Tomorrow's Hero

Goat, thy name is Chase Utley. Wait, maybe it’s the left side of the Angels infield, Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar, who should wear the horns. And let’s not forget young J.A. Happ, who not so happily walked in the Dodgers’ winning run.

In the Dodgers-Phillies game, Mr. Utley, the second baseman for the Philadelphia team, inexplicably threw away a sure double play in the 8th inning with a heave way wide of first baseman Ryan Howard, allowing the tying run to score and spoiling the two-hit, no-run effort by the forever young Pedro Martinez. A sports psychologist may be needed.

Mr. Happ failed on a 3-2 count to Andre Ethier, who resisted the temptation to swing and “drove” in the winning Dodger run with a bases-loaded base on balls. Ouch, babe.

Later, back at the Yankee ranch, Messrs. Figgins and Aybar looked at each other like little leaguers as a pop-up fell harmlessly between them at the edge of the outfield grass, allowing the pinstripers to plate a run in chilly Yankee Stadium (The Bronx was not burning).

All of these miscues led to great wailing and gnashing of teeth among those who live this sporting life. These failures shall forever be called “Castillos”, named after the New York Metropolitans’ Luis Castillo, whose inability to catch a pop fly for the final out this past season allowed the pinstripers to score two runs and ruin dreams of riches for a sporting man with a stake in the outcome.

None of these goats will miss a meal, though we might want to feed them tin cans instead of the pellets that are doled out at petting zoos. However, let’s be fair. These young men will not sleep well tonight. Well, maybe they will. I remember a young boy in tears after a strike-out to end the game, but I also remember the same boy stroking a two-out, two-strike double into the gap in left center in Prospect Park to drive in three runs and lead his team, down seven runs in the final frame, to an improbable come-back victory. In fact, I’m taking Athens (OU) against Sparta (Texas) today and the Lucky Charms girls soccer team against whomever they face today.

Yesterday’s goat could be tomorrow’s hero. For every “Bonehead Merkle” there is “I don’t believe what I just saw!” You can look it up.