Friday, May 30, 2008

Birds On A Wire

I just have to say; "Hahahahaha".

I started watching The Wire recently, and am currently on episode seven of the first season. I can see why the show is so critically acclaimed, and I think it is quite good. I don't think as highly of it as some people, but I think that's a byproduct of not living in the city (and rarely going there) and having just watched Battlestar Galactica which I think is a fantastic show, making The Wire somewhat pale in comparison.

In any case, what I'm laughing at isn't an actual part of the show, which is not really funny at all. There was one scene where a character walks into a room and and an O's-Yankees game is in. From the dialog, it can be gathered that the score is 4-3 (Orioles) but Bernie Williams has just doubled. One character says that the team is always letting the Yankees back into the games, but another counters that the Orioles "have a bullpen this year." When asked who's pitching, the reply is "Buddy Groom". Ah yes, Buddy Groom - bullpen savior. (In all fairness, Groom did have a 1.60 ERA in 2002.)

I decided to check out which game it was using the clues available, but they were largely inconsistent. A character mentioned that the O's were up 4-3, but it sounds like the commentator of the game says that (later) after a home run by New York that they had taken a 4-3 lead. Then Chris Singleton is mentioned as homering. This would maybe point to a game on June 26, 2002 where Rondell White hit a two-run homer to make it 4-3 Yankees, and Chris Singleton homered in the next half-inning. Buddy Groom wasn't in the game at that point, and Bernie Williams did double (as a character stated), but it was off of Willis Roberts (it sounds like later a character says that they're bringing "Roberts" in, maybe), who relieved Groom. The score was 7-7 at the time though. Ryan McGuire is also mentioned (as going after a ball in the field) but he only played for the O's in one game against the Yankees, which Groom didn't appear in at all. The characters say that the O's lead 4-3 but Williams just doubled and Groom is pitching. Such a game does not exist, as far as I can tell. If it was a 2002 game, then the O's ended up going 67-95 that year, but did have a very effective pen.

I was disappointed that it seems that the game from the show doesn't appear to have happened. Maybe I missed something - if anyone happens to find that game, or has some clues to what happened in it (I can't make out the background sounds very well), then leave it in the comments. Thanks.

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