Poblanotes 49.6- Even Steven

[chicoruiz]

Well, when one door slams shut, another opens. And I’m not talking about that old junker car I used to drive…

No, I’m talking about the cosmic tendency for things to even out in the long run, at least for me lately. The Chilis had a nine game losing streak recently, and shortly thereafter, a nine-game winning streak. As much as my second basemen have been disappointing, my catchers have been a pleasant surprise. As Kramer said on Seinfeld, I’m “Even Steven”.

I also made a deal right before the deadline that kind of fit the pattern. Ramon Pagan was one of my favorite Chilis, and he recently hit his 500th homer, and that pretty much puts him on track for the Hall of Fame. I had even ordered a cake, and was going to present it to him during a pregame ceremony. But I ended up giving him an even better gift: I traded him to an actual winning team.

Why? Well, one reason was that I’ve had a bit of a logjam at the corner OF/DH positions. Now I can have Hang and Martinez in the lineup every day. But I must admit, the main reason for the deal was my history with the player I got in return. Gary Goodchild was my first ever draft pick when I got my first GM job with Jerusalem. He went 18-3 for me in my magical worst-to-first 2046 season. His performance has been kind of sliding slowly downhill since then, but he’s still only 23, and I’m hoping that getting us back together will reignite some of the old mojo.

And as it turned out, the day I acquired him, I had a starting pitcher land on the DL, and I had Gary ready to jump in and take his place. See what I mean? Even Steven…

[recte44]