JUNE SWOON

Please forgive this post those of you who are sportaphobics but I need to vent.

In the month of June, my beloved Marlins have gone from being ½ game out of first place to having sole, undisputed possession of last place. It is being referred to as the June Swoon around baseball.

We have only won one game out of the last 18 Now I have the woman's approach to the game in that winning isn't everything—but gee—even I need more than one out of 18 as a reward for watching  2.5 hours almost every day. Come on fellows. You are my summer entertainment.

April and May, we played really well. Pitchers pitched, bull pens didn't fail, fielding was vastly improved and batters hit. We were all thinking post season. For the month of June however, only the bull pen is still functioning but it can't carry a team and is showing the signs of strain.

The depression on the bench is evident.

Since the start of the swoon, my young team can't buy a win. Some losses are close games, some are pure humiliation but the defeats continue to pile up. We just find a way to lose.


 Watching games has been really, really painful and the phrase, “Oh no, not again,” pops into my head early in the games. I have to remind myself that this is only a game. To the fan it is still a game but it is pure business to the owners.

Sunday, the manager resigned. I do not think he was the reason for the swoon but heads must roll.  Why former batting champs suddenly can't hit a ball out of the infield or pitchers can't find the plate have Baseball baffled.

Right now, I think it has progressed to mental and I don't know what will set them right. Summer just isn't much fun right now but I still love them, even when it is difficult to do so.

To lighten the mood, I have enclosed some baseball quotes I thought amusing and true.

"This club is playing better baseball now. Some of the players actually look fairly alert." - Mets' Manager Casey Stengel during a rough period.

“If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base.” ~Dave Barry

Recently during a Marlin/Dodger ball game, a man in the stands proved the opposite of that quote. He was holding his probably six year old  daughter balanced on the back of a chair so she could see better when a foul ball came his way. He promptly dropped his daughter to catch the ball. I tried to find pictures but they were all blurry.
She was not hurt and the crowd and announcers were both stunned and amused. However the daughter did not laugh and it took her quite a while plus an ice cream cone to half way forgive Dad. She gave him the elbow and a super black look when he tried to hug her. Bad daddy. Wonder what his Father's day was like?

“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” ~Ted Williams

“Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off.” ~Bill Veeck

“Things could be worse. Suppose your errors were counted and published every day, like those of a baseball player.” ~Author Unknown

Confucius say: "Baseball wrong - man with four balls cannot walk."~Author Unknown

And finally from John Fogerty's song “Centerfield” is the reason I hang in there all summer long.

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field.
A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man Anyone can understand --the way I feel.

Next game, I hope that brown-eyed handsome man heading for home will be wearing a Marlin's jersey.

Thank you, I feel better.  I hope if you are a sports fan that your team is doing better. I am positive they aren't doing worse.