Fake Dreams and Real Dreams

Prior to the start of today's rain-delayed Pirates-Phillies rubber match, I am napping. In the midst of my nap, I have a baseball dream that rouses me from my slumber.

Begin Dream: Ian Snell throws a pitch that (shock of all shocks) goes behind Ronny Paulino. Ian Snell runs to cover the plate as an opposing player is rounding the base paths. However, when Paulino throws the ball to Snell, Snell somehow doesn't catch the ball (I'm not sure if the throw was errant or Snell caught Paulino's receiving skills). And in still more insanity, somehow Freddy Sanchez ends up with the ball that Snell didn't catch. And somehow, miraculously enough, Freddy Sanchez tags out the opposing player at home plate. And the umpire waves that's an "Out." End Dream.

As I groggily roused myself, a few things occurred to me. First and foremost, the fact that I was dreaming about Ian Snell and Freddy Sanchez (probably my two "favorites" on the current team) was only slightly disturbing. But Ronny Paulino? Seriously? Ronny Paulino? And, then, of course, there was the knowledge that despite base running miscues and failure to hit the cutoff man that would put little league players to shame, I had yet to see anything quite so ridiculous as a passed ball, an inability of the pitcher to catch a throw from the catcher, and the second baseman somehow ending up at home plate doing the pitcher's job. Who knows--maybe I missed a version of this particular version of incompetence early on in the summer? Or maybe there's just something crazy incompetent even the Pittsburgh Pirates have yet to do?

In any case, a few hours later, in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pirates either morph into a MLB team, or the Phillies have a monumental breakdown, or perhaps both events occur simultaneously. In any case, I'm really not dreaming. A seven-run seventh inning, and Ian Snell gets his first victory since before the All-Star break despite giving up four runs? Wow. Seriously, I have to be dreaming. Right? Except, well, I already had that fictional dream, and for today, one game out of 162, it's nice to pretend the Pirates are a MLB team.