I'm here to tell you, every single game matters. Every. Single. Game.
Ask the Rangers who somehow managed to win the last 7 games of the season to force a 163rd game. They must now play, and win, the play in with Tampa Bay to qualify for the Wild Card play in to play...someone.
The Rangers are now reminded that every single game matters. Any one of their 19 one run losses going the other way could have prevented game 163. Eleven shutouts didn't help them avoid one more with Tampa. Just one less 1-0 shutout (they suffered 4 of those) could have made the difference. In September alone the Rangers suffered seven one run losses and two 1-0 shutouts.
Everyone always says "It's just one game, we'll get 'em tomorrow." That BS. Those 2 one run losses in April mattered. Those 4 one run losses in May mattered.
Every single game matters. If they didn't, the teams wouldn't play them.
My all-time favorite player isn't well liked by many apparently. He may have been a shrill voiced prick. He may have been a douchebag to a douchebag writer. (Thanks to Night Owl for that link.) Will Clark knew that every game was important. He took losses in April personally. He didn't take kindly to teammates half-assing it out on the field. He screamed, he hollered, he cussed. He was intense.
He knew that every game mattered.
That's why I miss Will Clark.
(Thankfully, the Rangers played the Angels and Astros so many times this year. The 32-6 record against those teams was the difference.)
Great point... totally agree. Good luck against the Rays tonight. The WC teams are hungry and are starting to heat up. Part of me is glad the A's have to face the Tigers instead of the WC winner. Then again... the Tigers are loaded with talent.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Every single game counts In 2011 the Nationals got a bit screwed because of a rained-out postponed game that never happened because it wasn't significant to the playoff picture. I forget which team it was the Mets maybe? They only played 161 games that season and finished with a painful 80-81 record. A losing season, but with one unplayed game that if they had won it they would have had an even .500 season, if they lost it they would have been 2 games under .500. So yes EVERY game matters. One game in 2011 could have been the difference between the Nationals having a losing record to having an even .500 NON-Losing record. Not a winning record, but not a losing record either.
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