Why Does Work Have to Interfere with Baseball?

So I missed yesterday's funfest because I was at work and only monitoring the Gamecast every once in a while. I've also been away from the computer a lot lately due to both the day job and some freelancing. I did see Matsui's walk-off, which was completely and totally adorable. We usually only see him with the stoic face on. It was nice to see a smile. And, btw, doesn't he look about ten years younger with his batting helmet off?

Anyway, yesterday was apparently a roller coaster of dropped fly balls, tremendous pitching from AJ, amazing catches from the same person who brought you the drop, uneven pitching from Bruney, Phil/Mo awesomeness, and ice cream metaphors. That's the kind of craziness I can get behind.

I haven't seen highlights of Swisher's drop in the third inning, but it looks like he more than redeemed himself with this:

And this:

Notice the clete marks. I'll admit, it's hard to advocate for Swish when he has his lapses in the field. But seriously, who's going to try to argue that Hinske makes those two plays? Not a chance. And how was Swish able to make those plays after he'd botched one so badly? He's able to put things away right after they happen and focus (relatively) on the next play. People undervalue that skill.

Oh, intangibles. How we love you. Or hate you. Depending on who we are. If you're a stat-head, you don't care about the psychological aspects that come into play. But Swisher certainly has a boatload of those qualities: he's a good teammate, he's not afraid to get banged up out there, he's patient at the plate, he's relentlessly positive, and he likes playing in New York and handles everything that goes along with that well.

To wit, this quote via NorthJersey.com: "That's when I'm at my best, when I'm having fun and laughing and joking around," Swisher said. "I think there's a lot of people in this world who would trade their right arm to trade spots with me."  Which brings me to Brian Bruney.

I'm not one of those fans who writes people off without ample evidence, so I won't write Bruney off as a pitcher. However, the one thing I really can't stand is when someone acts like the friendly, goofy guy when things are going good and then turns around and becomes a sarcastic jack*** when he's forced to take responsibility for a mistake. Sure, you can be disappointed in yourself and you don't have to be a shiny happy person like Swish. Just say, "Yeah, I know I still have some stuff to work on." How hard is that? Apparently, snapping at the beat writers is just easier.