OSS: The Cubs get a HR from each of the #1-6 in the lineup, and the Cubs withstand the voodoo magic.
Three Up
1. Jorge Soler has had the best start to a postseason career in the history of baseball. Soler has not been retired in his first 9 plate appearances, and the previous record is 5. A 1.000/1.000/2.500 line in 9 PA seems pretty good, I think. Soler had a 2 walks, a single, and a dinger in this game.
2. Kris Bryant broke out of his slump in a big way, putting one into the seats to put the Cubs up 4-2. It was a lead they would not relinquish.
3. Starlin Castro tied the game with his bomb, and added another single and the last putout of the game. It's nice to see Castro being a postseason hero.
Three Down
1. Javier Baez came in in relief of Addison Russell and made 2 terrible defensive plays in this game. He went 2 for 2, but his defensive miscues gave St. Louis hope (which they then squandered). It was a rough night for Javier, and he knows it. Atypical for him.
2. Jake Arrieta wasn't very good in this game, though "wasn't very good" still comes with 9 strikeouts. He allowed 4 runs in 5.2 innings, and really didn't look very sharp. And the Cubs still won, so who gives a shit.
3. Miguel Montero looks to hit a 7-run homer every time he swings the bat. That's problematic, because 7-run home runs haven't even been invented yet. He went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts and a walk.
Next Game
Tomorrow, 3:30 PM CT
Will the Cubs Win?
Even in a bad start, Arrieta’s K/BB is 4.50.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Baseball should really invent the 7-run home run. Would make a lot of games more fun to watch.
dmick89Quote Reply
Speaking of baseball, why in the hell did David Price come into a game where the Jays already had a 5-run lead? And why did he stay in for 3 innings?
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
dmick89,
Put different hoops that are automatically worth extra runs. The four extra-run hoop would be where Bryant hit the scoreboard.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Because the Jays are that good, apparently.
ceruleanQuote Reply
In my indoor baseball vision, you would have scoring circles. It’s not unlike skeeball in that regard.
JoshQuote Reply
Baffling. I get that Price doesn’t have terrific postseason numbers, but that’s a dumb reason to bring him into a game that’s already settled.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Russell hopes to play tomorrow. Will be evaluated then.
dmick89Quote Reply
Good to hear.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
They also light their cigars with hundred-dollar bills.
ceruleanQuote Reply
Game fives are always exciting. But I’m really hoping the Cubs win it in 4.
JoshQuote Reply
Everyone else can play their Game 5s. I’d like to see the Cubs get a breather so they can reset the rotation.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Yeah, agreed. What’s crazy is that this seems very possible.
UrkQuote Reply
http://imgur.com/ytsS621
I hate prospectsQuote Reply
Problem is Lackey has owned the Cubs all year.
It just can’t be this easy. It can’t. It’s Cubes. Something’s got to turn, a worm or something, to make this hell on Earth. You don’t just dispatch your long-hated, historically superior rival just like that. It has to be agony. Multiple years of getting close only to have it snatched away. It can’t be we face them once and beat the piss out of them in a 5 game set like it ain’t no thang. There has to be the unaccountable setback, the heartbreaking choke, at the very least a game 5. The conditioned part of me says Lackey will be nails tomorrow, throw the best game of his career. Cards will cruise and then eke one out at home in game 5. But something else says Lackey’s pedestrian road stats and working on short rest will be his undoing, Cubs will beat the ball all over the yard, and then get the rest of the week off.
Either way, tho, I’ll be under my bed until this is over. Being good is stupid. What a terrible idea. #FireTheo
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
We really need upvotes here.
JimLQuote Reply
Maybe I am still coming off that post-coitus high from my rendezvous with the Hope Monster, but here is my prediction:
Hammel throws 6 innings of shutout ball (3 hits, one walk). The Cubs do not score many runs (only 2 or 3) but it holds up. The biggest threat is when Joe goes deep into the bullpen to get everyone some work before the next series and a couple of relievers let the Cardinals threaten with their voodoo, but everything manages to work out and the Champaign gets uncorked in the locker room.
Or I get pissed off because the Cubs lose while going 0 for 88 (with 57 strikeouts) with runners on third with no outs. Lackey loads the bases each of the first five innings but then strikes out the side with some absurd calls by the home plate umpire. The Cardinals even get a unique double play when Castro is on first and there is a 3-2 count, Lackey throws over to first, picks off a snoozing Castro while the home plate umpire calls the pickoff throw strike three.
Something like that.
JimLQuote Reply
Don’t really get the Baez bashing from the last thread. He had a bad game defensively after coming in cold (mid-game, not having played in over a week, in a game with 1000 x the intensity of any he’s ever been in).
We’ve all seen him look awesome at three positions.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I know, I can’t believe it would be that easy, too. That’s the Hope Monster fucking with me. They’ll probably get killed tonight.
Fuck.
JoshQuote Reply
To be fair, it will have been a great throw right where Piscotty sets up with his glove. Soler should have at least offered at it.
ceruleanQuote Reply
I don’t know about Vegas but my local bookmaker has the Cubs (15/4) second out of 8 playoff teams to win the WS, behind the Blue Jays (31/10). Cardinals come in last at 10/1.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
We’ve all seen him make great plays, but I’ve never considered him a good fielder. He made One particularly horrible play and the other play was probably a base hit even if he plays it cleanly. It happens, but I’d have had the same reaction if Russell made that play. I wasn’t bashing him (the person), but I was also the one hoping he’d be moved to CF because I really didn’t want him on the infield where he’d get more chances.
dmick89Quote Reply
That’s after last night’s games? Makes sense. I think ELO had the Blue Jays tops entering the postseason and the Cubs 2nd if I remember correctly from a 538 article.
dmick89Quote Reply
Feels like St. Louis is making a mistake starting Lackey on short rest.
MillertimeQuote Reply
I hope so. I’m not sure it’s a mistake as long as they think he’s their best option. I’m still not sold on Lackey being all that great, but he’s been pretty good this year. I hope the Cubs put this one out of reach early. A 3-1 ass-kicking over the Cardinals with a decisive finale would be pretty fucking sweet.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Yeah that’s after last night’s games. Mostly I just wanted to share the Cards being ranked last.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Suburban kid, It's nice to see them dead last. My Blue Jays/Cubs pick for the WS is still alive though I'm hoping its against Houston. I hate that team more than I do the Cardinals. So I'd like to see the Cubs kick their ass too.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I’m a horrible jinx so I’m not gonna speculate on opponents beyond tomorrow until they win their next game.
I hated the Oswalt/Berkman Astros, but I couldn’t give 1 fuck about them now. Not crazy about the Rangers for some reason. Don’t hate the Jays or Royals but don’t have any of the affection for KC that other Cubs fans seem to have.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I guess Cubs fans like to have an AL team and the Royals are underdogs and play against the Sox a lot. Kinda like the Twins. Oh well.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I agree with what uncle dave said a thread or so back: we deserve a team in the WS who can hit the ball out of the infield. Fuck the Royals. (dying laughing)
dmick89Quote Reply
Lackey does not fill me with dread. His performance Friday night was good, but it was also lucky. Granted conditions will be less favorable to hitters than last night, but I think Rizzo is going to have a big game—past performance vs Lackey (or whomever) be damned. 2-3 with 3 RBIs and a BB. Cubs win 5-3.
ceruleanQuote Reply
A cubs/royals world series would be pretty cool because it would be two opposites facing one another. The thing that will suck is if the Royals win is that I’ll not only have to hear about it non-fucking-stop for a year, but the narrative will be that the Royals won because they make more contact. Bullshit.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I guess I do recall you expressing that view consistently. Based on my lying eyes he is a very good fielder and simply fucked up on that first play last night. I have bought into the scouts/Maddon’s narrative about him, and not looked at any metrics. If it’s hype for trade value, I’ll help with the effort.
I agree that if Russell sits, Castro should start today with LaStella or Coghlan at 2B.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2004 Astros run in the NLCS—almost as much as Boston against NY—even though they ended up losing in 7. Carlos Beltran, holy shit.
(Soler and Schwarber are on pace to have similarly astonishing first postseasons.)
ceruleanQuote Reply
Total bullshit. The Royals would win because Ned Yost is their manager.
ceruleanQuote Reply
The metrics are basically useless for Baez at this point considering he has such a small amount of playing time. I believe UZR has him above average at 3rd in less than 75 innings (maybe more now). My lying eyes have agreed with that. He’s looked really smooth at 3rd. They have him below average at 2nd and SS, but again, small samples here. My lying eyes agree with that as I think he’s looked well below average at SS and below average at 2b. If you could tell me for sure that Baez was going to hit well enough to be in the big leagues, I’d suggest moving Bryant to the outfield as Baez, in a small sample, has looked to be the superior defender at that position. Problem is, even in a rebound season, Baez still wasn’t all that good at the plate. And that’s with Maddon picking and choosing which days and opposing pitchers to play Baez against.
Anyway, Baez made a shitty play last night and I’d have said the same thing if Russell made the error. The announcer called him lazy, which was funny because Baez actually made an effort to make the more difficult play. He should have been lazy, planted his back foot and fired directly to 1st. That’s the lazy play and that’s the obvious play that Baez should have made. He’s definitely not lazy. I don’t remember and haven’t bothered to look if the second miscue was ruled an error. It probably shouldn’t have been. It would have been a very difficult play and one that probably results in the runner being safe anyway.
i think the next couple games or the next few weeks will be the last time we’re arguing about Baez. I’ll be surprised if he’s in a Cubs uniform next year. They need to make space somewhere and I know sitrick thinks Soler gets moved, but I think Soler may be proving himself to be a piece you cannot risk moving.
dmick89Quote Reply
If those two come close to what Beltran did, wow, that would be insane considering their age.
dmick89Quote Reply
From the comments in Muskat’s article about Russell, I’ll be surprised if he isn’t in the lineup today.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Even if Lackey is their best option, there’s no way he’s still their best option on 3 days rest. Cubs are going to have a great chance this afternoon, I hope they take advantage of it.
MillertimeQuote Reply
dmick89,
I only heard Pat and Ron’s call on the second play – it was ruled a hit and they thought that was the right call, saying it would have been a very difficult play to make.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I think the Cubs do better against him today than they did last week, but I’m not that confident in Jason Hammel at this point. I’ll say Cubs 6-5. I’m hoping for Cubs 145-3.
dmick89Quote Reply
But I’ll settle for 11-3.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
2 runs every inning. Keep piling on. Please.
JoshQuote Reply
dmick89,
If baseball has taught me anything, it’s that I’m always wrong. I thought trying Samardzija as a starter was a waste of time. I thought Arreita, Hammel, and Hendricks would all be 5th starter fodder. I thought Rizzo would max out as a 4 WAR player, and that Bryant would dissapoint in his first year.
So I’m picking the Cards to win the world series. Have fun trying to break the curse of my baseball knowledge, jerks.
MillertimeQuote Reply
I concur. I think the “Trade Soler” ship sailed into the bleachers along with those two home runs.
Unless we’re getting Mike Trout. Then the ship comes back and I’ll help Soler pack.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Is fine with trying out Samardzija as a starter since it would increase his value of it worked out. I just didn’t think it would work. I didn’t anticipate his walk rate falling all the way down to the acceptable range.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Hell, they can have Baez, too, no extra charge.
JoshQuote Reply
No one’s excited to see the Royals bloop and dribble their way to the world series?
JoshQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
In the contest of “who should have been a starter” Samardzija may still pass Mark Prior.
JoshQuote Reply
Josh,
I actually don’t mind the Royals style of play that much. While I get that the Adam Dunn approach results in more runs, which is a great thing from a baseball strategy point of view, from an entertainment point of view I kind of like teams that put the ball in play. Low Walk/Low Strikeout/Medium Power is probably my favorite style of baseball to watch.
MillertimeQuote Reply
Millertime,
They made it exciting yesterday for sure. I tend to agree overall. I think that’s why I liked the Cubs 2007/8 so much. They were more of a doubles and clutch hitting team. It’s hard for me to trust power strikeout teams.
JoshQuote Reply
I’d want them in the WS just so we can make jokes about how everyone on the team has average speed.
berseliusQuote Reply
One thing we can all agree on is that the TBS broadcast has been fucking terrible.
berseliusQuote Reply
I don’t know what you’re talking about. I, for one, was glad to learn that Aramis Ramirez had begun his career in Pittsburgh, spent time in Milwaukee, and then returned to Pittsburgh.
PerkinsQuote Reply
I hadn’t even noticed it until yesterday, but they don’t even tell you who is coming up to bat at the end of the inning on the little score graphic. I remember early days ESPN doing that. This is 2015. There have been about 10 plays (at least) that they don’t even have a camera on. It’s unreal.
dmick89Quote Reply
I was nervous about the Arrieta start last night. For some reason, I’m pretty confident with Hammel today (outside of Heyward). I think he goes into the game holding nothing back instead of trying to pace himself for 6-7 innings.
He knows he will get pulled in as little as two innings if he doesn’t bring it. Plus, I think the Cubs gets to Lackey early.
JonKneeVQuote Reply
I’m still pissed off they completely missed Arrieta’s stolen base in Pittsburgh.
Did anyone in the stands upload a home video of it even?
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I can’t believe they actually posted it as a highlight on MLB.com.
“And there he goes!”
(Who? Where?).
http://m.mlb.com/video/v520286783/?game_pk=446238
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Yeah that was bad. If ESPN looks favorable in comparison, you’re doing it wrong.
PerkinsQuote Reply
I think my dog had a mini stroke yesterday. She turns 16 in November so she’s old and was already mostly deaf and partly blind. She didn’t seem like she was feeling well yesterday morning and then she started to feel better, but is now almost completely blind. I know some of you here have had dogs before. Is this what you’d think it was?
dmick89Quote Reply
Another thought: TBS should replace Eckersley in the booth with Pedro. Pedro generally has insightful things to say and is fun to listen to.
PerkinsQuote Reply
That was pathetic. Right after a confrontation, not one damn camera was on him. I think TBS has about 3 cameramen (or women) and that’s it. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen.
dmick89Quote Reply
I love listening to Pedro. I just wish the pregame didn’t have the other three guys. If or when the Cubs get a new TV contract, they should hire Pedro to run a 30-minute pre-game for all games.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
In the last year my dog has pretty much gone deaf. It’s sad. She can hardly get up the stairs anymore and basically refuses to walk. I think she’s in a bit of pain. Poor old dog.
JoshQuote Reply
I remember a game in 2008 when the Cubs broadcast the first three innings in black and white and using only camera angles that would have been used in 1948 (I think it was a throwback game to celebrate 60 years on WGN). Still better than TBS.
PerkinsQuote Reply
dmick89,
I don’t know .
I’m only on my second dog. The first one died fairly suddenly after not being “right” for about 1-2 days. I asked the vet about the cause and even they said ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Doesn’t sound too good. Sorry to be useless.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Suburban kid,
I’m glad I’m listening to it on the radio. I feel like I’m getting better info.
Did it look to anyone else like the catcher just let him have the base?
JoshQuote Reply
My dog is in some pain too. I’ve been giving her the equivalent of Ibuprofen each day for a couple months now. It’s not fun even though it’s a part of life. You get a dog and you hope to get a long life from them, but you’re not thinking about those years at the end. Those years kind of suck. Don’t get me wrong, I love her the same as I always have, but it’s just been a lot rougher. Not sure if I’ll get another dog.
dmick89Quote Reply
That’s how I’d always hoped she’d go. Not early in life, but just quietly in her sleep. Now I find myself questioning almost daily whether or not it’s time to put her down. I read an article about a year ago about how it’s a good idea to make a list of all the things the dog used to love doing and compare it to what she loves doing now. Mine still loves to go for walks, car rides, getting treats and going out back. There are a lot of things she no longer likes doing, and there are a lot of things she’d rather I do for her (she hasn’t walked down the steps for about a year, I carry her). She doesn’t seem to be in awful pain and she doesn’t appear to be miserable. I just hate that I question myself almost daily.
dmick89Quote Reply
I remember that game too and you’re right. It was better. Much better.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Yep. I hear you there. She’s just not the same dog. Hard call to make. I’ve been reading up on it too.
JoshQuote Reply
We’ve had something similar happen to two of our dogs in the past, we were convinced it was a stroke but the vet said it was probably an inner ear imbalance/infection, but they can’t really tell. Both of these dogs were blind already for other reasons though.
berseliusQuote Reply
today’s baseball squadron
Fowler, CF
Soler, RF
Bryant, 3B
Rizzo, 1B
Castro, 2B
Schwarber, LF
Montero, C
Hammel, P
Baez, SS
dmick89Quote Reply
Their strike zone thing has been terrible (as have the umps) and I’ve noticed them fucking up balls + strikes too. Not to mention the plethora of Mets coverage during non-Mets games and their live cutaways to yesterday’s game rather than showing highlights.
berseliusQuote Reply
Given how the Cubs have lit up Lynn both in the regular season and this series, I think Lackey is the best choice for today from the Cards perspective even with the short rest. SSS, of course, but something seems to be up with Lynn over the last month in general.
berseliusQuote Reply
What I don’t get is how come we’re not starting Arrieta on short rest.
JoshQuote Reply
I forgot to add that both were better after a few days.
berseliusQuote Reply
Win today and the rotation is set up perfectly for the LCS.
dmick89Quote Reply
Fixed for egregious misspellings.
berseliusQuote Reply
That’s good to know. She has been a bit more off balance since yesterday so it could be that, but her eye sight did go way downhill almost immediately. It wasn’t good to start with yesterday, but she could still see well enough to get around and most importantly, she could still climb the steps if she wasn’t too sore. After our walk today she took off to go inside and slammed into the door really hard (she yelped).
dmick89Quote Reply
It could just be a balance thing and not blindness, fwiw.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
That would be nice. Well, not nice, but nicer than her being almost completely blind.
dmick89Quote Reply
Speaking of strokes, if you watch a gif of Berslius’s avatar, it looks like Lou is having one.
/asshole
//I can joke because I was sent to the hospital with stroke symptoms last year but it turned out it was just a pinched nerve
Suburban kidQuote Reply
dmick89,
Blindness isn’t the end of the world either – both of the blind dogs we’ve had learned to adapt fairly quickly (though in very different ways). Lucky used to love chasing tennis balls, which he can’t do anymore, but he still enjoys finding them. Whenever I get home from work/grocery store/taking the trash out he gets excited and goes and finds his ball to show off that he knows where it is.
berseliusQuote Reply
Put on the radio broadcast of yesterday’s game while I work. Castro just homered.
berseliusQuote Reply
Where was the pinched nerve? The one I have in my neck that’s caused the neck, shoulder and arm pain that I’ve had over the last 3 years often has lead me to believe on multiple occasions that I’m having a heart attack. We even went to the ER once. Turned out it was a panic attack, likely due to the fact that my left arm hurts like hell about 50% of the time*. Can’t help but think about that as being a symptom of a heart attack.
*my pain is better since I’ve gotten some injections in the neck and have some pain meds that seem to be doing an OK job at the moment. Pain isn’t gone, but it’s much less severe.
That must have sucked thinking you were having a stroke.
dmick89Quote Reply
berselius,
No, it’s definitely not the end of the world. It’s just yet another piece of her that’s gone. She’s adapted well enough to being almost entirely deaf and I’m sure she’ll adapt to this, but at her age and with her other conditions, it just sucks. Getting old sucks. Watching a loved one (a person or a dog) get old really sucks too.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Is biting the heads of rabbits on the list?
WaLiQuote Reply
(dying laughing) she still loves going after rabbits.
dmick89Quote Reply
Aisley wrote this four years ago yesterday (via fb)
http://obstructedview.net/in-theo-we-trusty-or-something/
berseliusQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
To day’s devil magic squadron
3B Carpenter
1B Piscotty
LF Holliday
RF Heyward
SS Peralta
CF One-Armed Grichuk
2B Wong
C Cruz
P Lackey
No Molina. Still baffled that Grichuk isn’t playing 1b
berseliusQuote Reply
Suburban kid,
Where’d Who Go?
Dick McCheesedoodleQuote Reply
Where’d Who Go?
Dick McCheesedoodleQuote Reply
They let you know. It sounds to me like she still has a pretty good life. She’s not in major pain (probably a little sore like what happens when you’re old) and she enjoys normal dog things.
When it was time for my cat it was obvious if we kept going with him it would be more for us than for him and that’s not fair. I had the same questions about when to know if it would be the right time and he just made the decision for us. He just gave up. He was done and we knew it. It made the decision easier, though no less heartbreaking.
aisle424Quote Reply
Hot Take: The Cardinals are better with Tony Cruz right now.
aisle424Quote Reply
Given how Molina has played this year, I don’t think there was much of a difference between Cruz and Molina even before he injured his thumb.
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89,
That sucks with the pain and the anxiety from the symptoms. I didn’t think I was having a stroke. I just noticed I was slightly numb on one side of my body and went to the doctor. My regular doctor wasn’t there and the sub sent me to the hospital to test for a stroke. It was a Friday and I had to wait till Monday for some of the test so spent like four days in there for nothing. (clean bill of health is always nice)
I remembered tweaking something in my arm that day or the day before when trying to lift something that was extremely heavy but I thought would be relatively easy to pick up (a big bag of my daughter’s old school books packed for selling). It settled down quickly so I wasn’t suffering (anyway it was only numbness not pain) for very long.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
I feel your pain dmick. I had a dog that had multiple strokes and her face was sagging on the one side, she was blind on that side, she couldn’t walk up or down stairs and had to be carried to go outside. My dad took her to the vet and the vet told us we need to think about putting her down. We were shocked. A couple of months later she was out going to the bathroom and couldn’t even squat to go and all four legs went out from underneath her. He said it was the saddest, most pathetic thing he’d ever seen and couldn’t keep letting her go through that. My dad took her the next day to put her down. I went with him and sobbed uncontrollably. I mean I couldn’t even talk I was crying so much. I’m 6’3 and at that time about 250 lbs and was crying like a baby. People were staring at me and I must have looked ridiculous. I’ve lost friends and grandparents and none have been as hard as losing my dog was. I don’t think I’ll ever get a dog again.
MuckerQuote Reply
My parent’s dog had seizure disorder and then started having microstrokes when he was older. One day he just fell over dead. He wasn’t that old, but pomeranians aren’t the most long-lived breed anyway. It was sad to see.
JoshQuote Reply
aisle424,
You at the ballpark yet?
JoshQuote Reply
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
Alright, let’s play some baseball!
MillertimeQuote Reply
Not yet. Taking the dog to daycare and then heading there.
aisle424Quote Reply
Millertime,
All right, there Bill, let’s not get dramatic.
JoshQuote Reply
Nothing ridiculous about that. Pets are part of the family. I’m a big guy and I’ve been to post-earthquake Haiti and Afghanistan, and I’ll be a wreck when that day comes for any of my cats. It’s a very very tough thing.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
It sure is. I spent the whole next two days in bed and didn’t even want to get up. Towards the end there, I wasn’t around that much and really didn’t have time for her when I was there and that shit ate me up. I hated myself for the way I treated her towards the end. My parents still have her ashes in their living room with her picture and I still get a little emotional when I look at her and that was 10 years ago.
MuckerQuote Reply
Thanks for the thoughtful comments about dogs. They're much appreciated. game thread up: http://obstructedview.net/nlds-cardinals-cubs-game-4/
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
And cats
dmick89Quote Reply
I feel like it’s easier to drop my guard around (some) pets. There is no need to spend time analyzing all the subtleties of social situations. It’s like a different mode of thinking that is maybe prelinguistic, purely intuitive with emotions that feel more real, more raw.
I have been fortunate enough not to have anyone that close to me who was not already old die—two grandmothers and a step-grandfather—and I definitely cried much more from the passing of certain pets than any of them.
Last year, my then six-year-old got sick with a low-grade fever and complained that she couldn’t walk—which as parents used to a bit of fatalist hyperbole from our kids—my wife and I passed it off as such. Until it went neurological the next day and we took her to the emergency room and went straight to the front of the line. (Sidenote: be thankful if you have to wait a little while in the ER, because if you don’t, it’s probably bad news.) She ended up having ADEM which is the immune system suddenly attacking the myelin that wraps the nerves in the brain and spine—what makes white matter white. But I thought she had rabies—long story—and it was the paralytic variety, and death would soon follow. Not fun.
I share this to say that some of those rawer emotions of nearly losing a child for literally no reason other than her immune system started acting like racist cops in poorer areas with every bit of myelin a suspicious-looking minority felt very much like losing a pet. The very senseless and arbitrary nature of it, it just rocks you to your core in the least rock-n-roll kind of way.
So I think it’s totally understandable.
ceruleanQuote Reply