We'd love to sit here and dissect the first inning, when a series of poor at bats led to the failure to score a big first run. We'd like to point out the shortcomings of a mediocre CC Sabathia, one who was ripe to be tagged and could have imploded based on past playoff history. We would enjoy analyzing exactly what the MVP was thinking when he froze like a deer in the headlights and almost cost the Twins a run. We could spend a really long time on the fifth inning, when a 2-0 lead had become a 3-2 deficit, but a still-winnable game turned into a rout because of two poor decisions (letting Brian Duensing decide what to do with A-Rod and then having massive disappointment Francisco Liriano be the first pitcher out of the pen of a playoff game when he couldn't even get into an empty-the-bullpen tiebreaker game).
Yes, we could break down all of these things, but the fact is this: we couldn't even stay awake for the entire game. Yes, with a belly fully of pizza, we fell asleep sometime in the eighth inning and woke up when it was 1-0 Cardinals in the top of the first. Adrenaline can only carry a team and a fan base so far, and the exhaustion from Tuesday isn't so much an excuse as it is a fact. While we hate the idea that the game was essentially conceded with the Liriano move, we suppose we can accept the idea of living to see another day with a fully rested bullpen and a more favorable pitching matchup.
After all, if we can't even make it through watching it, how can we expect perfection out of those playing and managing? On Friday, though, more will be expected out of everyone.
