Baseball-Related Stress

I don't want Chicago to lose. I just want Cincinnati to win. As I type this, the teams are tied 1-1 in the top of the seventh. Adam Dunn put the Reds up by a run with his 45th homer of the season in the second inning. That allowed me to relax a little. But in the bottom of the third, Chicago's starting pitcher, Glendon Rusch, homered to tie the game. Talk about helping your own cause. Now I'm tense again.

With Chicago and San Francisco in a tie for the National League Wild Card spot and Houston just half a game behind, every game is crucial. The Giants have two more against the dangerous Padres and finish the season with a three-game series against the division-leading Dodgers. Knowing the guys in orange and black, they'll win and lose in just the right sequence to maximize my stress level. It will all come down to the final game on Sunday and the final at-bat with men in scoring position and the slumping A.J. Pierzynski at the plate. The pessimist in me has this feeling.

The seventh inning just ended. Chicago managed to produce a run out of a bases loaded, nobody out situation and took the lead. Now I have to hold my breath and hope Cincinnati can muster a comeback.

Tonight, San Francisco sends young Noah Lowry up against San Diego's veteran, David Wells. It's going to be a nail-biter. I barely survived listening to all of last night's game, so I might tune in to an inning or two before getting lost in another episode of Lost. So, go Reds! But more importantly, go Giants!