sports league thinks of changing the rules, lets hope they follow baseball’s lead when they tightened up the strike zone to limit the home run flurry that happened in the last 10 years, instead of football where they make it almost impossible to cover a wide receiver.