Game over...

Well, the streak is finally over. Eric Gagne's streak of 84 straight saves ended Monday night when the Arizona Diamondbacks scored a run in the ninth. 84 saves over the course of two-seasons. Amazing.

I've always been a fan of Eric Gagne. One, he plays for the Dodgers. I was born in LA and proudly wore my Dodger Blue satin jacket from '84-'87. If Nomar was to ever be traded to/or acquired by LA I might have to take a long hard look in the mirror. Two, in BUMLB II I took a waiver wire flyer on this Canadian lefty, barley hanging onto the number five spot in LA's rotation. Suffice it to say I struck gold. You don't have t-shirts with "Game Over" and your face printed on them by being some kind of stiff. Oh yeah, and that face. That beautiful goateed, goggle eyed mug. The one wearing the sweat-stained hat, that's good for an entire 162 games. The epitome of a closer.

I can say that I saw the game's greatest closer at his best. A few years back I was at Dodger Stadium, with Matt, to see LA take on the D Backs*. The Dodgers were up 2-0 going into the top of the ninth. Like the typical LA fan base, everyone was pretty much on the way out. But I had to stick around. I had some extra incentive on this game. A little action, if you will. Every time the Dodgers shutout an opponent, every fan in attendance receives a dozen free Krispy Kreme Donuts. Two outs, none on, with Gagne having just struck out the previous batter with a 97 MPH fastball up high, a ridiculous 76 MPH changeup and the most beautiful 12-6 curveball that these eyes have ever seen and Matt Williams* at bat. The fans that remained were going crazy. Matt and I were exchanging high fives with everyone around. Intense. FREE DONUTS and a Dodger win; traffic back to Newport Beach wouldn't be that bad at all. The windup, the pitch... and gone. Thome sent Gagne's 98 mph offering back into deep right field. 2-1 Dodgers win. No shutout, no Krispy Kreme, 2 hours playing soccer and smoking cigarettes in parking lot waiting for traffic to die down. And being able to see the master at work. GAME OVER
 
*edited with help from Matt