Going, going...back, back...

...to the win column. And it feels so good.
Caught the game on TV up in Taipei last night at my new home away from home, TGI Friday's, and things pretty much went as they should have. Good pitching, timely hitting, all-in-all, a nifty 5-1 win.

A few observations from the game:

1. Delwyn Young is just plain fun to watch. Whether it's the 3-run bomb, the facial-Jim-Edmonds-esque catch in left, the wide open jersey a la David Wells, or the, what has to be 74 in. bat he swings at the plate, you get your money's worth.

2. Jeff Stevens is the fastest working pitcher on the planet. This dude does not mess around on the mound. Steps, fires, delivers...wash, rinse, repeat. With Borowski aging, he could be closing in Cleveland soon.

3. None of our pitchers look even remotely phased on the mound. With Panama and Japan behind us, the only remaining pool contender is Chinese Taipei. It will be interesting to see how the cool demeanor holds up against a legit team and 15,000 fans. My guess - it will be a non-issue.

4. The other pool looks just OK. Cuba is surgically turning teams away like they always do and the Aussies are having one dramatic finish after another, but other than that, it's just blah. You've got Korea, the Netherlands and Canada beating up on each other, Venezuela tanking, and Germany and Thailand, well, being Germany and Thailand.

We're about an hour from Team USA (3-1) vs. Spain (1-3). Dallas Trahern is on the mound. Good luck to the stars and stripes, and to my stomach, who, I'm afraid, may not be able to handle too many more TGI Friday's burgers.