Monday, August 14, 2006

Glad I missed that one

Sure, if you've sat there from the beginning, there's something to be said for resilience when you hunker down for a extra-large, extra-inning game.

But, there are those times you laugh and thank a higher power that you weren't in attendance, too.

Jacksonville beat West Tenn 5-2 in a mere 20 innings Sunday -- Montgomery native Craig Brazell ended it with a three-run home run -- and I couldn't be happier that I wasn't at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

The Diamond Jaxx tied the game in the eighth inning and looked to win it in the 19th. West Tenn scored a run and surely celebrated with glee. Too bad Jacksonville answered in the bottom of the 19th and extended the agony.

Brazell's game-ending blast didn't end either team's day. The game was the completion of a game suspended Saturday night. Sunday's regularly scheduled game was only seven innings long, but it didn't start until 8:23 p.m.

West Tenn's 4-1 victory ended at 10:07 p.m. (That pulled the Biscuits to within a game of the division-leading Suns.)

Let's give the Diamond Jaxx an hour to shower, eat, dress, pack the bus and leave. According to mapquest.com, it's a mere 720 miles back to Jackson, Tenn. Considering the time of day, let's say it's a 10-hour drive. Remembering the change to Central time, that puts the Diamond Jaxx back home about 8 a.m., just in time for an off day.

Ah, the plush life of minor-league baseball.

2 comments:

Brent said...

I'll bet A.J. Ellis won't forget this game -- going 5 for 8 and picking up the win as a relief pitcher!

Stacy Long said...

He got tired of catching them, so he decided to start throwing them.