Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Jobah's first real stinker: Lidge or Rivera?




I guess since my team's fantasy name is "Jobah Rules", I should comment on his first real horrible performance of his career. Yea I'm really bummed out and a little sick to my stomach that Jobah just gave up a 2 out 3 run home run to lose the game for us with only 4 outs left to be recorded in tonight's 5-3 loss to the Tribe (which meant only 1 out from Mo). But mainly, I'm nervous. Jobah, thanks to his nearly flawless career till tonight, had never really experienced a devastating blow before. The Midges was just a freak occurrence in which he didn't even give up a base hit and giving up a run in a tie game in Chicago is not that big of a deal. However, tonight was brutal. There were 2 on and 2 out with journeyman utility man David Delucchi at the plate of a 3-2 game in the top of the 8th. Jobah has been so dominant that when the ball left the bat of Delucchi I assumed it was just a regular deep fly out to right. Then the ball starts sailing and when I saw Abreu stop and look up, I knew it was over. Not the game, we could have scored 2 runs in 2 innings to tie it or 3 runs in the next 2 innings to win it. Rather, what was over was the delaying of the biggest test of Jobah's young career. In other words, would Jobah become the next Brad Lidge or the next Mariano Rivera? Would he shake this one like Mo did against the Indians in game 4 of the 1997 ALDS and become the next great reliever/starter or would he go the way of so many of the Brad Lidges of the world? I"m not saying that if he gives up a run or two in his next outing that he's doomed to Brad Lidge status; but it would show me and the rest of the Yankee Universe a lot if he could put this one behind him and continue to be his dominating self. The next few games should go along way towards determining his fate for the rest of the year. My guess is he shakes it off but I'm sure Stros fans thought Lidge would shake the Pujos moon shot off too. Finally, I know that this was not a playoff game, not even close. However, this did go down against the same team that Midged there way for a cheap run in game 2 of the 2007 ALDS against him. Delucchi's hr, though not a bomb, still felt like it was hit 600 feet considering it was hit off the almost un-hittable Chamerlain. I'm upset sure, I'm angry of course, but most of all I'm nervous; is he the next Mariano Rivera or the next Brad Lidge? I'm holding my breath...

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