The Campus Sports Guy
Let's go, Joe!
By Corey Ryan, Sports Editor
September 27, 2007 | 12:41 p.m.
With the Indians less than a week away from their first postseason game since 2001, I’m so nervous that I have watched “Major League” twice for some positive karma.
I’ve worn at least one piece of Tribe apparel every day since the team clinched.
My palms are sweaty, knees are weak, arms are heavy, but surprisingly no vomit on my sweater from mom’s spaghetti.
He leads the league in saves. He’s the first Tribe 40-save man since Jose Mesa. His earned run average is 5.23.
Joe Borowski is going to get the ball in the ninth inning during the postseason. This is unavoidable. Despite the atrocious ERA and the Bob Wickman-esque tendencies, he has mostly struggled in non-save situations, while shutting the door 84.3 percent of the time (43 out of 51).
However, he has blown consecutive saves in Tuesday night’s eventual extra-inning win over Seattle and Wednesday night’s extra-inning loss to that same team.
As you can probably tell, I’m conflicted, to say the least about the Tribe’s going further into the postseason.
My dad called me last night to tell me I’m going to game one, presumably in Cleveland, this Wednesday. If necessary, I’ll be at least one game of every series and every World Series (everyone collectively knock on wood) game I can make it to.
As all of you regular readers already know, I’m a big believer in karma, so below is the letter I have written to Joe Borowski in an effort to build his confidence, attempting to make him Mariano Rivera as opposed to Byung-Hyun Kim.
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Dear Mr. Borowski,
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you and the rest of the Tribe on winning the Central Division. You have no idea what that means to the fans.
Secondly, I would like to congratulate you for being the inevitable league leader in saves. This team hasn’t had a legit closer since Jose Mesa, and it’s been great having a guy who can put up 40-plus saves in a season.
This fan base needs a championship, Joe. We need one real bad.
I have followed this team since I made it out of the womb. There are pictures of me in a car seat at old Municipal Stadium, barely old enough to shit myself.
My dad has been in northeast Ohio for more than 45 years.
We were there for the good times, 1995-2001, and the bad times, 1987-1994 and 2002-2005 and 2006 for me.
I’m just writing to tell you that we believe in you, Joe.
If you would have been our closer in 1997, we would have won game seven, Jose Mesa may not want to kill Omar Vizquel, and Terry Pluto would have beaten Bill Simmons to the “finally we won a championship in this cruddy town” book punch.
Terry can still write that book, Joe, and I can still write that column after which Terry and I can compare readership.
You are the key to this year’s team. We play close games, and we win close games.
Notice how I am using “we,” Joe? That’s because you are a part of something bigger than just the 25 uniformed players and the coaches. This is about destiny, Joe.
Rafael-squared are going to eat up the seventh and eighth innings like Jimmy Chestnut eats hot dogs, and that is assuming C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona don’t pitch into the ninth.
My advice to you is to download clips of Mariano Rivera during the Yankee championship runs and to watch “Major League” and “Major League II” as many times as possible during the next week.
I want you to channel in your inner Rick Vaughn, come out to the mound and pitch to Parkman.
Put on the skull glasses and the leather jacket, and be a badass on the mound, Joe.
Sincerely a true fan,
Corey Ryan
The Campus Sports Guy<br>Ohio University
P.S. You don’t exactly “make my heart sing,” but I wouldn’t take that personally.
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