This 2-0 lead sure feels good
It?s a long flight out here, even when you?re up two games to none. It?d be a lot longer, of course, if we were down or tied. But we?ve done pretty good so far. Now the idea is to get it over with and get a couple of days off. We feel good about how we?ve played, and it would be great to play another good one and get some rest.
You know what I’ve liked the most about how we?ve played? You?re gonna laugh at this, but it?s how we got the bunts down, how we executed.
I?m a big small guy … big on small things. I love how you make a pitcher twitch and fuss and take his hat off and rub his head — all that stuff — because he gets uncomfortable when you bunt. He?s trying to figure out who and when and where and why. You just let him stand out there and throw the high cheese, he?s thinking he?s in charge. You lay a few down like we did Thursday night and he?s sweating, overanalyzing. Then you can pound him.
I know, you?re thinking, "Cliff? Bunt?" And I?m not even sure I have a sacrifice bunt in my career. But when I was batting leadoff for the Marlins, I laid some down. I liked it then. I like it now, too — as long as someone else is doing it.
It?s like in basketball: I love to watch a good playmaker. I appreciate what he does. But no way I wanna do it. Just give me the ball and let me shoot. It?s like the Pistons’ Rip Hamilton — I love to watch him run all over the place, tire out the man covering him. If he was on my team, I?d love to watch, as long as he threw the ball to me on the corner and let me bomb.
Baseball is the same. I really do like to see small ball. There’s nothing wrong with hitting a bomb every so often, but the small ball — the way we played on Thursday — that was cool. I might have to get me one of those sacrifice hits…
Nah.