If Rick Ankiel's Atlanta Braves heroics last night—video—didn't give you goosebumps, or at least remind you that Rick Ankiel was an outfielder, now, in the major leagues, you clearly did not enjoy the end of the 2007 season as much as I did. A 2-2 count in the playoffs, the game on the line; it was the prototypical moment for Ankiel to remind all of us that the magic had run out, and instead he reached back to that moment where it looked like he really was Roy Hobbs, that the 43 home runs he hit between Memphis and St. Louis in 2007 were a promise of things to come.
↵My only problem with Ankiel's brilliant flashback is that it ruins my plan for the Cardinals' offseason—the Braves dump Ankiel, he realizes he can't catch on as an outfielder anywhere, and, suddenly determined, joins the Cardinals as their fifth starter. Okay, fourth starter—he and Lohse both being successful would be one miracle too many. So begins...
↵The Natural 2: Natural Harder.
↵Which any well-heeled film producers are totally welcome to take a look at. I'm going to need a big budget to really make the scene where he fights the giant squid pop.
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