I decided to stay home and watch Tuesday’s Creighton-Nebraska baseball game on NET. There was rain in the forecast and I didn’t want to tempt the gods. Did it rain? No. Was it a good game? Yes. Should I have gone? Of course.
But I kept a diary instead. Sorry, Bill Simmons. Giddy up!
6:30 – I sat down on my couch with what I thought would be essentials for a Creighton-Nebraska game on NET: the remote, a glass of water, my computer and some gauze. The gauze, of course, was so that I could staunch the bleeding that would undoubtedly come from my ears after an inning or two of Adrian Fiala as the play-by-play man. Like, nails on a chalkboard think Fiala is tough to listen to. Imagine my overwhelming joy, then, when trillion-time Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year Kevin Kugler’s voice shot out of the speakers. And Creighton’s radio voice John Bishop to boot! It’s already a win, regardless of the actual baseball outcome.
6:33 – Nice to see sophomore Greg Hellhake out on the mound. He’s been fighting some injuries all off-season and all year. I’d imagine he’ll only go an inning. Let’s see if we can use more than 10 pitchers, the number the Jays used two weeks ago in Lincoln.
6:40 – Inning-ending 3-6-3 double play for the Jays. I’d imagine Creighton will need a few of those tonight.
6:45 – Junior shortstop Elliot Soto leads off Creighton’s half with a double. He’s been heating up a little bit lately, and the Jays are going to need him to hit if they are going to make any kind of second-half run in the Missouri Valley Conference.
6:46 – After a sacrifice bunt from junior third baseman Jimmy Swift, senior left fielder T.J. Roemmich grounded out to first, scoring Soto. One of Bishop’s “Keys to the Game” for Creighton was getting off to a fast start. So far, so good.
6:51 – I have been informed by one of my female roommates that we are going to have to flip between the game and… wait for it… American Idol! between 7 and 8.
6:53 – Senior Mike Nihsen relives Hellhake after an inning. I keep thinking about what our pitching staff would look like if Nihsen and Hellhake were (or near) 100 percent healthy. Nasty is a word that comes to mind. But, alas…
6:57 – Nihsen’s worked himself into a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the second after two hits and a walk. However, THREE MINUTES ‘TIL AMERICAN IDOL!
6:58 – Nihsen hits the batter. 1-1, still no outs, bases still loaded. Then a slow grounder to freshman second baseman Alex Staehely results in only one out at second and another Husker run.
7:00 – Swift makes a great diving catch on a popped-up bunt in foul territory, but a single up the middle by the next Nebraska hitter results in another run. 3-1. Hopefully Seacrest gives game updates.
7:05 – Flipping back to take a peek, it looks like Nebraska’s D.J. Belfonte was trying to pick a fight with Creighton senior first baseman Ian Dike. As a comparison, that’s like me trying to pick a fight with Rocky Balboa. Paraphrasing Fiala from a previous game: “Ian Dike is a well-put-together man.” Translation: Ian Dike is jacked. Like, huge. My bet is he could break D.J. Belfonte into two nearly-equal halves.
7:19 – Lee Dewyze just killed it on Idol, says Simon Cowell. He’s dreamy, says my roommate. Kara Dioguardi is annoying, says me. I flip back to the game, and it’s the bottom of the third. It was the bottom of the second when I flipped away about nine minutes ago. Creighton baseball!
7:22 – Bishop is talking about Roemmich playing center field during senior Robbie Knight’s absence due to a bothersome hamstring. I have to say, Roemmich, in addition to batting third or cleanup for the Jays, is a very good outfielder with a rocket for an arm. Over the last few years, Darin Ruf, Pat Venditte and Robbie Knight have gotten a lot of attention, and deservedly so. Consider this me throwing Roemmich into a similar conversation, at least as far as these 2010 Jays are concerned.
7:27 – Look at that! Creighton scored a run while some Tim guy was singing something by the Goo Goo Dolls. It’s 5-2 Nebraska, two outs, runners on the corners for Dike. And he flies out to right. Meanwhile, this kid on Idol is, like 13. I’m 22 and I still don’t know what I’m doing with my life.
7:33 – New pitcher for the Jays! Next week, Creighton plays a double-header Tuesday and another game Wednesday. Bruce Rasmussen, Mark Prior, one of the Brandeis Hall lunch ladies and me are all scheduled to pitch an inning on Wednesday. Coach Servais is taking applications for the other five innings. (That joke was brought to you by the Omaha World-Herald’s Brad Dickinson. Unless you actually enjoyed it, of course.)
7:43 – Kugler: “A rare 2-0 count to a Creighton hitter.” We’re in the fourth inning. Those are the sentences you never like to hear. I suppose you’re not going to get many hits when you don’t get ahead in many count. Two weekends ago, when the Jays were swept at home by Illinois State, they were being too patient. Now they’re being too aggressive. And I sound like Peter King.
7:53 – We’re in the bottom of the fifth, moving right along now. Still 5-2 Huskers. And the Jays saw about five total pitches in that inning. Onto the sixth. And onto the final singer on American Idol, thank the Lord.
7:59 – Crystal Bowersox (singer, not stripper) just cried at the end of her song. You’re not going to weasel a vote out of me, Crystal! Now, uninterrupted Creighton baseball.
8:02 – Still 5-2 Nebraska, headed to the bottom of the sixth. Kugler and Bishop visited with Nebraska coach Mike Anderson between innings. “Coach, any plans to try to start a brawl at home plate after the game?” (Note: That wasn’t a question that was asked.)
8:05 – A one-out double by sophomore designated hitter Scott Thornburg. He has been HOT lately. And, after a Dike strike out, senior catcher Carson Vitale singles him home. Jays only down two now. Staehely flies out to right field, headed to the seventh.
8:14 – After freshman Mark Winkelman gets the first batter to strike out, Servais brings in senior right hander Matt Patterson, the Jays’ sixth pitcher of the night. Winkelman and sophomore Kurt Spomer have been coming on strong for Creighton in its bullpen, giving Servais a couple extra options. Patterson retires the next two.
8:23 – Soto, with a runner on first and no outs, showed bunt on the first pitch, as if he was going to sacrifice. I almost threw my shoe through the television. On the second pitch, he lined a single into left, proving, once again, that I never really know anything. First and second, down two, no outs. And Swift lays down a real sacrifice bunt to move up both runners. Good opportunity here for the Jays with the heart of the lineup coming to the plate, and Anderson brings in a new pitcher.
8:30 – And Roemmich, after I heaped praise on him a little over an hour ago, pops up into shallow left. As good as a strike out for the Huskers. Pretty standard O’Byrne jinx there.
8:35 – Junior left fielder Trever Adams walks, and the bases are loaded for another potential O’Byrne jinxee – Scott Thornburg. And he gets hit! Robbie Knight is so proud. 5-4 ballgame, bases still loaded, Dike at the plate.
8:40 – Dike doesn’t swing at all and walks on five pitches. Tie ballgame. Bases still loaded. Vitale up to bat. Me wondering why I’m not at Rosenblatt. Me remembering that, if I was at Rosenblatt, Creighton would be losing by seven, and it would be raining.
8:43 – Vitale strikes out on a bit of a questionable call. Jays score two runs and strand three runners, all on one hit. Creighton baseball! Struggling lefty Jack VanLeur takes the mound for the Jays.
8:50 – 1-2-3 for Jack in a reverse jinx. Let’s do this thing.
8:53 – Robbie Knight, who hasn’t played in at least a month, pinch hits with one out. He drills one into the right-center gap and reinjures the hammy when he bursts out of the batter’s box. Dusty Baker thinks that might have been an irresponsible use of a recently-injured player. But, there’s a guy on second and Soto gets intentionally walked. First and second, one out in the eighth.
8:57 – Swift singles in the go-ahead run. Sorry your career might be over, Robbie, but thanks for that double!
9:04 – Jimmy Motz’s Facebook status: “Ed Servais is by far and without a doubt the best baseball coach in the state of Nebraska.” I concur. Anderson is brutal. Bases loaded again for the Jays, two outs, one run lead in the eighth. Nebraska’s new pitcher throws a wild pitch, a run comes home and the Jays lead 7-5. Yippee! Thornburg walks. Bases loaded again. These two teams just aren’t very good. Another wild pitch, another run. Rick Ankiel thinks this guy has poor control.
9:08 – Dike, who for some reason is swinging the bat, strikes out and the Jays head to the ninth with a three-run lead and I’m bored. But VanLeur’s staying on the mound, so I’ll stick around for what should be an interesting ninth.
9:13 – Lookie there: leadoff single, then a double. Second and third, no outs and newly-designated closer Bob Lackovick coming in. Rick Reilly (Tom Shatel?) thinks the Jays are predictable. Time to buckle those seat belts, folks.
9:22 – Lackovick strikes out the first two then gets a fly ball to right for the last out of the game. Jays take the season series. CREIGHTON IS THE BEST TEAM IN NEBRASKA! But the Jays are still under .500 in the Valley, so that sucks.
Creighton is back in action this weekend as they travel to Springfield, Mo., for a three-game Valley series against Missouri State. If you actually made it through these 1,644 mostly-incoherent words, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re hall of fame in my book.