Buzz-Off vs. Walk-Off

Game 2 of the ALDS really bugged the Yankees. And the Indians. And the umpires. And presumably the fans, too.  No one, perhaps, was bugged by the swarm of insects on Jacobs field last night more than Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain:

(Click to enlarge; photo courtesy of Amy Sancetta/AP)

Yes, that’s a trainer, and yes, he’s spraying Chamberlain with Off.  Everyone on the field was subjected to the buzz, but the bugs had a special liking for the rookie pitcher. Maybe it was some kind of hit issued by the insect mob from Boston, getting back at Chamberlain for allegedly beaning Sox player Kevin Youklis a few weeks ago (and you know us, we’d just look the other way). Or maybe that dalliance with the Cowardly Lion costume touched a nerve, filling angst-ridden flies with the hope that they’d reconnect with their African relatives when the lion returned to the homeland, only to have the dream vanish when Chamberlain resumed his normal clothing.

Much like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.

The Yanks lost, by the way, 2-1. (More about that in a bit).

Thankfully, Fenway Part was bug-free last night. The Red Sox nabbed the 6-3 win at the bottom of the 9th thanks to a Manny Ramirez walk-off three run homer, the finale of which looked like this:

 (Click to enlarge; photo courtesy of Kevin Youklis’ blog)

You might have noticed a conspicuous lack of gloating in this post. That’s because The Bee and I had a deep philosophical discussion, the kind only sporting events can engender, while spectating the game last night. (I know spectating isn’t a word, but who died and made you High and Mighty English Teacher? Besides, I’m an editor. I’ll duke it out with you red pen to red pen any day).

So, The Bee and I decided that uh . . . it might be time for an empathy swap. The Indians are looking pretty good right now; maybe the Sox would have a better shot against the Yankees, if only because the rivalry brings out the best in both teams. Given that whole pick your poison thing, it might be smahtah to hope for the we-know-what-we’re getting Bronx Bombers than the tied-with-Red-Sox-best-record-in-MLB Indians. So, we at Gossip on Sports may thaw out the heart a smidge (tops) and tone down the anti-Yankees rhetoric for a while. 

Worry none! That window of opportunity will slam shut with ”WTF happened?”-intensity when the need arises (read: should the Sox end up facing the Yanks). But until then, we’ll play nice. Keep in mind that here at Gossip on Sports, “nice” is a foreign and squirm-inducing word, somewhere between “friendly” (overrated) and “kind” (pffft–timewaster), so don’t get used to it.  But we’ll take our pat on the back anyway.