Saturday, May 3, 2014

You Could Qualify to Win a Mint Condition 1965 Mustang

Good morning all, and welcome to this unusual contest.

 Only those fans who either watched or listened to the Yankee game last night/this morning ( when we officially lost the game ), are likely to be in a position to formulate responsible, insightful and, yes, psychologically helpful responses.

Here is the challenge, which could qualify participants for the grand prize, referenced above;

Find a means of identifying positive, redeeming features from LeDoux's relief pitching performance last night/today.

For example:  what "upside" did you see in LeDoux's walking of the first batter he faced?  Did he show a great slider on one particular pitch?  Did he show poise in after realizing that he had just abused the one thing relief pitchers cannot do if they wish to have a career in baseball ( a career to which ....so far.... his entire life has been dedicated );  that is, he walked the first batter he faced in an extra inning game where his team is 1-12 with RISP?

How did your impressions of him momentarily change when he struck out one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball?  How did you feel when you realized that was simply a tease?  For how long did your optimism that, " he may just get himself out of this mess," last?  Be honest here:  was there a moment when you thought/hoped that this scrap heap re-tread from Scranton might actually have a bright future with the Yankees?

What strength did you find in his work as the next several Ray batters rapped out singles, doubles and whatever until we were 5 runs down, after the team had battled to preserve a 5-5 tie after 12 innings?

When did he realize that he was all alone on an island?  That his career was going into the toilet?  That his teammates, who would later pat him on the back and say, " don't worry.  You'll get 'Em next time," didn't really mean it?

What did they really mean to say? When did they realize that, as the game wore on, the Yankee's depth of quality talent just could not match that of their opponent and that losing had become inevitable?

What is LeRoux thinking today on the bus to Scranton?

Hint:  the most important issue here is to identify re-deeming qualities from LeRoux's performance.  If Brian Cashman were to be interviewed, for example, on the subject of LeRoux's performance and his future potential for helping the Yankees, what would he say in the most "politically correct " response?  Written, imagined statements will get extra credit.


1 comment:

JM said...

Obviously, LeRoux has some work to do, but he showed that he could take a brutal pounding and keep going. The kid has a lot of heart. He's not afraid of big-league hitters, and he's certainly capable of throwing strikes...even though the opposition sends them flying around the stadium. All in all, I think it was a good outing, and the experience will serve him well as he works on his mechanics in Scranton, where he will have many, many years to perfect his location.

I think an important part of his maturation process is the fact that roux is basically a delicious addition to any meal. In Cajun cuisine, roux is made with bacon fat or oil instead of butter and dark brown in color, which lends much richness of flavor, albeit less thickening power. Central European cuisine uses lard (in its rendered form) or more recently vegetable oil instead of butter for the preparation of roux (which is called zápražka in Slovak, jíška in Czech, zasmażka in Polish, rántás in Hungarian and Mehlschwitze in German).