Two overtimes and Michigan loses.
I’m seriously pissed off.
Made it out today. Yesterday it was pretty warm outside, but today it was freezing. It even snowed a little. I know enough about bats to know they don’t mess around when it’s cold. They huddle together for warmth and stay that way until temperatures rise again. Any bat not in the huddle is either dead or dying.
So, I wasn’t too worried about being in the shack today. I admit that I was a little jumpy, but not terribly. Got in a few hours of hunting, but didn’t see any deer. Pretty much just read. Been getting in a lot of reading while sitting in the shack this year.
I packed it up when it was getting dark and made it back to the house in time to catch the last quarter of the Michigan-Indiana game. That was a hell of a snowstorm you guys in Ann Arbor had. People were making snow angels on the field. At times the snow was falling so hard, we could barely see the game.
Michigan won. The final score was 20-10.
…I drink beer, eat peanuts and watch the Pistons and the Cavaliers.
It doesn’t look good for the Pistons. The 3rd quarter just ended and the score is Pistons 56 – Cavaliers 82.
That’s gotta sting. At the beginning of the third period, the score Lightning 3 and Red Wings 1. But the Red Wings picked up their game, got in one goal and then another, bringing the score to 3-3.
As the last few minutes ticked off, I thought they would end up in another shootout. But, the Lightning struck again, 4-3.
The Red Wings did not manage to score again before the buzzer sounded.
Well, damn. It just happened. Iowa wrecked Michigan’s perfect season. By one point.
The Wolverines were ahead. The score was Michigan 13- Iowa 11. But the Wolverines’ defense failed to hold the Hawkeyes back as the last seconds were running out.
The Hawkeyes got themselves within field goal range with three seconds left on the clock.
I prayed that Iowa’s kicker would miss the mark or one of our guys would miraculously leap and block the ball as it flew overhead.
But when has God ever listened to me?
Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a baseball game played so hard. That was Game 7, the final game of the World Series, the game that decides who the champions are.
The Chicago Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908 and they had not made it to the World Series since 1945. Long time Cub fans are probably bawlin’ their eyes out right now, so relieved that they got their “just one before I die” victory.
The Cleveland Indians did not make it easy for the Cubs, and why should they? The Indians worked every bit as hard to get to the World Series. They weren’t just going to let the Cubs have the glory. Both teams played hard. The players seemed desperate, even stressed out.
There were many wild leaps and dives, and the sprints seemed speedier than usual. It was like the guys found some godly power deep in the pits of their stomachs and used it to kick their gears into overdrive.
By the middle of the 5th inning, the score was Cubs 5 – Indians 1. But the Indians began turning things around in the bottom of the 5th, bringing in two runs and the score to 5-3.
The Cubs scored again in the top of the 6th, but the Indians got in three more in the bottom of the 8th, and the score was 6-6. Chapman looked real nervous after that, but luckily they caught a base runner attempting to steal and wrapped up the inning before the Indians could score again.
But then it was the 9th inning and the score was tied. Looked like everyone had the shakes. The Cubs didn’t score in the 9th, but neither did the Indians. A 10th inning was added, and then it rained. They rolled out the tarp and we waited to see if it was over for the night. Thankfully the rain delay didn’t last long and the game resumed.
I call this a pitching mistake. When a pitcher intentionally walks a batter, I reckon it’s because the pitcher assumes the next batter can’t hit. I didn’t memorize the name of the pitcher on the mound at that point, but he did this twice. Walked a batter on purpose, and then the next batter got a good hit. Twice this happened in the top of the 10th and the Cubs got in two runs. The score was now 8-6.
Bottom of the 10th, the Indians got in one more run. The score was 8-7.
It slipped my mind. Did the Indians have a man on first and second? Or just first? I don’t remember and I don’t feel like checking right now. But there were two outs and the Indians still had a chance to win. The batter hit, the ball bounced, was caught and thrown to first base before the batter made it there.
All I could think after that play was “CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!!”
This game was wild. Billy Goat’s curse is broken. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years.
Well, folks, that was Game 6 of the World Series. A few days ago, the Indians were leading the series by 3 to 1. They only needed one more win and they would have been the Champions. But the Cubs don’t want to let that happen. After no championship in over a hundred years, this just might be the year of the Cubs.
The Cubs won Sunday’s game, and then they won today’s game, 9-3. The World Series is now tied, 3-3. Game 7 is tomorrow night and the winning team will be the Champions.
Go Cubs. It’s your turn.
Michigan beat Michigan State. It had been a few years since the Wolverines last won the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The final score was 32-23. Michigan had a bigger lead than that, but State pushed harder in the 4th Quarter.
Jabrill Peppers made some heroic plays. Near the end, when State was getting awfully close to the end zone, Peppers nailed the quarterback on the 4th down and the ball was turned over to Michigan.
State did get another touchdown, with one second left on the clock. After that, instead of kicking for one more point, State was going to try for two points.
But the quarterback dropped the ball and Peppers snatched it up. He ran the whole length of the field to Michigan’s end zone and those two points went to the Wolverines instead.
While scrolling the guide for the Detroit Red Wings, I came across one of those high school football games that ESPN sometimes covers. This one was Woodland Christian at California School for the Deaf.
Having gone to a deaf school myself, this was a game I wanted to watch. I flipped back and forth between the Red Wings and the high school football game. But the football game held most of my attention.
There was a lot of signing on the field and not just from the refs. CSD proved to be a very tough team, with good offense and defense. The final score was California School for the Deaf: 43 – Woodland Christian: 0.
After the football game, the Red Wings had a long shootout with the Blues. Zetterberg is the hero tonight, he broke the 1-1 tie.
Okay, just watched the Red Wings win another one. Good game. They’ve really been slicing the ice. Tonight’s win was their fifth win in a row and that makes their season 5-2 so far. Lookin’ good.
The Lions are picking up their game. They won their last three games. I admit that things were pretty tense in those games, but they won them. Their season is 4-3 now and looking hopeful.
Now the Michigan Wolverines, baby. Jim Harbaugh and the team are making me very happy. The Wolverines are undefeated so far, 7-0, and several of their wins were big wins.
The Michigan-Michigan State game is Saturday. I expect the Wolverines will beat the Spartans this years.
Go Blue!
The Detroit Pistons start their regular season tomorrow at 7:30 PM. I’m looking forward to it. Their preseason was so-so, they won three and lost three. But preseasons are really just warm ups and don’t mean much. So, who knows what will happen in the regular season. I expect it to be fun.
I’m rooting for the Cubs in the World Series. I saw them win the NLCS on Saturday night. It had been a very, very long time since they last did that. Long term curses like that sure remind you how old Major League Baseball is. Billy Goat’s curse lasted longer than Babe Ruth’s.
The Cub’s gotta win the World Series. If they win, all will be right in the world.