I’m hooked as I can get

AP photo lifted off of Yahoo! Sports and used without any permissions

Usually after watching the Red Sox in a playoff game (especially if they’ve won it) my adrenaline is running so high it takes hours for me to come down. So if a game ends around 11pm, I’m awake until about two or three trying to settle down.

This is what happened last night after watching that Twins/Tigers game. While I disagree with Orlando Cabrera about it being the best game he’s played in (hello game 4 of the 2004 ALCS?), I absolutely see why he feels that way (and there are many people, even sports writers, giving him crap for saying it. They asked him about it moments after the end of the game and it was a pretty fabulous game – how could he NOT feel that way? Maybe over time his feelings will change but give the guy a break) – this game was so good I was screaming and jumping around and even got a bit of an adrenaline-fueled headache while it was going on. Lead changes, tie scores, runners being thrown out at the plate. Amazing pitching from guys who had to give their absolute all. Both the Tigers and the Twins left everything out on the field last night (well, let’s hope the Twins didn’t leave EVERYTHING) and, as baseball fans, we couldn’t have asked for anything more.

It was fun and exciting to watch a game like that without a deep-seated choice of winner. Because I truly feel like the Tigers were physically and emotionally demolished going into last night’s game (and I’ll admit, knowing their star player was on his ass drunk between two really important games last weekend annoyed the crap out of me) I didn’t want to see them go up against the Yankees. Although, during the game I kept saying “they aren’t playing like a team on their last legs” so what the hell do I know? But because I had that feeling in me, I was rooting for the Twins. (That and the fact that I have more friends who are Twins fans than Tigers fans!) Regardless of which team won, I was enjoying the game. I thought the Twins winning would make me enjoy it more (and maybe it did just a tad) but I also felt terrible for the Tigers who really gave it their all. The visual of Fernando Rodney walking off the field and into the dugout is a haunting one I don’t wish on any fan base. (Okay, maybe ONE.)

Today is the beginning of baseball nirvana. I’m not in the office today so I get to sit in front of my television from 2:30 ET through whenever and watch the Rockies/Phillies then the Twins/Yankees and then the Cardinals/Dodgers. It’s a bit ridiculous how much I’m looking forward to this.