Good Things Escape Those Who Waited

We waited 44 years for this?

The Dodgers and the Angels step out for their first joint adventure in the postseason -- achieving a rarefied state some local people likened to baseball nirvana -- and they lose their respective playoff openers Tuesday by a cumulative margin of 17-6?

Seventeen to six?

If that’s baseball nirvana, let us never experience baseball disharmony.

The Dodgers went to St. Louis, looking for their first postseason victory since 1988, but went there, crucially, with Odalis Perez instead of Orel Hershiser. They’re still looking. The Cardinals scored five runs in the third inning and finished the game with five home runs. Cardinals 8, Dodgers 3.

The Angels, who rode a unique lose-the-opener-and-win-the-series strategy to the 2002 World Series title, apparently have dusted off the same game plan for 2004. Saving Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar for Games 2 and 3, Manager Mike Scioscia served up Jarrod Washburn to the Boston Red Sox, who opened Game 1 by scoring seven runs in the fourth inning. Red Sox 9, Angels 3.

Before either local team could score a run, they trailed by a combined 15-0.

The Cardinals and the Red Sox scored so many runs, ESPN, covering each game live, couldn’t keep up. Somewhere between breakfast and lunch in the Southland, with indigestion breaking out all over, ESPN cut away for a commercial break and missed a home run by St. Louis catcher Mike Matheny.

Local viewers were watching a Cortislim commercial while Matheny went deep to open the bottom of the fourth inning. That number again: 1-800-791-5307 and 7-0, St. Louis.

Play-by-play announcer Jon Miller, feeling a little like Dodger Manager Jim Tracy for a few seconds, was forced to play catch-up. As the TV screen flashed immediately from weight-loss ad to a roaring red sea of fans inside Busch Stadium, Miller welcomed confused viewers back with: “Coming back here to the Cardinals’ fourth inning, Mike Matheny just hitting one over the reach of left fielder Jayson Werth.”

A few moments later, fans watching at home finally saw Matheny’s home run on not-quite-instant replay.

“Man,” Miller said, “the Dodgers may be a little shell-shocked right now.”

They were not alone.

Referring to the Cardinals, who had just increased their lead from 6-0 to 7-0, Miller added, “Who can stop these guys?”

Only Cortislim, apparently.

As if current events weren’t enough, Dodger and Angel fans were not spared grainy video clips of two of their all-time scariest nightmares. Passing time between pitching changes, ESPN aired “Flashback” packages of “highlights” of the 1985 Dodger-Cardinal and 1986 Angel-Red Sox playoff screamers. Look out! There’s Ozzie Smith again! And Jack Clark! And Dave Henderson!

And that was supposed to be respite from Albert Pujols, Larry Walker, Kevin Millar and Manny Ramirez?

It was a rough day for local fans who cut class or work to watch this unprecedented moment in baseball history and quickly had to wonder if they could cut ESPN and hustle back to the classroom or the office. The Dodgers were down, 7-0, by the end of the fourth inning. The Angels trailed, 8-0, after 3 1/2 innings. And there’s Joe Morgan in St. Louis telling everyone, “It does not get any better than this. Postseason baseball in the daytime. This is great.”

Well, it all depends on your vantage point, doesn’t it? Morgan was at Busch Stadium, watching the Cardinals play home run derby. Rick Sutcliffe was at Angel Stadium watching the Red Sox rain runs. Before the day was done, both would be asked to name the most potent lineup in baseball this season.

Morgan went with St. Louis: “These guys are an offensive machine.... Boston is a great hitting ballclub, but they do not have nearly as much speed as the Cardinals.”

Sutcliffe went with Boston: “No question, it’s the Red Sox. Gabe Kapler’s out there today, he’s always ready, he does a lot of things. But with Trot Nixon in the lineup [for Game 2], you’ve got him hitting eighth, you’ve got Bill Mueller, the American League batting champion from a year ago, hitting ninth. It doesn’t get better than that.”

As for the Dodgers and the Angels, can they do anything more in these series than put new baseballs into play?

“For whatever reason,” Sutcliffe said, “[the Angels] have got their horses lined up to pitch in Game 2 and Game 3. That’s what Bartolo Colon was brought here for.... They want to even this series up. They’ll try to do it [today].”

If they don’t, Sutcliffe said, “The series would basically be over. Because they’d have to face [Curt] Schilling again” if the series went five games.

Morgan all but wrote off the Dodgers.

“Anybody can hoist the trophy at the end of October here,” he said. “But I think these Cardinals are the team you’re going to have to beat to get that championship trophy. I think they will make it to the World Series.”

The Dodgers, at least, have today off to regroup, recover and maybe buy some earplugs. That has to help, right?

“The off day works against the Dodgers,” Morgan said. After getting shelled in a game such as Tuesday’s, he reasoned, “You want to get back out there.”

But think of the fans, Joe. After Tuesday, it’s going to take time to muster the strength for Thursday.