Giant Hero

OK, they finally won one last night. Here is what you didn’t read in the Chronicle this morning.

I was there in FC 109, which is behind the first base dugout looking out through the infield toward left center. It was the perfect place to be sitting to observe Mark Sweeney’s bonehead blunder in the second inning.

Situation: score tied 1-1 after Sweeney grounded into a fielder’s choice, Durham scoring. Sweeney was on first, two outs, Alfonzo at the plate. The kid ripped a lazer beam into left center over the centerfielder’s head, and it bounced to the wall. I followed the ball and then looked at Sweeney approaching second base. He had slowed up and was watching the fielder to see if he was going to catch it. As soon as the ball cleared the fielder’s head, Sweeney turned on the jets, but he was held up at third base, Alfonzo stopping at second. No run scored.

What the hell was Sweeney thinking to slow up approaching second? Here’s what he was thinking: there is one out, and I may have to go back to first if the fielder catches it.

Hey, Mark, there are two outs. Run your ass off at the crack of the bat. Put your head down and pump. You’re a veteran, you’re not supposed to make this mistake.

There is no doubt, he should have scored there. All the people around me in FC 109 saw it and agreed: he forgot how many outs there were. When Jamey Wright struck out for the final out of the inning, we all thought, “If the Giants lose by a run, this will be the reason.”

Now, a little irony: between the second and third innings, the Giants showed a Mark Sweeney collage on the scoreboard.

Let’s now move to the bottom of the sixth, Brewers up 3-2. With one out and Feliz on first, Sweeney singled to right, Feliz moving to third. Alfonzo struck out (not a good night for the kid with runners in scoring position). TWO OUTS. Moises Alou stepped in as a pinch hitter and drove the ball to almost the exact same spot as Alfonzo hit it in the second inning. Feliz scored, but this time Sweeney was tearing ass around the bases, turned third and headed for home. The cutoff man rifled the ball to the plate a little high and a little to the first base line, and Sweeney slid around the tag for what would be the winning run.

Do you think Sweeney was aware of how many outs there were?

A little more irony: walking out through the Field Club, Kruk and Kuip were interviewing game hero Mark Sweeney on the tube after the game. The sound was turned down, but I don’t imagine they asked him about what happened in that second inning. They probably were kissing his ass and telling him how great he played.

This morning in the Chronicle they talked about the players’ meeting before the game, which Sweeney himself called in order to set up a Kangaroo Court. It turned into a grievance airing, which beat writer Henry Schulman credited for the win. I’d like to nominate game hero Sweeney to be the first to drop a Benji into the Kangaroo Pot for blowing that run in the second last night. From all accounts Sweeney’s a good guy, and I’ll bet he’d be hard pressed to disagree.