Family Baseball

As I've done the past 2 seasons, I purchased MLB The Show for the PS2. Again, I built a team of backups and number 5 starters. I compile my list during spring training, so there are usually players who end up having a big impact on their teams who started the spring as backups or backend starters (Carlos Pena in 07, Jacoby Ellsbury 08, this year Edwin Jackson). There is one major change from the last few years.

Last year on the 4th of July, my wife, daughter and myself decided to play a homerun derby. I was clearly the worst of the swingers (even though I play the game the most). My daughter and wife easily outdistanced me. But that is only a little part of the story. My wife crushed me. She hit a Josh Hamilton like 28 bombs in a single round with Ken Griffey Jr. We joked for the rest of that season that I would let her hit for me when I was in a slump.

Fast forward to this season. With the team not hitting well and lacking big time power I was up against Brandon Backe of the Astros. He had dominated earlier this season, pitching a complete game 2 hitter (Nick Swisher hit a homerun to get us on the board) where the Astros beat the Cubs (my team for the year) 3-1. As I was complaining that I simply didn't pick up the ball from Backe, my wife says "Let me take some swings". She of course goes on to score 9 runs on 16 hits, thoroughly dominating the Stros. Thus making something of a super team. My wife's hitting with my pitching.

We've gone on to play almost 30 games this way (19-11) and have played really well. I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the season this way.