Short And Not-So-Sweet
As those who’ve been reading this blog for awhile may remember, Santa Barbara was hit by a major wildfire in November and friends of mine lost their homes. Today, at about 2 p.m., another fire flared up. By the time the Yankees-Sox game started at 4, Pacific Time, it had burned 160 acres and planes were battling the flames and high winds.
No structures were in harm’s way at that point, but the smell of smoke and ash was awful and it was hard to breathe. I turned on the game, figuring I’d forget about what was going on outside my window. I saw Joba’s early ineptitude, followed by a few innings of his remarkable turnaround.
And then the power went out.
It stayed out for awhile – long enough for me to miss the Yankees’ own power outage. When it came back on, I had many, many questions about the 7-3 loss.
* Could the Yanks not figure out a way to score a few more runs against a less-than-stellar Beckett?
* Did Melky have to go for that triple instead of being satisfied with a double?
* Was Pena’s error the latest evidence that the Yankees can’t win a game in which they don’t field the ball cleanly?
* Did Melancon forget where home plate is?
* Shouldn’t 12 strikeouts from a starter be enough to get a “W?”
Way to rally, boys.
Speaking of rallying, the firefighters are amazing here; they don’t have an easy task, given that the fire season doesn’t usually start this early and there have been so many fires in Santa Barbara County over the past couple of years. But the conditions are incredibly dry and the winds are howling. As of 9 p.m., the fire had burned 420 acres, and 1200 homes were evacuated.
Do I wish the Yankees had won? Obviously. But right now I’m more concerned with how this night will go. Paradise can be a scary place.
(Fire Photos: Santa Barbara Independent)
Confessions of a She-Fan 
Hope everything is okay up there, Jane. There’s been quite a bit of coverage of the fire on the news down here. NY could at least share some of their plentiful rain. Gosh, we could use it. Sorry your Yankees are letting you down but at least Tex is finally hitting. And it’s nice to see you DO believe in the power of the rally monkey! Stay safe!
Lori
http://luckylori.mlblogs.com
Jane – I will keep you and all the residents in the area in my thoughts and prayers. Stay safe. When people’s homes and lives are at risk it just reminds that baseball really is nothing more then a game. Take care. And God Bless all the firefighters out there risking their lives.
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
Living in Ohio, I have never had to experience wildfires like that. Like Julia said, it reminds us that baseball is just a game. Stay safe and God Bless the firefighters!Russhttp://wight4256.mlblogs.com
Your admirers back east, like me, can’t imagine what it must be like to go thru that worry of the wildfires. So sorry, and I pray that the danger has passed, even though the bad air lingers on and there may be more to come with your dryness. PLEASE take some of our rain (how I wish you could); we’re waterlogged.
I was going to regale you with a story that just occurred — maybe it’ll lift your spirits. I was in line this morning to buy some tix to our agency’s annual Baseball Nite (Nats vs. Pirates, no biggie), and wound up standing behind a guy named Big Mike, wearing red T-shirt (Nats? Red Sox? who knows). Mike spotted a friend coming off the elevator and said: “Hey, you’re a YANKEE fan! What are YOU doing getting in line?” Then he added, more loudly, “You don’t wanna see BOSTON no more, do ya? They haven’t beaten ’em yet, have they? What are they, O and 7 now?” The Yankee fan replied, “O and 5.” I tried not to wince too obviously. Big Mike was full of himself for another 10 minutes, yakking about everything, as we waited…but when it was his turn to buy tickets, guess what: cash or check only, please, no credit cards. “But…but…but…” And guess what, they were running out of tickets. As Big Mike slouched off, still sputtering, I pulled out my checkbook (like a true Yankee!), wrote my check, and just smiled…
Those pictures are scary. I hope everyone you know is o.k., at least. It must be awful to live in fear of that happening with any frequency.
Yes, the game last night was frustrating on many levels, but I’m just going to go zen from now on and say to myself, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Wow. My thoughts and prayers are with ya’ll out there. That’s no laughing matter. Stay strong and hopefully your Yanks will follow suit.
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
We’re getting drenched here in the East, and Cali’s too dry – if only we could figure out how to evenly distribute the rainfall (and only overnight 🙂 wishful thinking I know). That must be very nerve-wracking for you, especially knowing people who have already lost their homes. Hopefully the firefighters will get it under control. Stay safe.
Sue
Rants, Raves, and Random Thoughts
Oh boy, be careful out there! I thought the fires only came around in the fall!! 🙂 Be safe…
http://kaybee.mlblogs.com
Thanks, Lori. At least we’re the only fire in CA right now and don’t have to share state resources, although I did hear there’s a new fire in AZ.
Our firefighters are the best, Julia. They worked all night in tough conditions and are always there for us. We all bow down to them.
Russ, you’re lucky you don’t have fires in Ohio. Maybe I should move there!
Good story, Dave. And yes, the air is bad here. Some people are wearing masks.
Zen is an excellent way to go, Yankees Reality Check – in baseball and in life. Now if only I could do it. 🙂
Thanks, Jeff. Btw, when did you become a southerner with the “y’all?” Or is that how all Cardinals fans talk?
Nerve-wracking is exactly the adjective, Sue. Today it’s supposed to be in the 90s here with winds upwards of 50 mph. Not good.
That’s what I thought, Kaybee. Now they’re saying the season officially starts May 1.
Stay safe out there Jane!
Megan
http://yankeemeg.mlblogs.com/
Stay safe, Jane. We’re all keeping you in our thoughts.
Jen
http://faithful.mlblogs.com
Stay safe, Jane. I’m doing a rain dance for you guys right now.-Erinhttp://plunking-gomez.mlblogs.com
I wish we could have sent some of the rain we had last night your way. Be safe!
Megan, Jen and Erin – thanks for the good thoughts. (I love your rain dance, Erin. Keep doing it.) The wind is calm right now, which should help the firefighters. But the fire itself has zero containment and the winds are supposed to get really bad tonight. I may lose power again while watching the Yankees. Horrors!
Wow, scary stuff. I’ll definitely keep you in my thoughts and prayers, Jane.
Good luck with the wildfires there, Jane.
About the game: Not fun. On a very optimistic note though, I look at four of five of these games and can’t help but think that with A-Rod things will be different. And I’m still a huge Melancon guy.
Thanks, Bern. Sometimes I think about moving back to NY and this is one of those times!
I think things will be different when A-Rod comes back, Letsgoyankees. Tex will have more protection in the lineup, for one thing. And the team as a whole will just be more solid. Not sure about Melancon. He has great stuff, but can he harness it?
Jane, when I first heard about the Santa Barbara fires, I thought about you. How close are you to the fires? I know there is always danger of fires there. Are you close to Lake Cachuma? I am so frightened by fire. I’m glad I live in Long Beach surrounded by beach and concrete. I’m praying that everything will be okay. God seems to listen to me so I know you will be all right..
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com
You’re so sweet, Cat. The fire is a few canyons away (I’m not near Lake Cachuma), so I’m not in any danger. But with these crazy winds, you just never know when another fire will start up, especially since I’m way up in the hills instead of where I should be near you in Long Beach!
Hope all is well over there. Firefights are heros. As for the game last night, if Girardi kept Joba in, I think the game would have been different.
http://irishsoxkid19.mlblogs.com
Firefighters are heroes, Irishsoxkid. They worked all night and will do it again tonight. Not sure the game would have been different if Joba had stayed in. The Yankees’ bats were pretty cold.
i hope there is better news for your area today jane…good luck and i hope you are safe mike
stay safe, Jane
Thanks, Mike and Levelboss. I can’t believe I’m sitting here typing this. You should see what’s going on outside my window. (I’m going to post a photo my husband just took.) My power keeps going on and off, but I’m determined to watch this ball game!
Hope you’re all safe, Jane. I just saw the fires on the news tonight, and since you’re the only person I know in Santa Barbara, I immediately thought “I hope Jane’s OK.” Thank God for firefighters.
Jen
http://ajroxmywhitesox.mlblogs.com
I’m safe, Jen. I appreciate the good thoughts. And yes, the firefighters are amazing. I don’t know how they can stand the heat and exhaustion. I’m about to post tonight’s update.
You are a true baseball fan. You are determined to watch the Yankees game no matter what. I am going to Virginia tomorrow but I keep thinking about the four games I will miss. Of course I have many Dodger things for my son which include: a pair of long Dodger shorts, a Dodgertown teeshirt, a Dodger yearbook, a Dodger information guide, a Dodger fleece blanket. He has been totally immersed in Dodgers even in Virginia. He has all the bobbleheads from last season, the fleece blanket, lunch bag. It’s a good thing he is a Dodger fan.
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com
I am determined to watch the games, Cat, even though the power keeps going on and off! Your son is a lucky guy having all those Dodger goodies. You’re right – it’s a good thing he’s a fan!