So one thing I've
learned in my lifetime as a project manager is that you always have
to develop contingency plans for whatever risks might happen. Now
you might think settling in to watch a ballgame is not exactly
fraught with peril, but it turned into one of those kinds of nights.
The weather in El
Paso has returned to temperatures warm enough to keep the air
conditioners running. They had predicted rain initially for
Wednesday and Thursday this week, but this morning they revised it to
a storm warning with hail a distinct possibility.
I hadn't really
thought about it much beyond deciding not to take one of the
motorcycles to work as I'm not a fan of slipping and sliding on two
wheels. Why it mattered was my method of catching TBS in my home –
DirecTV. I've had them all, Dish Network (a local provider which I'm
not supporting), Time Warner and have kept DirecTV for several years
despite rate increases and billing problems. They usually respond
well when something goes wrong and the picture quality is far
superior to their competitors.
Their Achilles'
Heel, however, is weather. When the bad rains wind occur, the
satellite signal becomes iffy at best. The picture will pixelate and
eventually freeze, with an error code appearing on your screen.
As you can see from
the pictures provided here, the prognosticated storm occurred in spades. The
hail was a little under golf ball size (photo taken after it had had
some time to melt). It was only a matter of time, therefore before
the satellite signal would drop. Sure enough, in the middle of the
game while the Mets were tied 2-2, I lost my signal!!!
It was then it
occurred to me that my lifeblood during the regular season still
existed. A few years ago I purchased a refurbished Slingbox to place
into my brother's New Jersey home where his daughter had moved out
and the TV in that room was seldom used. This device sits between
your cable signal and your Internet connection and provides full
broadcast capabilities over the Web.
Hats off to AT&T
for its U-Verse fiber-optic Internet service that did not fail me
during the poor weather and with ome fiddling and software updates I
was able to resume watching the game just in time to see Yoenis
Cespedes score on the ball that got away from the Cubs' catcher,
Miguel Montero.
A few minutes later
the DirecTV signal came back and I saw in crystal clear high
definition Dexter Fowler doing the best on-field acting this side of
an NFL punter when he lost the ball in the ivy. The Mets then
benefited from some less-than-stellar fielding by Chicago, and you
know the rest. There were a few
scary moments for sure...the ball off the bat of Jorge Soler in the
7th that Granderson caught looked like it was headed over
the wall when it came off the bat. Then there was Dexter Fowler's double off Tyler Clippard. There were a couple of defensive plays in the 9th by Murphy and Wright that were not guarantees and then the rain came and added a wildcard dimension, but they got it done and now are poised for game four.
You were as creative in getting to see the Mets as they were in winning last night's game. This team is rolling. let's hope you see all 9 winning Mets innings in high def tonight
ReplyDeletelooks like you and the Mets shared weathering a storm last night...
ReplyDeleteWould love to see a Reese Kaplan post about the decisions Terry Collins has made that have them one win away from the world series.
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to survive the storm safely and catch some of the game.
Ask and ye shall receive.
ReplyDeleteI praise Terry Collins for not playing unproven Matt Reynolds and sticking with Wilmer Flores at shortstop when he had his back up against the wall and had to make a choice when his favorite player was taken out of commission. Flores has thus far fielded flawlessly and contributed a few hits and a stolen base (plus a caught stealing). :)
Seriously, though, I am very pleasantly surprised by the lack of tinkering and the success he's had. Particularly noteworthy is the addition of speed to the game which was not part of the early success that got them there. That had to be a command from the manager.
His bullpen machinations are somewhat puzzling, with Robles and others who helped a lot during the year merely watching from the sidelines as he leans heavily on his horse. But thus far it's working so he deserves praise for that as well.