Pronk-itude: It's Not Just a Name, It's a State of Mind

I invented a new word: Pronk-itude. I started calling Travis Hafner "Pronk-itude" at some point in spring training. It was a mixture of his natural nickname ("Pronk" meaning "part-project, part-donkey") and Hanz and Franz saying the word "pumpitude" back in the day on SNL ("Pronk-itude" must be pronounced with the Hanz and Franz Austrian accent). It got to the point that whenever I'm watching a game by myself, I would say things like, "Come on, Pronk-itude!" whenever Travis came up to bat. So, you can imagine my wife's surprise (who had never heard this name before) when, after Hafner's home run to win the game in the bottom of the 9th last night, I yelled "PRONK-ITUDE!" at the top of my lungs.

Originally it was just my nickname for him. But, after seeing his face as he rounded the bases and went into the dugout after the game winner (see below), I've decided that it's not just a name, it's a state of mind!

Note to Buddy Bell: sometimes lefty-lefty matchups don't always work... especially in the face of:

PRONK-ITUDE.

Goodbye, baseball. Goodbye, losing streak. Some notes:

• Byrd and the bullpen actually kept us in the game. When the Tribe tied it at 3 in the third, it looked as though Byrd was going to give the lead right back to KC in the 4th after he threw a probable double play into center field. He was bailed out by a good throw from Michaels and a great tag by Martinez to turn a sac fly for KC into a double play for the Tribe. Byrd's only mistake the rest of the night was the tater to Matt Stairs.


• Along those lines, Betancourt looked sharp last night. Hopefully he can bring some stability to the pen. They pitched 3 scoreless innings last night to keep the Tribe in the game, which allowed the offense to ultimately win it in the 9th.


• Hopefully the game-tying dinger by Sizemore followed by the walk-off bomb by Hafner was the spark that was needed to ignite the team. "It usually takes something dramatic like this to end a streak," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. Couldn't agree more. As he rounded the bases and was mobbed by his team at the plate, Hafner had the same look on his face that LeBron James gets when he's starting to take over a game. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, THAT look was the best definition I can give you for what PRONK-ITUDE actually is. Hafner is starting to look locked in again. God help the pitchers if he is.


• If the offense can get going again and the bullpen can calm down finally, perhaps the Tribe can right the ship. And not a moment too soon.

In other news, second-to-last Alias tonight, new Lost, AND Cavs/Pistons game 5. God bless the DVR, because otherwise I don't know how the hell I would watch all of that riveting TV. Monday night was tough enough with Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, and the Cavs. Melissa and I had to sit down ahead of time and formulate a plan of attack, no thanks to the President fucking the whole thing up by talking some nonsense about how working and paying your taxes is a "meaningful penalty" or some such garbage. But I digress....

I think we'll find out tonight whether Michael has gone bat-shit on Lost, or whether he's one of the Others. I think on Alias we'll get some clue as to what the final Prophet 5 ENDGAME (woo!) is. And lastly and most unfortunately, I think the Pistons will probably beat the Cavs, and we'll be forced to hear more of Rasheed Wallace's douchey ramblings about how great he is/they are.