Chicago--After seeing the Astros get the final out in a brutal bottom half of the 3rd at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, Brandon Backe's mom thought the nightmare was finally over. But when she saw her son in the on-deck circle for the top of the 4th she lost it.
"I know that I probably don't know half as much his manager, but that just seemed mean," she said in a phone interview with FOTG late Wednesday. "Call it a mother's intuition, but I think Brandy didn't want to be in that game anymore."
She may have been right. After giving up a single to Theriot between two pop outs by Soriano and Lee, "Brandy" seemed to suddenly lose control. Back to back walks for Ramirez and Edmonds loaded the bases with the "hottie" Mark DeRosa coming to the plate.
"When he got that tall gentleman to hit the ball in the air to one of his guys out there in the grass, I finally took a breath," she remembered. "I even put down his teddy bear, Wendy, that he always cuddled with whenever he wet the bed."
Unfortunately, even the luck of the Brandon's bed-wetting companion couldn't keep DeRosa's ball from reaching the seats and giving the Cubs a 5-4 lead. Then, after a double by Fukedome and an intentional walk to Soto, all that stood between Backe and the dugout was opposing pitcher Jason Marquis.
"When the man on the TV told me that the man holding the bat in front of that man who crouches was the 'pitcher,' I knew that was trouble," she said. "See, even though my Brandy is a 'thrower,' he likes to do all that hitting and running and sliding...let me tell you, if I had a nickel for ever stitch I had put in that boy's ripped britches over the years...well, anyways, I was afraid this boy holding the bat on the TV in front of the man who crouches liked to do all that hitting and running and sliding too."
Mamma Backe's concerns turned out to be valid as Marquis doubled off the wall scoring Fukudome. Things only got worse when Soriano, batting for the second time that inning, homered to left. Thankfully (in one mother's opinion), the inning finally came to an end when Theriot grounded out.
"When he got that short fella to hit the ball to him I was so relieved," she said. "Brandy has had some trouble on occasion when he's throwing...I was just happy that it was finally over."
But to her dismay it was not. After a promising start to the top of the 4th, the Astros had two on with only one out and the obviously shell-shocked Backe due up. He eventually struck out swinging.
"That is the part that gets me hotter than a whore in church," Backe's mom laments. "I mean, I know he likes the hitting, but he had given up all them runs when he was throwing and they were fixing to have a chance to have some of their own players touch that plate in front of where that man crouches...so why make Brandy hit?"
After leaving the bases loaded, Astros Manager Cecil Cooper sent Backe back out for the bottom of the 4th.
"After the third inning we just said 'we need you to stay in as long as you can go," Cooper said. "He did the best he could under the circumstances."
Backe's mother disagrees.
"I just couldn't believe he sent Brandy back out there," she said.
It turned out to be a bad idea as Backe surrendered another two runs after which he was mercifully removed from the game.
Despite both the decision to keep Backe in the game for 100 pitches (99) and his final numbers on the day (13 batters faced, six hits, five walks, eleven runs, two doubles, a grand slam and a three-run home run) Backe's mom remains optimistic,
"When he called I told him, 'Sugar, it can't go much worse than that."
True.
Go Cubs.
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