Another Game One Loss

It was a very close game, characterized by good pitching and defense which by turns was awesome and lousy. Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra committed two (meaningless) errors, but also saved several runs with outstanding leaping catches. Yorkies shortstop Derek Jeter also committed an error. Worst, though, was Sox catcher Jason Varitek dropping a wonderful throw to home plate by right fielder Trot Nixon to allow the tying run.

The game was tied, 3-3, in the ninth and went into extra innings, In the top of the tenth, Sox third baseman John Valentin hit a hard ball to shortstop, which Yorkies second baseman Chuck Knoblauch missed when Jeter threw it to him, apparently trying too soon to get it to his hand to throw to first for the double play. The umpire blew the call, ruling that Knoblauch dropped the ball on the hand-switch when he never had control of it, and ruled Sox runner Jose Offerman out. Brian Daubach (who had a terrible game, showing no patience at all at the plate) then hit into a double play.

The umpire after the game admitted he was wrong, after seeing the tapes. The Sox got shortchanged at least one out. Possibly more since Daubach might have bunted with men on first and second.

In the bottom of the tenth, Yorkies center fielder Bernie Williams hit a game-winning home run. Which wouldn't have been so bad if not for that awful call. And the Yorkies won, 4-3.

It was a tough game, the kind the Sox need to win. Yorkies starter Orlando Hernandez was hittable, but after the second inning the Sox just couldn't hit him. They seemed to be swinging a little too eagerly. They needed to chill out and see more pitches.

CJ was pretty manic during the game, pacing back and forth, drinking beer. Much like last week. I felt kind of bad for her. I'm more laid-back, but only perhaps because I've been watching baseball closely for longer than she has. I got pretty worked up in 1995 when the Sox got swept by the Indians in the Division Series.

Have I mentioned how much I hate the Division Series? Sure, the Red Sox reached the playoffs due to the Wild Card, but I think three tiers of playoffs is just too much. When the Sox aren't in the playoffs - or get eliminated early - I lose interest sometime during the league championships and only pay serious attention to the last few games of the World Series. It's too much baseball, too much stress, more chances to see whichever team you're rooting for get eliminated.

I'd much rather go back to just two divisions per league, and see an effort towards real revenue sharing. But I know that'll never happen.

One thing I did over the last week is read the 60-issue run of Marvel's Quasar comic, written by the late Mark Gruenwald (perhaps best known for Squadron Supreme and his long run on Captain America). Gruenwald was a solid B writer for Marvel for over a decade, writing decent but unspectacular superhero yarns. Quasar is typical of his work: Well-plotted, aimed solidly at your basic young teenaged male fan, with regular recounting of where the story is, and an accounting of who the cast members are.

The premise of Quasar is that Wendell Vaughn is a young man who inherits some amazingly powerful "quantum [wrist] bands" which he can use to fly, jump through space, and create solid objects out of energy. He's appointed the "protector of the universe" by an alien being named Eon. The early part of the series involves Quasar searching and preparing for the great menace he's been appointed to face, and he finally faces him in the early 20s of the series. The remainder of the series involve him creating his own place in the universe, dealing with his feelings of inadequacy, and getting involved in a bunch of ill-considered 'cross-over' stories (although Gruenwald's skill is enough that you have a pretty good idea of what's going on in most of the cross-over stories).

It's not great stuff, and I'm glad I didn't pay a lot for it, but it was entertaining. Its biggest problem is that Gruenwald never really goes for the jugular in addressing Quasar's flaws, never really gives him the chance to grow, only to adventure. Which I guess is the difference between light comic book fare and the meatier, adult-oriented variety.

(The only comic Gruenwald really does stretch out in this way is Squadron Supreme, although even it shies away from the really hard questions. But it's largely remembered as his best work, which I think it is.)

Other comics of note this week:

• Daredevil Visionaries: Kevin Smith paperback, by Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, and Jimmy Palmiotti (Marvel): Collects Smith's 8-issue run on the current Daredevil series. I think I've talked about this before; it's a story which is thematically a re-hash of Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's "Born Again" storyline from the 80s, although if you're going to imitate someone, you might as well pick one of the ten or twenty best comics stories ever told. Daredevil inherits an infant who might be the second coming, or might be the antichrist, and along the way his best friend is sent to jail, his girlfriend contracts AIDS, and Daredevil starts to mistrust everyone he knows. Is he just stuck in the middle of something bigger than he is, or is it no accident? There's a sudden reversal at the end which undercuts much of the rest of the story, although it ends on an upbeat note. It's decent, but not outstanding. The art is also decent but not outstanding, relying heavily on a stylish look rather than first-rate or innovative storytelling.

• X-Men: The Hidden Years #1, by John Byrne and Tom Palmer (Marvel): The first issue of a series which will chronicle the events of X-Men #67-93. Why bother, you ask? Well, during that period X-Men was a reprint series, so these stories have largely not been told before. I doubt there's a crying need for this period to be explored; other than the departure of The Beast, the group in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (published just before #94) was basically the same as in #66. But writer/penciller Byrne decided to explore it anyway.

  This issue involves Iceman leaving the team, an extensive recap of the events of the chronologically previous 20 issues, and the start of a story which sends the team back to the Savage Land, that prehistoric land that time forgot in Antarctica (what, again?). Despite my belittling the concept, this is a somewhat fresher X-Men story than many I've seen in the last 15 years, with well-established characterizations and relationships. Byrne's art is helped immensely by Palmer's always-solid inks. Not quite as good as Children of the Atom, I enjoyed this nonetheless, and wonder if Byrne has any genuine surprises in store in the future.

Watched two TV shows last night.

The first was Wasteland (airs Thursdays; yes, I watch almost everything on tape), which is about a number of 20-somethings in New York City. (God, the Web site for the show is awful. If there's a cast list there, I couldn't find it!) Pretty pedestrian stuff, this episode focusing on a woman who meets an old boyfriend of hers, and they decide they're still interested in each other, and it turns out she's still a virgin, which causes him some discomfort. It's not terribly written, but it seems kind of uninspired. Plus, it has an absolutely terrible soundtrack. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Probably it's one more episode and I'm gone from this one, no matter how cute the blonde babe is.

Second was the new Sports Night, episode, which I actually watch as it aired, that's how much I'm enjoying this show. Looks like William H. Macy (from Fargo and Mystery Men, among others) will have a guest role on the series for a while, as a ratings consultant.