Location: Healdsburg, Ca.
Anybody who grew up a baseball fan in New York would get the irony of this photo. That's my credit card there. The hat was a gift. Only way I'd ever buy one.
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
365 Photo Project - Day 215
Location: Healdsburg, Ca.
Anybody who grew up a baseball fan in New York would get the irony of this photo. That's my credit card there. The hat was a gift. Only way I'd ever buy one.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
PLAY BALL!
Dodger Stadium, Summer 2007 (see note below)
I’m in the middle of project which has kept me from blogging even irregularly of late.
I do have some things to say about the NBA season and I’ll be chiming in here as the season comes to a close but let me drop in and say a hearty “welcome” to the Boys of Summer as the MLB Season officially kicks off stateside tonight in Washington, D.C.
I always look forward to baseball season but this year couldn’t come soon enough. The total historic collapse of my beloved Mets last year was part of it (nothing like a new spring to banish the old demons) but their signing of Johan Santana, done in the midst of the Giants’ amazing Super Bowl run, really got me excited for baseball.
I sense good things for my boys this year and I’m looking forward to seeing them on the field.
To my surprise, I saw that no one on Saturday that ESPN’s Baseball Tonight picking the Mets to even win the NL East. That’s right. Instead, former player Eric Young and former Mets beat writer Buster Olney both picked the hated Atlanta Braves.
I gotta give the A.T.L. its due. They got a nice pitching staff and some great young players and I do think they’re going to be better than the overrated Phillies but I just don’t see how the Mets, barring some major injuries, are going to not win the East by at least four or five games. And really, how much more does Tommy Glavine have left in the tank anyway? As much as I love the guy, I'd be surprised if he wins more than 10 games this year.
Santana is a big reason. When you’ve got a guy like Santana going every fifth day, you’re not going to have many long losing streaks. The bullpen is much stronger and will get even better when Duaner Sanchez returns from injury (he won't until after the Mets break camp in Florida) and Jose Reyes is going to have a monster year, if only to shut up all the folks who said he was taking the game too lightly.
Carlos Beltran and David Wright are going to be battling all year long for the MVP I think. I don’t remember Beltran looking so good, so comfortable this early in the year. And confident.
And if Pedro can continue to throw like he has this spring, the Mets are going to be very hard to beat. Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson told ESPN the other day during the Civil Rights Game broadcast that during a pitching session, he complimented Pedro on his throwing. To which he said Pedro answered, "Don't call me Pedro. Call me Picasso." Nothing like competition at the top of the rotation to bring out the fire in a competitive pitcher's belly. He's in great shape after his year-long rehab. He's learned how to pitch to his diminishing skills and speed -- I expect a huge year from Pedro this year.
Think about this: the Mets are a better defensive team than they were last year when they were one of the top fielding teams in the league and they got better in those areas – bullpen, right field where they were suspect. Maybe they could use one more right-handed power hitter but every team is weak somewhere.
All good reasons why the Mets will return to the top of the division this season but the real reason I’m picking them is John Maine.
Maine is the Mets’ big right-hander who pitched 7 2/3 of hitless ball n what at the time was the most important game of the Mets season last year. He started the season last year on a roll and was almost unhittable in April and May.
He ended up winning 15 games last year but he should have won 18 at least and that’s why I’m predicting Maine as the NL Cy Young Award winner for 2008. With this lineup and the way he’s capable of throwing, Maine should win 20 games this year.
Right now, he’s slotted as the number 4 starter behind Santana, Pedro and Oliver Perez and in front of El Duque. He’s always had great stuff but he’s learning how to harness his talent AND keep his focus on the mound. You read it here first: John Maine is going to win 20 games.
Now for my 2008 Predictions:
NL East – Mets
NL Central – Milwaukee Brewers
NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card – Colorado Rockies
AL East – Boston Red Sox
AL Central – Cleveland Indians
AL West - Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card – Detroit Tigers
World Series: Mets over Seattle
Enjoy the spring everybody!
Full disclosure: Particularly observant fans might note that I've altered this photo, taken at Dodgers Stadium last summer. I actually reversed the score in a game the Dodgers won but it's spring and it's baseball and we should all be able to look at our teams through rose-colored glasses, even virtual ones.
I’m in the middle of project which has kept me from blogging even irregularly of late.I do have some things to say about the NBA season and I’ll be chiming in here as the season comes to a close but let me drop in and say a hearty “welcome” to the Boys of Summer as the MLB Season officially kicks off stateside tonight in Washington, D.C.
I always look forward to baseball season but this year couldn’t come soon enough. The total historic collapse of my beloved Mets last year was part of it (nothing like a new spring to banish the old demons) but their signing of Johan Santana, done in the midst of the Giants’ amazing Super Bowl run, really got me excited for baseball.
I sense good things for my boys this year and I’m looking forward to seeing them on the field.
To my surprise, I saw that no one on Saturday that ESPN’s Baseball Tonight picking the Mets to even win the NL East. That’s right. Instead, former player Eric Young and former Mets beat writer Buster Olney both picked the hated Atlanta Braves.
I gotta give the A.T.L. its due. They got a nice pitching staff and some great young players and I do think they’re going to be better than the overrated Phillies but I just don’t see how the Mets, barring some major injuries, are going to not win the East by at least four or five games. And really, how much more does Tommy Glavine have left in the tank anyway? As much as I love the guy, I'd be surprised if he wins more than 10 games this year.
Santana is a big reason. When you’ve got a guy like Santana going every fifth day, you’re not going to have many long losing streaks. The bullpen is much stronger and will get even better when Duaner Sanchez returns from injury (he won't until after the Mets break camp in Florida) and Jose Reyes is going to have a monster year, if only to shut up all the folks who said he was taking the game too lightly.
Carlos Beltran and David Wright are going to be battling all year long for the MVP I think. I don’t remember Beltran looking so good, so comfortable this early in the year. And confident.
And if Pedro can continue to throw like he has this spring, the Mets are going to be very hard to beat. Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson told ESPN the other day during the Civil Rights Game broadcast that during a pitching session, he complimented Pedro on his throwing. To which he said Pedro answered, "Don't call me Pedro. Call me Picasso." Nothing like competition at the top of the rotation to bring out the fire in a competitive pitcher's belly. He's in great shape after his year-long rehab. He's learned how to pitch to his diminishing skills and speed -- I expect a huge year from Pedro this year.
Think about this: the Mets are a better defensive team than they were last year when they were one of the top fielding teams in the league and they got better in those areas – bullpen, right field where they were suspect. Maybe they could use one more right-handed power hitter but every team is weak somewhere.
All good reasons why the Mets will return to the top of the division this season but the real reason I’m picking them is John Maine.
Maine is the Mets’ big right-hander who pitched 7 2/3 of hitless ball n what at the time was the most important game of the Mets season last year. He started the season last year on a roll and was almost unhittable in April and May.
He ended up winning 15 games last year but he should have won 18 at least and that’s why I’m predicting Maine as the NL Cy Young Award winner for 2008. With this lineup and the way he’s capable of throwing, Maine should win 20 games this year.
Right now, he’s slotted as the number 4 starter behind Santana, Pedro and Oliver Perez and in front of El Duque. He’s always had great stuff but he’s learning how to harness his talent AND keep his focus on the mound. You read it here first: John Maine is going to win 20 games.
Now for my 2008 Predictions:
NL East – Mets
NL Central – Milwaukee Brewers
NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card – Colorado Rockies
AL East – Boston Red Sox
AL Central – Cleveland Indians
AL West - Seattle Mariners
AL Wild Card – Detroit Tigers
World Series: Mets over Seattle
Enjoy the spring everybody!
Full disclosure: Particularly observant fans might note that I've altered this photo, taken at Dodgers Stadium last summer. I actually reversed the score in a game the Dodgers won but it's spring and it's baseball and we should all be able to look at our teams through rose-colored glasses, even virtual ones.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mets Major Move
What a week to be a New York sports fan, providing you root for the Mets and the Giants. In a move that surprised a lot of experts, the Mets made a deal for Twins lefty Johan Santana on Tuesday, giving them the number one starter they badly needed without having to give up crucial players.
In fact, this deal should go down in history as a major theft, considering how little the Mets had to give up for the best best left-handed pitcher in the majors. None of the prospects the Mets gave up were considered "can't miss" prospects and even though the Mets will have to pay Santana a boatload of cash, his history, his arm motion, his intelligence and talent ought to make it a rare time when paying a pitcher millions over several years makes sense.
Rumors say Santana isn't totally healthy but I'm thinking that Boston and the Yankees, the other front runners for Santana's services, just didn't want to risk trading viable major-league ready players for the expensive services of Santana. I feel the Yankees made a big mistake because Santana would have been an instant upgrade to their pitching staff, a staff I think is overrated, certainly as yet unproven.
The Red Sox, just off a second World Series title in four years, probably did the right thing by backing off. Trading Jacob Ellsbury, their young, electrifying centerfielder, would have been a huge mistake in part because they just don't "need" Santana. Sure, he'd be great at the front of their rotation but with their young pitching talent already making a name for themselves on the major-league level, with a presumably more comfortable and better adjusted Daisuke Matsuzak, and the hottest pitcher in the majors at the front of their rotation, I'd say getting Santana was not as important as keeping Ellsbury and Jon Lester.
The Mets need Santana in the worst way. He turns them into legit World Series contenders and more important, almost stops the talk about last season's end-of-the-year collapse. Almost. George Vecsey over at the New York Times couldn't help but bring it up today. I think he's wrong, wrong, wrong. I'll get to why as we get closer to the season.
Santana is not only talented but the guy is a serious gamer. A winner who has intelligence and ability and a penchant for rising to the occasion. He will thrive in New York, the hotter the spotlight, the better he'll play. Mark this down but for my money, Johan Santana is going to mean to the Mets what Josh Beckett meant to the Red Sox last year.
As for the Super Bowl, it's only day three of the week of the big game and I'm already over the hype. And I'm a Giants fan. It took more than half of the two week break between the title games and the Super Bowl for controversy to rear it's ugly head.
Oh and to the chick from Mexican t.v. who showed up in the wedding dress yesterday -- thanks for making it even harder for women reporters to get respect. Really. Thanks a whole fucking lot. Maybe you can show up at Jets games next year to entertain the Neanderthals.
In fact, this deal should go down in history as a major theft, considering how little the Mets had to give up for the best best left-handed pitcher in the majors. None of the prospects the Mets gave up were considered "can't miss" prospects and even though the Mets will have to pay Santana a boatload of cash, his history, his arm motion, his intelligence and talent ought to make it a rare time when paying a pitcher millions over several years makes sense.
Rumors say Santana isn't totally healthy but I'm thinking that Boston and the Yankees, the other front runners for Santana's services, just didn't want to risk trading viable major-league ready players for the expensive services of Santana. I feel the Yankees made a big mistake because Santana would have been an instant upgrade to their pitching staff, a staff I think is overrated, certainly as yet unproven.
The Red Sox, just off a second World Series title in four years, probably did the right thing by backing off. Trading Jacob Ellsbury, their young, electrifying centerfielder, would have been a huge mistake in part because they just don't "need" Santana. Sure, he'd be great at the front of their rotation but with their young pitching talent already making a name for themselves on the major-league level, with a presumably more comfortable and better adjusted Daisuke Matsuzak, and the hottest pitcher in the majors at the front of their rotation, I'd say getting Santana was not as important as keeping Ellsbury and Jon Lester.
The Mets need Santana in the worst way. He turns them into legit World Series contenders and more important, almost stops the talk about last season's end-of-the-year collapse. Almost. George Vecsey over at the New York Times couldn't help but bring it up today. I think he's wrong, wrong, wrong. I'll get to why as we get closer to the season.
Santana is not only talented but the guy is a serious gamer. A winner who has intelligence and ability and a penchant for rising to the occasion. He will thrive in New York, the hotter the spotlight, the better he'll play. Mark this down but for my money, Johan Santana is going to mean to the Mets what Josh Beckett meant to the Red Sox last year.
As for the Super Bowl, it's only day three of the week of the big game and I'm already over the hype. And I'm a Giants fan. It took more than half of the two week break between the title games and the Super Bowl for controversy to rear it's ugly head.
Oh and to the chick from Mexican t.v. who showed up in the wedding dress yesterday -- thanks for making it even harder for women reporters to get respect. Really. Thanks a whole fucking lot. Maybe you can show up at Jets games next year to entertain the Neanderthals.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
You Sweep, We Sweep
I've been traveling again, this time it's back to Los Angeles for a wedding and other bits of business. I have some thoughts about traveling, especially about driving and drivers, but will leave those for when I return to wine country.
Right now, I want to talk about baseball. I know I practically wrote off my Mets last week. Despite their recent turn-around, I still wonder if they have what it takes to make a serious World Series run. Still, I'm feeling pretty good right now.
Last we spoke, the Mets had lost four straight to the Phillies, the NL East's second-place team. The Mets win two of those four and the race is all but over but instead, they leave Philly beaten and embarrassed and only two games back. Worse, they were about to face the Braves, their nemesis. The same Braves who had won every series from the Mets so far this year.
Well, the ship seems to have been righted. Pedro's back and Endy's back and so, it seems, are the Mets who went into Atlanta and swept those bad boys and did it convincingly. And after taking the first two against the mediocre Reds in Cinci, put together their first five-game winning streak of the season. Whew. If that weren't enough, they came back to New York and swept the lowly Astros.
Say what you will about all three clubs, but during this streak of winning eight-of-nine games, the Mets beat John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Aaron Harang and Roy Oswalt, not a push-over in that bunch, no sir. You tell me if it's a coincidence that Pedro Martinez returned and won both of his starts, his first two victories since last season.
Ah, but there is no rest for the weary. Six games ahead against those same Phillies and Braves. The Mets can bury them with a strong showing, putting their focus on the postseason instead of a down-to-the-wire race.
We're about to see really what Mets team is for real this season and whether the newfound confidence is an illusion or the start of something big.
Stay tuned ...
Right now, I want to talk about baseball. I know I practically wrote off my Mets last week. Despite their recent turn-around, I still wonder if they have what it takes to make a serious World Series run. Still, I'm feeling pretty good right now.
Last we spoke, the Mets had lost four straight to the Phillies, the NL East's second-place team. The Mets win two of those four and the race is all but over but instead, they leave Philly beaten and embarrassed and only two games back. Worse, they were about to face the Braves, their nemesis. The same Braves who had won every series from the Mets so far this year.
Well, the ship seems to have been righted. Pedro's back and Endy's back and so, it seems, are the Mets who went into Atlanta and swept those bad boys and did it convincingly. And after taking the first two against the mediocre Reds in Cinci, put together their first five-game winning streak of the season. Whew. If that weren't enough, they came back to New York and swept the lowly Astros.
Say what you will about all three clubs, but during this streak of winning eight-of-nine games, the Mets beat John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Aaron Harang and Roy Oswalt, not a push-over in that bunch, no sir. You tell me if it's a coincidence that Pedro Martinez returned and won both of his starts, his first two victories since last season.
Ah, but there is no rest for the weary. Six games ahead against those same Phillies and Braves. The Mets can bury them with a strong showing, putting their focus on the postseason instead of a down-to-the-wire race.
We're about to see really what Mets team is for real this season and whether the newfound confidence is an illusion or the start of something big.
Stay tuned ...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Mets Meltdown
As I write this, my Mets are having an epic meltdown, the likes of which their fans used to be used to but haven't seen much of since David, Jose and Omar came to Flushing.Trailing 5-0 in to the Phillies, who have beaten the Mets in six straight games, they managed to find a way to tie it at 5-5. Then with two outs in the fifth, the damn Phillies scored three fucking times. Three fucking times, all on shitty little bloop hits. Not a hard-hit ball among them.
What gives? Are the Mets just not that good? Or is this an anomaly no team avoids in a long season?
Long, dramatic pause.
I think these Mets are just not that good.
There.
I said it.
I'm serious. They seem to have no sense of urgency. No focus. None of the swagger that they used to march through the league last season and come within one inning of going to the World Series.
I don't know who's to blame for this swoon in attitude. Maybe it's the loss of Pedro Martinez, the number one motivator, the one guy in the clubhouse who doesn't speak softly. Maybe it's Willie Randolph, the even-keeled manager who expects his players to play like they've been around the bases a time or two. Maybe it's just the alignment of the fucking stars.
Whatever it is, the Mets have just slid back to the pack. If they don't find a way to come back and win today, they will have a scant two-game lead over the Phillies with the Braves bearing down behind them. And speaking of those Braves, they're up next for the Mets. If ever there were three must-win games this season, the Amazin's are staring them right in the face.
This isn't the time of the season to lose your drive.
It's get right or go home time.
Though I fear that if they don't have "it" now, it's too late to fine it.
I hope they prove me wrong.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Let's Go Mets
The Game, Healdsburg, CA July 2007
It's the second half the baseball season. The All-Star game is over and the division leaders are in place and now it's time to separate the contenders from the pretenders, time to see who's for real and who's going to be playing golf come October.
Anyone who reads this blog knows that S.O.L. is Mets fan central so over the course of the rest of the season, I'll mostly be talking about my boys from Flushing.
It's true I've been down on my favorite team for a few weeks. After a really great season where they established themselves as the team to beat in the National League, stalling only one game from getting to the World Series, they have sputtered and struggled and completely confounded me.
Injuries have been a problem, yes but they don't explain everything. The Mets have been without three starting pitchers, four outfielders and two infielders for long stretches of the season, not to mention two important relief pitchers. But the poor play has been mostly mental. Last year, the Mets won games with a precision that was impressive. They played great defense, their starters pitched well and they got big hit after big hit. This year, it feels like they've lost their focus.
Earlier this month, they got swept by the Colorado Rockies, a young, improving club but no where near as good as the Mets should be. At various times this season, key offensive players have struggled badly. When Carlos Beltran was hot, Carlos Delgado couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. When José Reyes was getting on base, Paul Lo Duca and David Wright couldn't get him home.
But since the All-Star break, the Mets have begun to put a run together. They took three-of-four from a lousy Cincinnati team and even as they lost two-of-three in San Diego, they played well in all but one of the games. Tonight, they took their second in a row in a four-game series against the Dodgers -- the same team that swept them in June.
As usual with the Mets, however, there is bad news mixed with the good. They have lost yet another player. Starting second baseman José Valentín fouled a ball off his shin in last night's victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles and is expected to miss at least six weeks with a broken tibia.
The silver lining here might be in the body of young backup second baseman Ruben Gotay, who is hitting .354 in limited playing time but has been impressive in getting important hits at big moments. Gotay was in the middle of the Mets five-run, ninth-inning comeback against the Cubs in May, for example. Can he handle the load as an everyday player. For now, it appears he'll be given a chance to show what he can do, at least until Damion Easley returns from bereavement leave.
The good news is the Mets won two games this week in very different ways. Thursday they took a six-run lead before taking the field in Los Angeles and held on through a wild game for a 13-9 victory. Tonight, behind a wonderful effort by starting pitcher Oliver Perez, the Mets won 4-1. I love it when the Mets win in Los Angeles for a lot of reasons, not the least of which I’ve seen the Mets play at Chavez Ravine more times than anywhere else. Being a fan of the visiting team will always draw the ire of the hometown crowd but it’s worse when the fans don’t seem to understand or even care about baseball. Yes, I’m generalizing but still, it was in Los Angeles when a fan yelled balk to a pitcher when there was no one on base and every single Dodgers game I’ve been at, the stands have been filled with bouncing beach balls, more often than not when there is actual action on the field. One day some knucklehead is going to be beaned by a foul ball because he was too interested in batting around a fucking beach ball than paying attention to the game. No doubt in my mind this will happen.
Saturday’s game will be tough for the Mets as they face the Dodgers best starter in Brad Penny. He’s 11-1 this season but has a piss poor record against the Mets (a 5-plus E.R.A.) and I’m hoping the stats bear up. There is one other interesting matchup between Penny and Mets rightfielder Shawn Green. Back in June, Penny accused Green of either stealing signs (either while he was on base or during an at-bat when he was peeking to see where the catcher was position).
In the long and fascinating Unwritten Rules of Baseball book, it’s consider old school to steal signs from the base paths but a batter who looks down at the catcher while he’s in the box, that for whatever reason, is a no no. Green is widely considered a smart, old school player who plays by the rules but something riled up Penny – and the Dodgers. In game one of the series, Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent (another old school veteran) clearly said something to Green when he cruised into second for a double. I wouldn’t be the house on it, but it sure looked like Green used a few choice words in response.
In any case, it sets up an interesting scenario for Saturday’s nationally-television game. Sure be fun watching what happens.
It's the second half the baseball season. The All-Star game is over and the division leaders are in place and now it's time to separate the contenders from the pretenders, time to see who's for real and who's going to be playing golf come October.Anyone who reads this blog knows that S.O.L. is Mets fan central so over the course of the rest of the season, I'll mostly be talking about my boys from Flushing.
It's true I've been down on my favorite team for a few weeks. After a really great season where they established themselves as the team to beat in the National League, stalling only one game from getting to the World Series, they have sputtered and struggled and completely confounded me.
Injuries have been a problem, yes but they don't explain everything. The Mets have been without three starting pitchers, four outfielders and two infielders for long stretches of the season, not to mention two important relief pitchers. But the poor play has been mostly mental. Last year, the Mets won games with a precision that was impressive. They played great defense, their starters pitched well and they got big hit after big hit. This year, it feels like they've lost their focus.
Earlier this month, they got swept by the Colorado Rockies, a young, improving club but no where near as good as the Mets should be. At various times this season, key offensive players have struggled badly. When Carlos Beltran was hot, Carlos Delgado couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. When José Reyes was getting on base, Paul Lo Duca and David Wright couldn't get him home.
But since the All-Star break, the Mets have begun to put a run together. They took three-of-four from a lousy Cincinnati team and even as they lost two-of-three in San Diego, they played well in all but one of the games. Tonight, they took their second in a row in a four-game series against the Dodgers -- the same team that swept them in June.
As usual with the Mets, however, there is bad news mixed with the good. They have lost yet another player. Starting second baseman José Valentín fouled a ball off his shin in last night's victory over the Dodgers in Los Angeles and is expected to miss at least six weeks with a broken tibia.
The silver lining here might be in the body of young backup second baseman Ruben Gotay, who is hitting .354 in limited playing time but has been impressive in getting important hits at big moments. Gotay was in the middle of the Mets five-run, ninth-inning comeback against the Cubs in May, for example. Can he handle the load as an everyday player. For now, it appears he'll be given a chance to show what he can do, at least until Damion Easley returns from bereavement leave.
The good news is the Mets won two games this week in very different ways. Thursday they took a six-run lead before taking the field in Los Angeles and held on through a wild game for a 13-9 victory. Tonight, behind a wonderful effort by starting pitcher Oliver Perez, the Mets won 4-1. I love it when the Mets win in Los Angeles for a lot of reasons, not the least of which I’ve seen the Mets play at Chavez Ravine more times than anywhere else. Being a fan of the visiting team will always draw the ire of the hometown crowd but it’s worse when the fans don’t seem to understand or even care about baseball. Yes, I’m generalizing but still, it was in Los Angeles when a fan yelled balk to a pitcher when there was no one on base and every single Dodgers game I’ve been at, the stands have been filled with bouncing beach balls, more often than not when there is actual action on the field. One day some knucklehead is going to be beaned by a foul ball because he was too interested in batting around a fucking beach ball than paying attention to the game. No doubt in my mind this will happen.
Saturday’s game will be tough for the Mets as they face the Dodgers best starter in Brad Penny. He’s 11-1 this season but has a piss poor record against the Mets (a 5-plus E.R.A.) and I’m hoping the stats bear up. There is one other interesting matchup between Penny and Mets rightfielder Shawn Green. Back in June, Penny accused Green of either stealing signs (either while he was on base or during an at-bat when he was peeking to see where the catcher was position).
In the long and fascinating Unwritten Rules of Baseball book, it’s consider old school to steal signs from the base paths but a batter who looks down at the catcher while he’s in the box, that for whatever reason, is a no no. Green is widely considered a smart, old school player who plays by the rules but something riled up Penny – and the Dodgers. In game one of the series, Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent (another old school veteran) clearly said something to Green when he cruised into second for a double. I wouldn’t be the house on it, but it sure looked like Green used a few choice words in response.
In any case, it sets up an interesting scenario for Saturday’s nationally-television game. Sure be fun watching what happens.
Monday, July 9, 2007
The Church of Baseball
Baseball in America, Healdsburg, California, 2007
It's the halfway point of the Major League season and it's time to get serious about baseball, seamheads. And I will be offering regular posts on the various teams, players and division races. And, of course, updating more often about my favorite team, the New York Mets.
But first, let's stretch our legs and take a moment to smell the baseball leather and green grass and appreciate our National Pastime.
In honor of the mid-season classic, a quote from one of my favorite baseball films, Bull Durham, written and directed by Ron Shelton.
It's the halfway point of the Major League season and it's time to get serious about baseball, seamheads. And I will be offering regular posts on the various teams, players and division races. And, of course, updating more often about my favorite team, the New York Mets.But first, let's stretch our legs and take a moment to smell the baseball leather and green grass and appreciate our National Pastime.
In honor of the mid-season classic, a quote from one of my favorite baseball films, Bull Durham, written and directed by Ron Shelton.
"I believe in the Church of
Baseball. I've tried all the major
religions, and most of the minor
ones. I've worshiped Buddha, Allah,
Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees,
mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I
know things. For instance, there
are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary
and there are 108 stitches in a
baseball. When I heard that, I gave
Jesus a chance. But it just didn't
work out between us. The Lord laid
too much guilt on me. I prefer
metaphysics to theology. You see,
there's no guilt in baseball, and
it's never boring... which makes it
like sex. There's never been a
ballplayer slept with me who didn't
have the best year of his career.
Making love is like hitting a
baseball: you just gotta relax and
concentrate. Besides, I'd never
sleep with a player hitting under
.250... not unless he had a lot of
RBIs and was a great glove man up
the middle. You see, there's a
certain amount of life wisdom I
give these boys. I can expand their
minds. Sometimes when I've got a
ballplayer alone, I'll just read
Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman to
him, and the guys are so sweet,
they always stay and listen.
'Course, a guy'll listen to
anything if he thinks it's
foreplay. I make them feel
confident, and they make me feel
safe, and pretty. 'Course, what I
give them lasts a lifetime; what
they give me lasts 142 games.
Sometimes it seems like a bad
trade. But bad trades are part of
baseball - now who can forget Frank
Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God's
sake? It's a long season and you
gotta trust.
I've tried 'em all, I really have,
and the only church that truly
feeds the soul, day in, day out, is
the Church of Baseball."UPDATE (July 25, 2007): Just for you Dave. This is Bonds coming up to bat against the Mets at AT&T Park on June 9, 2007. He had no home runs that day. In this at-bat he drew a walk.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
You Can't Win Them All
New Moon, May 2007
The Mets proved their current superiority over the Yankees this weekend in the team's first Subway Series of the season. For the most part, it was the Mets who played smarter, more aggressive baseball, had the better starters and came through when it counted.
This trend continued through the early innings on Sunday night as the Mets, having won the first two games of the series, were going for a sweep of their crosstown rivals. They were up 1-0 on David Wright's third home run in as many official at-bats and even though starter John Maine was struggling, the Yankees couldn't seem to capitalize.
But then the wheels fell off, the Yankees got four runs in the fourth and the Mets never really found a way to solve the Yankees 22-year-old rookie Tyler Clippard, who was making the first start of his career.
Give propers to Clippard who had command on his pitches, changed speeds well and never seemed too overwhelmed by such a big stage. But still, the Mets weren't aggressive enough at the plate and when they had chances to drive in runs, they got caught looking a called third strikes or hit weak ground outs. It felt like the Mets were satisfied taking the series and it would have been nice to see them going for the jugular. Especially Maine. The second-year righty has been phenomenal for most of the early season -- winning his first five starts. But his last three -- two losses and a no decision in a game the Mets came back to win to save his ass -- have been dismal. He seems to have fallen back on his old bad habits. He needs to get right, right now.
The Yankees have lost all of their last three series, having fallen 10 1/2 games behind the division-leading Red Sox who they face in a three-game series beginning tomorrow night (Monday) in the Bronx. Will the Yankees rebound and cool off Boston, turning a big lead into a division race? Or will Boston leave New York with a double-digit lead?
Meanwhile, the Mets head to Atlanta for what is a much bigger series than this one with the Yanks was. The Mets have a 2 1/2 game lead over the second-place Braves (who lost two of three to Boston this weekend). A series win will give the Mets a nice cushion at this juncture in the season but a loss would put them in a real dogfight.
Still, the Mets should enjoy their flight to Atlanta tonight and a day off before facing the Braves there, having at least struck first blood against the Yankees. Until the Round Two of the Subway Series, we Mets fans can claim the best baseball team in New York. Sweeter words have never been spoken to a Mets fan.
The Mets proved their current superiority over the Yankees this weekend in the team's first Subway Series of the season. For the most part, it was the Mets who played smarter, more aggressive baseball, had the better starters and came through when it counted.
This trend continued through the early innings on Sunday night as the Mets, having won the first two games of the series, were going for a sweep of their crosstown rivals. They were up 1-0 on David Wright's third home run in as many official at-bats and even though starter John Maine was struggling, the Yankees couldn't seem to capitalize.
But then the wheels fell off, the Yankees got four runs in the fourth and the Mets never really found a way to solve the Yankees 22-year-old rookie Tyler Clippard, who was making the first start of his career.
Give propers to Clippard who had command on his pitches, changed speeds well and never seemed too overwhelmed by such a big stage. But still, the Mets weren't aggressive enough at the plate and when they had chances to drive in runs, they got caught looking a called third strikes or hit weak ground outs. It felt like the Mets were satisfied taking the series and it would have been nice to see them going for the jugular. Especially Maine. The second-year righty has been phenomenal for most of the early season -- winning his first five starts. But his last three -- two losses and a no decision in a game the Mets came back to win to save his ass -- have been dismal. He seems to have fallen back on his old bad habits. He needs to get right, right now.
The Yankees have lost all of their last three series, having fallen 10 1/2 games behind the division-leading Red Sox who they face in a three-game series beginning tomorrow night (Monday) in the Bronx. Will the Yankees rebound and cool off Boston, turning a big lead into a division race? Or will Boston leave New York with a double-digit lead?
Meanwhile, the Mets head to Atlanta for what is a much bigger series than this one with the Yanks was. The Mets have a 2 1/2 game lead over the second-place Braves (who lost two of three to Boston this weekend). A series win will give the Mets a nice cushion at this juncture in the season but a loss would put them in a real dogfight.
Still, the Mets should enjoy their flight to Atlanta tonight and a day off before facing the Braves there, having at least struck first blood against the Yankees. Until the Round Two of the Subway Series, we Mets fans can claim the best baseball team in New York. Sweeter words have never been spoken to a Mets fan.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Pinstripes Look Good in Blue, Too
Mets 3B David Wright with SNY's Kevin Burkhardt after his game winning hit May 9 in S.F.
It's been said that we die hard Mets fans put too much energy into hating the crosstown rival Yankees (after all, we don't have to beat the Yankees to win the National League Pennant). It's not hard to hate the Bronx Bombers. They are (appropriately I might add) arrogant, tough and worse, for the most part in recent years, good citizens and professionals. It might be said that no franchise in the history of sports have been so consistently good for so long. Are we Mets fans just player haters? Maybe, but I feel like it's part of my personal history.
First, I'm a Mets fans and in New York you can be one or the other but not both (if you are, you're a phony or a fence-sitter and I can't be your friend). Second, my family spent summers on Cape Cod and back when I was yae high, they didn't have cable. You couldn't live in Massachusetts ity and watch the New York baseball teams. You could in some cases in some places -- especially where a team was representing a larger regional area -- but basically you were stuck with your home town team. So those summers, I came to root for an appreciate and die for the Boston Red Sox. And of course the Damn Yankees were as big of a thorn in the side of those Red Sox as they are today (though the humiliating, history-making 3-0 comeback by the Sox in 2003, did a lot to ease those previous failures).
But I digress. The reason I'm talking about the Yankees is this weekend begins the Subway Series -- the first of two regular season series between the Mets and Yankees.
For a change, it's the Mets who come into the series on a high note, having just taken three-of-four from the Cubs in dramatic fashion. This after taking two of three from the Brewers last weekend who when they came into Shea had the best record in baseball. The big win Thursday (the Mets overcame a four-run deficit in the last of the ninth inning to win at home) coupled with the Braves' loss in Washington (in a game they led 3-1 late), gives the Mets sole ownership of first place in the NL East. The Mets have the best record in the National League and the second -best in the Majors, trailing only Boston.
The Mets victory today was stirring. S.O.L. might have had something to do with it. With the Mets trailing 5-1 going into the ninth inning, I was just finishing up my workout on my new toy (a refurbished Precor EFX that I got for my birthday - yay me!). I decided superstitiously, to continue the workout until the Mets made the last out. Who knew that last out was never going to come?
The wonderful thing about this game -- and about the Mets in general since Willie Randolph took over as manager two seasons ago -- is that the bench played a big role in the comeback. Utility reserve David Newhan was among five non-regulars to start today's game. Randolph sat Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Paul Lo Duca and Damien Easley to rest them after last night's rain-delayed game went well past midnight. With the Yankees coming this weekend (and the second-place Braves after that), Willie was thinking ahead.
Newhan singled up the middle off of Cubs closer Ryan Dempster -- it was Newhan's second hit of the game one fewer than his total for the entire season. After Ramón Castro made an out (a line shot to right that Newhan nearly blundered into a double play), rookie Carlos Gómez, playing his first week in the majors, singled to right. First and third, one out.
Willie sent up Beltran, the Mets superstar centerfielder to pinch hit. Dempster was already rattled, throwing more balls than strikes, and notoriously fiery manager Lou Pinella was starting to steam in the dugout. With a four-run lead, the Cubs let Gómez take second -- killing any chance for a game-ending double-play. Beltran has only three pinch hits in his career (in 15 at bats) and his hot start has been slowed by leg soreness, but he worked out a walk, loading the bases.
After a visit to the mound by Pinella wherein pitcher and manager were screaming at each other, Endy Chavez came up to bat, fought off some tough pitches and he, too, walked. Only his walk plated Newhan, cutting the lead to 5-2.
Willie surprised a lot of people, including Rubén Gotay, by sending up the backup infielder to hit for himself. Gotay was hitting .150 coming into the game but he'd already stroked a run-scoring single earlier -- leading to the Mets first and until the ninth, only run. The decision looked awful as Gotay (pronounced Go-Tie) went to 0-2 against Dempster.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I thought I was going to be pinch-hit for,” Gotay told the New York Times.
The something remarkable happened. The little infielder rewarded Willie's confidence in him and belted a clean single beyond the reach of slick fielding shortstop César Izturis, plating run number three. That was all Pinella could stand and he almost ran out of the dugout waving his left arm frantically to call on lefty reliever Scott Eyre to face Shawn Green. Willie countered by sending up David Wright to pinch hit - his first pinch-hitting appearance of his career.
The unwritten law about pinch-hitting is to go out their hacking and that's what Wright did, perfectly placing the first pitch up the middle and into centerfield. Cubs 5, Mets 4. Still only one out and the batter Mets cleanup hitter Carlos Delgado coming to the plate.
To say that Delgado, one of the nicest, coolest, most thoughtful guys to wear spikes anywhere, has been in a slump is putting it mildly. A home run hitter, he's only got three this season and his batting average has hovered around the Mendoza line all year.
But on a 1-0 pitch from Eyre, Delgado hit a sharp grounder between second and first and the Cubs sure-handed second baseman couldn't get to it and it bounded into right field for a single. The throw from right wasn't even close as Gotay came all the way around from second to score the winning run. Wow. Amazing. And thirty extra minutes on the workout machine for S.O.L.
It was the largest ninth-inning comeback for the Mets since May 23, 1999, when they scored five runs off of Curt Schilling to beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have lost four of six and have posted a losing record since Roger Clemons announced he was coming back to New York to an adoring crowd at the House that Ruth Built. The Yankees are not in first place and at 18-21 are currently nine games behind the Red Sox (who still have the second game of a double-header to play tonight).
Friday night pits the young enigmatic Mets starter Oliver Perez against steady as she goes Andy Pettit. Perez has been as schizophrenic a pitcher as there is in the league, going win, loss, win, loss so far all season. Though his last outing was special, as he gave up just one hit in a win over the high-scoring Brewers. Pettit is 2-2 but is also coming off of a solid game, although the Yankees inability to put runs on the board lately, hurt him in what was a loss to Seattle.
Saturday it's Tom Glavine (4-1, 3.31) for the Mets going after career win no. 296 vs. Darrell Rasner (1-2, 3.28) and then last season Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang (2-3, 4.54) pitches Sunday in the finale against the Mets John Maine (5-1, 2.15) who was the NL pitcher of the month for April, but has only one win so far in May.
The Mets lead the NL in hitting and pitching but this will be a real test for them, even against a Yankees team that (shhhh) isn't really that good. Both teams get up for the Subway Series (even if they claim they don't). They get into it because the fans seriously get up for it and everybody seems to play a little bit harder.
The Mets have big-time momentum and with the Braves waiting in the for an early-season critical series in Atlanta next week, I predict the Amazin's will take care of business.
It's been said that we die hard Mets fans put too much energy into hating the crosstown rival Yankees (after all, we don't have to beat the Yankees to win the National League Pennant). It's not hard to hate the Bronx Bombers. They are (appropriately I might add) arrogant, tough and worse, for the most part in recent years, good citizens and professionals. It might be said that no franchise in the history of sports have been so consistently good for so long. Are we Mets fans just player haters? Maybe, but I feel like it's part of my personal history.
First, I'm a Mets fans and in New York you can be one or the other but not both (if you are, you're a phony or a fence-sitter and I can't be your friend). Second, my family spent summers on Cape Cod and back when I was yae high, they didn't have cable. You couldn't live in Massachusetts ity and watch the New York baseball teams. You could in some cases in some places -- especially where a team was representing a larger regional area -- but basically you were stuck with your home town team. So those summers, I came to root for an appreciate and die for the Boston Red Sox. And of course the Damn Yankees were as big of a thorn in the side of those Red Sox as they are today (though the humiliating, history-making 3-0 comeback by the Sox in 2003, did a lot to ease those previous failures).
But I digress. The reason I'm talking about the Yankees is this weekend begins the Subway Series -- the first of two regular season series between the Mets and Yankees.
For a change, it's the Mets who come into the series on a high note, having just taken three-of-four from the Cubs in dramatic fashion. This after taking two of three from the Brewers last weekend who when they came into Shea had the best record in baseball. The big win Thursday (the Mets overcame a four-run deficit in the last of the ninth inning to win at home) coupled with the Braves' loss in Washington (in a game they led 3-1 late), gives the Mets sole ownership of first place in the NL East. The Mets have the best record in the National League and the second -best in the Majors, trailing only Boston.
The Mets victory today was stirring. S.O.L. might have had something to do with it. With the Mets trailing 5-1 going into the ninth inning, I was just finishing up my workout on my new toy (a refurbished Precor EFX that I got for my birthday - yay me!). I decided superstitiously, to continue the workout until the Mets made the last out. Who knew that last out was never going to come?
The wonderful thing about this game -- and about the Mets in general since Willie Randolph took over as manager two seasons ago -- is that the bench played a big role in the comeback. Utility reserve David Newhan was among five non-regulars to start today's game. Randolph sat Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Paul Lo Duca and Damien Easley to rest them after last night's rain-delayed game went well past midnight. With the Yankees coming this weekend (and the second-place Braves after that), Willie was thinking ahead.
Newhan singled up the middle off of Cubs closer Ryan Dempster -- it was Newhan's second hit of the game one fewer than his total for the entire season. After Ramón Castro made an out (a line shot to right that Newhan nearly blundered into a double play), rookie Carlos Gómez, playing his first week in the majors, singled to right. First and third, one out.
Willie sent up Beltran, the Mets superstar centerfielder to pinch hit. Dempster was already rattled, throwing more balls than strikes, and notoriously fiery manager Lou Pinella was starting to steam in the dugout. With a four-run lead, the Cubs let Gómez take second -- killing any chance for a game-ending double-play. Beltran has only three pinch hits in his career (in 15 at bats) and his hot start has been slowed by leg soreness, but he worked out a walk, loading the bases.
After a visit to the mound by Pinella wherein pitcher and manager were screaming at each other, Endy Chavez came up to bat, fought off some tough pitches and he, too, walked. Only his walk plated Newhan, cutting the lead to 5-2.
Willie surprised a lot of people, including Rubén Gotay, by sending up the backup infielder to hit for himself. Gotay was hitting .150 coming into the game but he'd already stroked a run-scoring single earlier -- leading to the Mets first and until the ninth, only run. The decision looked awful as Gotay (pronounced Go-Tie) went to 0-2 against Dempster.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I thought I was going to be pinch-hit for,” Gotay told the New York Times.
The something remarkable happened. The little infielder rewarded Willie's confidence in him and belted a clean single beyond the reach of slick fielding shortstop César Izturis, plating run number three. That was all Pinella could stand and he almost ran out of the dugout waving his left arm frantically to call on lefty reliever Scott Eyre to face Shawn Green. Willie countered by sending up David Wright to pinch hit - his first pinch-hitting appearance of his career.
The unwritten law about pinch-hitting is to go out their hacking and that's what Wright did, perfectly placing the first pitch up the middle and into centerfield. Cubs 5, Mets 4. Still only one out and the batter Mets cleanup hitter Carlos Delgado coming to the plate.
To say that Delgado, one of the nicest, coolest, most thoughtful guys to wear spikes anywhere, has been in a slump is putting it mildly. A home run hitter, he's only got three this season and his batting average has hovered around the Mendoza line all year.
But on a 1-0 pitch from Eyre, Delgado hit a sharp grounder between second and first and the Cubs sure-handed second baseman couldn't get to it and it bounded into right field for a single. The throw from right wasn't even close as Gotay came all the way around from second to score the winning run. Wow. Amazing. And thirty extra minutes on the workout machine for S.O.L.
It was the largest ninth-inning comeback for the Mets since May 23, 1999, when they scored five runs off of Curt Schilling to beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have lost four of six and have posted a losing record since Roger Clemons announced he was coming back to New York to an adoring crowd at the House that Ruth Built. The Yankees are not in first place and at 18-21 are currently nine games behind the Red Sox (who still have the second game of a double-header to play tonight).
Friday night pits the young enigmatic Mets starter Oliver Perez against steady as she goes Andy Pettit. Perez has been as schizophrenic a pitcher as there is in the league, going win, loss, win, loss so far all season. Though his last outing was special, as he gave up just one hit in a win over the high-scoring Brewers. Pettit is 2-2 but is also coming off of a solid game, although the Yankees inability to put runs on the board lately, hurt him in what was a loss to Seattle.
Saturday it's Tom Glavine (4-1, 3.31) for the Mets going after career win no. 296 vs. Darrell Rasner (1-2, 3.28) and then last season Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang (2-3, 4.54) pitches Sunday in the finale against the Mets John Maine (5-1, 2.15) who was the NL pitcher of the month for April, but has only one win so far in May.
NOTE ADDED: The Yankees manager Joe Torre announced today that he would not start Wang on short rest on Sunday. Instead, the New York Times reported that Tyler Clippard was removed from the game "after striking out the side in the first inning Thursday for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, a strong indication that Clippard will start for the Yankees on Sunday."
Clippards, 22, is a righty who compiled a 3-2 record (2.72 ERA) for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He has 41 K's in 39 2/3 innings. He would be the seventh rookie and the 11th different starter to pitch for the Yankees this season. The Mets have started seven different pitchers this season.
The Mets lead the NL in hitting and pitching but this will be a real test for them, even against a Yankees team that (shhhh) isn't really that good. Both teams get up for the Subway Series (even if they claim they don't). They get into it because the fans seriously get up for it and everybody seems to play a little bit harder.
The Mets have big-time momentum and with the Braves waiting in the for an early-season critical series in Atlanta next week, I predict the Amazin's will take care of business.
Monday, May 14, 2007
More Mets and the NBA Plays Rough
Route 101 North, at Sunset May 2007
More important, it seems to have done wonders for David Wright, who started the shearing in the first place. The Mets' poster boy has spent the first month and a half of the season mired in a slump. He seemed to be picking up from where he left off last season when he opened by extending his end-of-season hitting streak from last year, but it was clear he wasn't comfortable at the plate.
He finished April with a .244 batting average, one home run and a paltry 6 R.B.I. Not what you want to see from the number five hitter on the major's best run-scoring team.
But since shaving his head before last Tuesday's game in San Francisco, Wright has 7 hits, three home runs and a game-winning double. You know how swimmers and cyclists shave their heads (and other body parts) so they can be more aerodynamic? Well, Wright's got four stolen bases since the barber paid him a visit to his hotel room, including three in one game (a career high). I'm thinking now that Jose Reyes has finally joined the baldies on the team, I expect him to steal 200 bases this year.
Most important development this weekend is how the Mets played against the Milwaukee Brewers, this year's version of the 2006 Detroit Tigers (or the 2005 White Sox) as MLB's most surprising team. The Brew Crew came into Shea with a swagger -- and the major's best record. They looked like world-beaters in crushing the Mets 12-3 on Saturday but that impressive work was sandwiched between two methodical victories by the Mets. It was the first road series loss of the season for the Brewers.
Rough and Tumble
Right now, the most fun-to-watch teams left in the playoffs are getting beat down by more bigger, more physical teams. Saturday's Spurs-Suns Game 3 was about as physical game as I've seen since the Lakers-Spurs series in 2004. That's when San Antonio crushed the Lakers at home in the first two games in part because this youngster named Tony Parker was driving to the basket with abandon and success. Only when the series went back to L.A., suddenly Parker was mugged every time he went to the hoop -- except the refs weren't calling fouls anymore. In the first two games of the series, the foul calls were even at 51 apiece but over the next four games -- all Lakers wins -- the Lakers got 126 fouls to the Spurs' 87.
I'm not blaming the refs for this disparity, just pointing out the importance of aggressive play during the playoffs. The first two games Parker pretty much scored at will in the paint, driving and scoring layups or dishing to an open man. He seemed to be going at a different speed than the Lakers' defense.
That all changed in Game 3. The Lakers, having nothing much to lose with a 0-2 deficit, started collapsing on Parker when he drove into the paint and making it hard for him to get off a shot. No question he was getting fouled on some of those drives but it was the playoffs, man, and the theory is you don't get those calls in the playoffs. The Lakers held court and then used a miracle shot by Derek Fisher with four-tenths of a second on the clock to steal Game 5 and that was all she wrote for those seemingly fragile Spurs. Parker scored 50 points in the first two games of the series. The last four? That's right, 50 points -- total.
The Spurs learned a lesson back in 2004 and used it with authority in Game 3 at home against the free-flowing Suns. Two things they did great on Saturday. One is they stayed in front of the King of Point Guards. And two, whenever he did get by a defender, there was always someone waiting to help out on D. But they also played tougher physically and there was a lot of extra-curricular banging and bumping in that game -- by both teams. The only difference it seemed to me, was that the Spurs didn't let it effect them and they made their shots
Nash did not respond to the pounding correctly in the first half -- he looked and acted frustrated. It didn't help the Suns that their biggest man on the floor was saddled with three fouls in the first half and played 19 seconds in the third quarter before picking up ugly number four. But there's hope for Suns fans, in S.O.L.'s view. Nash played a great quarter and for all his youth and too much talking, Amare is a smart kid gifted with an instinct for the game. Plus, for the first time perhaps all season, Boris Diaw played like he did in his coming-out party last year in the playoffs. I believe the Suns are tougher than they get credit for and I predict the series goes to Phoenix tied 2-2.
Up here in the Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors have been all the rage. And why not. They all but swept the defending Western Conference champions out of the playoffs and their open three-point-shooting, in-your-face, speed-demon style is fun as hell to watch. Plus, they opened the playoffs with four victories on their home court, almost all of them by double-digits.
The buzz kill has come in the face of the Utah Jazz. Using tough inside play and showing the discipline to withstand the inevitable roaring-crowd-fueled runs by the young Warriors, the Jazz host Game 5 on Tuesday on their home court leading the series 3-1. No one is really counting out the Warriors but it's hard to see them winning three straight, even with the kind of magical playoffs they've been having.
The Warriors can win if they keep hitting those big threes, but they have to find a way to stop Carlos Boozer from scoring inside. Boozer has become a real floor leader for the young Jazz and he's battling a rep as being too soft under the basket. Okay, so it's not saying all that much against a Warriors team that plays small ball, but still, Boozer has to make those big shots. When he hit two consecutive tough inside jumpers at a critical moment early in the game with a frenzied crowd in his ears, you just had to know he was going to show up at crunch time. And let's face it, if Boozer isn't scoring inside, Fisher doesn't get those open looks in the fourth and maybe they're going back to Utah tied 2-2 instead of up 3-1. It doesn't help Golden State's mojo that Fisher is having a storybook run of his own and Deron Williams and Paul Millsap are growing up before our eyes.
Love watching the Warriors. Love the fan support -- even the Lakers and Kings haven't done what the Warriors did last night -- but I've got a family the magic runs out in Salt Lake.
Speaking of the NBA Playoffs, we all had to watch the games on ABC this weekend. I love Mike Breen - I think he's one of the best broadcasters going these days. But the sexy chicks singing that stupid "right now" song? Please, get rid of that shit. It's beyond bad. It's embarrassingly bad. ABC -- please cease and desist. Right. Now.
The Mets have won four out of five games since shaving their heads. A small sampling to judge whether shaving heads makes you a better baseball team, considering they were 7-3 in the 10 games before they got really short haircuts.
More important, it seems to have done wonders for David Wright, who started the shearing in the first place. The Mets' poster boy has spent the first month and a half of the season mired in a slump. He seemed to be picking up from where he left off last season when he opened by extending his end-of-season hitting streak from last year, but it was clear he wasn't comfortable at the plate.
He finished April with a .244 batting average, one home run and a paltry 6 R.B.I. Not what you want to see from the number five hitter on the major's best run-scoring team.
But since shaving his head before last Tuesday's game in San Francisco, Wright has 7 hits, three home runs and a game-winning double. You know how swimmers and cyclists shave their heads (and other body parts) so they can be more aerodynamic? Well, Wright's got four stolen bases since the barber paid him a visit to his hotel room, including three in one game (a career high). I'm thinking now that Jose Reyes has finally joined the baldies on the team, I expect him to steal 200 bases this year.
Most important development this weekend is how the Mets played against the Milwaukee Brewers, this year's version of the 2006 Detroit Tigers (or the 2005 White Sox) as MLB's most surprising team. The Brew Crew came into Shea with a swagger -- and the major's best record. They looked like world-beaters in crushing the Mets 12-3 on Saturday but that impressive work was sandwiched between two methodical victories by the Mets. It was the first road series loss of the season for the Brewers.
Rough and Tumble
Right now, the most fun-to-watch teams left in the playoffs are getting beat down by more bigger, more physical teams. Saturday's Spurs-Suns Game 3 was about as physical game as I've seen since the Lakers-Spurs series in 2004. That's when San Antonio crushed the Lakers at home in the first two games in part because this youngster named Tony Parker was driving to the basket with abandon and success. Only when the series went back to L.A., suddenly Parker was mugged every time he went to the hoop -- except the refs weren't calling fouls anymore. In the first two games of the series, the foul calls were even at 51 apiece but over the next four games -- all Lakers wins -- the Lakers got 126 fouls to the Spurs' 87.
I'm not blaming the refs for this disparity, just pointing out the importance of aggressive play during the playoffs. The first two games Parker pretty much scored at will in the paint, driving and scoring layups or dishing to an open man. He seemed to be going at a different speed than the Lakers' defense.
That all changed in Game 3. The Lakers, having nothing much to lose with a 0-2 deficit, started collapsing on Parker when he drove into the paint and making it hard for him to get off a shot. No question he was getting fouled on some of those drives but it was the playoffs, man, and the theory is you don't get those calls in the playoffs. The Lakers held court and then used a miracle shot by Derek Fisher with four-tenths of a second on the clock to steal Game 5 and that was all she wrote for those seemingly fragile Spurs. Parker scored 50 points in the first two games of the series. The last four? That's right, 50 points -- total.
The Spurs learned a lesson back in 2004 and used it with authority in Game 3 at home against the free-flowing Suns. Two things they did great on Saturday. One is they stayed in front of the King of Point Guards. And two, whenever he did get by a defender, there was always someone waiting to help out on D. But they also played tougher physically and there was a lot of extra-curricular banging and bumping in that game -- by both teams. The only difference it seemed to me, was that the Spurs didn't let it effect them and they made their shots
Nash did not respond to the pounding correctly in the first half -- he looked and acted frustrated. It didn't help the Suns that their biggest man on the floor was saddled with three fouls in the first half and played 19 seconds in the third quarter before picking up ugly number four. But there's hope for Suns fans, in S.O.L.'s view. Nash played a great quarter and for all his youth and too much talking, Amare is a smart kid gifted with an instinct for the game. Plus, for the first time perhaps all season, Boris Diaw played like he did in his coming-out party last year in the playoffs. I believe the Suns are tougher than they get credit for and I predict the series goes to Phoenix tied 2-2.
Up here in the Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors have been all the rage. And why not. They all but swept the defending Western Conference champions out of the playoffs and their open three-point-shooting, in-your-face, speed-demon style is fun as hell to watch. Plus, they opened the playoffs with four victories on their home court, almost all of them by double-digits.
The buzz kill has come in the face of the Utah Jazz. Using tough inside play and showing the discipline to withstand the inevitable roaring-crowd-fueled runs by the young Warriors, the Jazz host Game 5 on Tuesday on their home court leading the series 3-1. No one is really counting out the Warriors but it's hard to see them winning three straight, even with the kind of magical playoffs they've been having.
The Warriors can win if they keep hitting those big threes, but they have to find a way to stop Carlos Boozer from scoring inside. Boozer has become a real floor leader for the young Jazz and he's battling a rep as being too soft under the basket. Okay, so it's not saying all that much against a Warriors team that plays small ball, but still, Boozer has to make those big shots. When he hit two consecutive tough inside jumpers at a critical moment early in the game with a frenzied crowd in his ears, you just had to know he was going to show up at crunch time. And let's face it, if Boozer isn't scoring inside, Fisher doesn't get those open looks in the fourth and maybe they're going back to Utah tied 2-2 instead of up 3-1. It doesn't help Golden State's mojo that Fisher is having a storybook run of his own and Deron Williams and Paul Millsap are growing up before our eyes.
Love watching the Warriors. Love the fan support -- even the Lakers and Kings haven't done what the Warriors did last night -- but I've got a family the magic runs out in Salt Lake.
Speaking of the NBA Playoffs, we all had to watch the games on ABC this weekend. I love Mike Breen - I think he's one of the best broadcasters going these days. But the sexy chicks singing that stupid "right now" song? Please, get rid of that shit. It's beyond bad. It's embarrassingly bad. ABC -- please cease and desist. Right. Now.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
S.O.L. at the Ol' Ballgame
Billy Wagner prepares to shut the door
I went to see the Mets yesterday at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The Mets were nice enough to put together a comeback victory in honor of S.O.L.'s presence, easing the painful costs of our moderately expensive seats.
(All the photos on this page were taken by me at the game and as always you can click on any photo to see it REALLY big.)
The best part of the game was seeing two struggling Mets (David Wright and Carlos Delgado) come through in the clutch (Delgado got the game-tying hit and Wright the game-winning one). The winning hit, by the way, came off former Mets closer Armando Benitez, who self-destructed
Happy Ending
before our eyes, a situation with which Mets fans are all too familiar.
The Mets return home Friday night to face the best team in the majors. We'll see how they measure up -- the Mets I mean.
Mets manager Willie Randolph opted to walk Barry Bonds intentionally early in the game with a two-run lead and first base open. It ended up being a good thing for the Mets who got out of the inning unscathed. Bonds, who hit no. 745 the previous night against the Mets, played a rare day game following a night game on Wednesday. He didn't go yard and actually struck out looking with the game on the line in the later innings.
More photos of my day at the ballpark.
Jose Reyes bats in the second.
Mets starter John Maine warms up. Behind him is third baseman David Wright.
I went to see the Mets yesterday at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The Mets were nice enough to put together a comeback victory in honor of S.O.L.'s presence, easing the painful costs of our moderately expensive seats.(All the photos on this page were taken by me at the game and as always you can click on any photo to see it REALLY big.)
The best part of the game was seeing two struggling Mets (David Wright and Carlos Delgado) come through in the clutch (Delgado got the game-tying hit and Wright the game-winning one). The winning hit, by the way, came off former Mets closer Armando Benitez, who self-destructed
Happy Ending
before our eyes, a situation with which Mets fans are all too familiar.
The Mets return home Friday night to face the best team in the majors. We'll see how they measure up -- the Mets I mean.
Mets manager Willie Randolph opted to walk Barry Bonds intentionally early in the game with a two-run lead and first base open. It ended up being a good thing for the Mets who got out of the inning unscathed. Bonds, who hit no. 745 the previous night against the Mets, played a rare day game following a night game on Wednesday. He didn't go yard and actually struck out looking with the game on the line in the later innings.
More photos of my day at the ballpark.
Jose Reyes bats in the second.
Mets starter John Maine warms up. Behind him is third baseman David Wright.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Ringing in the New Season
Mets at Dodgers, Dodger Stadium 2005
Well, so much for the World Champs. The Mets just finished off a nice first series of the season by destroying the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game sweep and raining on their victory bling parade.
As much as I'm a pimp for the Mets, I have to say they were helped along by the awfulness of the Cardinals who misplayed easy fly balls (three times) and were decidedly impatient at the plate. New York outscored the St. Louis 20-2 and turned eight double plays in the first two games (which hadn't been done in forty years). It's possible they might have had some more in Wednesday night's 10-0 drubbing, but the Cards only got one guy to second and that was in the, um, ninth inning. Ho-hum.
Let's not get too excited. The Mets travel to Atlanta to face the Braves this weekend and so far, the youngins down South have looked very, very sharp. They go into game three against Philly looking for the sweep. Speaking of the Phills, Jimmy Rollins must be feeling a little sheepish
about now as even after a minuscule sampling of games, the Phillies have to be very concerned about their bullpen.
Break up the Pirates - the Bucs swept Houston this week and are 3-0 for the first time in ages and ages. Well you might think that if you looked at their recent record of futility but the last time they were 3-0 was back in '03, a season in which they finished 75-87, four games back of the Central Division champion Cubs.
NBA Down to the Wire
Well, well, well, Lakers fans. What did S.O.L. tell you would happen to Kobe and krew when they started playing teams that belong in the NBA? After tearing up the likes of Portland and Memphis and Sacramento, the Lakers have run into a wall and face the very real possibility of dropping way down the playoff chart as both Denver and the Clippers (and Golden State) are surging at the same time the Lakers are flat-lining.
In the last six games the Lakers have gone 2-4, beating Golden State and Sacramento and losing to Memphis, Houston, Denver and last night, the improving Clippers. All of the losses exposed the Lakers' horrid defense and now only one game in the loss column separates them from losing their hold on the number sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs to Denver or the Clippers. Lucky for the Lakers, the Nuggets have continued to be schizophrenic -- going 5-5 in a series of games where they could have easily gone 8-2 or 9-1, had they not suffered from some last-minute meltdowns and last-second buzzer beaters.
Frankly, after watching Denver play the last couple of weeks, I'm at a loss to predict how they'll do in the playoffs. Being so inconsistent doesn't bode well for playoff success, that's for sure. They are so big and fast and long, you have to think they'd be good on the defense and they've got three legit go-to scorers in Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and to a lessor extent, the improving J.R. Smith. But man, they play like a bunch of idiots sometimes. You wonder if guys like Nene even have any brains in his head. Maybe that's why he only goes by one name. Do not get me wrong. I love the guy. But man, his basketball I.Q. is severely lacking. All you had to do see what I mean about the Nuggets is to watch last night's game against Sacramento, in which they blew a 71-50 halftime lead and ended up playing for their lives in the fourth before pulling it out. This time of year, a playoff-bound team hoping to make any kind of run should not be giving back 21-point leads.
I mean I've never seen a playoff team make so many stupid mistakes. I'm surprised George Karl has any hair left on his head. If these guys could put it together, they could beat anybody. I mean it. Even Dallas and Phoenix.
As for the Lake Show, their game last night against the Clips was a perfect microcosm of their season. After a tight back-and-fourth first quarter, the Clippers outplayed the Lakers on defense and built a double-digit lead by halftime. In the second half, the Lakers tightened up their D and the Clippers just tightened up, and the Lakers got to within one. But the Clippers made the plays and the Lakers did not and that was all she wrote. Kobe finished with 29 points but shot only 13-34 to get them. A few of his shots caromed off the backboard they were so off-line. And this was a game where Lamar Odom and Luke Walton were playing well and yet Kobe still tried to take it all on himself. Two games ago against the Kings, the Lakers won fairly easily by sharing the ball (Kobe had 13 assists and didn't lead the team in scoring) and yet the King of Stubbornness misses the lesson.
The Clippers double-teamed him whenever he got the ball and Black Mamba forced several shots, expecting the refs to bail him out. (Even I thought he got fouled a couple of times only to change my mind on seeing the replay.) The Clippers broadcasters said the game had a real playoff feel and the refs called it like that -- everybody was getting mugged under the basket. But the Clippers played into that and the Lakers didn't. (I mean if there's one thing you learn playing in the NBA is to adjust to the way the refs call the game. They're human. Sometimes they have good games, sometimes they suck. Sometimes, like last night, they're reffing is frustratingly uneven. But there was a time in game where it was clear they were letting everybody play, where they were only calling the most obvious fouls. You have to adjust your game accordingly. )
I'm not sure, having looked at the potential match-ups, how much falling down the playoff seeding chart would hurt the Lakers.
If the season ended today, the Western Conference playoff picture would look like this:
So you see how come to think of it, the Lakers would be fucked no matter who they play, especially the way they're defending the hoop these days. Maybe they can muster enough team defense to slow down Tim Duncan or Tony Parker or Manu Ginobli but all three? I think you can bet the house on that not happening.
The Lakers have a big week ahead of them. After what should be an automatic win at Seattle, they have four games in six games against Western Conference playoff opponents - a home and home with the Suns, a visit to Denver and at home against the Clippers. After that it's smooth sailing with Seattle and a finish at Sacramento, both lottery teams. The thinking goes they'll make the playoffs if they finish at .500, which means they need just two wins in those final seven games. The question is can they win enough games to keep their hold on the sixth spot, and will it even matter?
Well, so much for the World Champs. The Mets just finished off a nice first series of the season by destroying the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game sweep and raining on their victory bling parade.
As much as I'm a pimp for the Mets, I have to say they were helped along by the awfulness of the Cardinals who misplayed easy fly balls (three times) and were decidedly impatient at the plate. New York outscored the St. Louis 20-2 and turned eight double plays in the first two games (which hadn't been done in forty years). It's possible they might have had some more in Wednesday night's 10-0 drubbing, but the Cards only got one guy to second and that was in the, um, ninth inning. Ho-hum.
Let's not get too excited. The Mets travel to Atlanta to face the Braves this weekend and so far, the youngins down South have looked very, very sharp. They go into game three against Philly looking for the sweep. Speaking of the Phills, Jimmy Rollins must be feeling a little sheepish
about now as even after a minuscule sampling of games, the Phillies have to be very concerned about their bullpen.
Break up the Pirates - the Bucs swept Houston this week and are 3-0 for the first time in ages and ages. Well you might think that if you looked at their recent record of futility but the last time they were 3-0 was back in '03, a season in which they finished 75-87, four games back of the Central Division champion Cubs.
NBA Down to the Wire
Well, well, well, Lakers fans. What did S.O.L. tell you would happen to Kobe and krew when they started playing teams that belong in the NBA? After tearing up the likes of Portland and Memphis and Sacramento, the Lakers have run into a wall and face the very real possibility of dropping way down the playoff chart as both Denver and the Clippers (and Golden State) are surging at the same time the Lakers are flat-lining.
In the last six games the Lakers have gone 2-4, beating Golden State and Sacramento and losing to Memphis, Houston, Denver and last night, the improving Clippers. All of the losses exposed the Lakers' horrid defense and now only one game in the loss column separates them from losing their hold on the number sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs to Denver or the Clippers. Lucky for the Lakers, the Nuggets have continued to be schizophrenic -- going 5-5 in a series of games where they could have easily gone 8-2 or 9-1, had they not suffered from some last-minute meltdowns and last-second buzzer beaters.
Frankly, after watching Denver play the last couple of weeks, I'm at a loss to predict how they'll do in the playoffs. Being so inconsistent doesn't bode well for playoff success, that's for sure. They are so big and fast and long, you have to think they'd be good on the defense and they've got three legit go-to scorers in Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson and to a lessor extent, the improving J.R. Smith. But man, they play like a bunch of idiots sometimes. You wonder if guys like Nene even have any brains in his head. Maybe that's why he only goes by one name. Do not get me wrong. I love the guy. But man, his basketball I.Q. is severely lacking. All you had to do see what I mean about the Nuggets is to watch last night's game against Sacramento, in which they blew a 71-50 halftime lead and ended up playing for their lives in the fourth before pulling it out. This time of year, a playoff-bound team hoping to make any kind of run should not be giving back 21-point leads.
I mean I've never seen a playoff team make so many stupid mistakes. I'm surprised George Karl has any hair left on his head. If these guys could put it together, they could beat anybody. I mean it. Even Dallas and Phoenix.
As for the Lake Show, their game last night against the Clips was a perfect microcosm of their season. After a tight back-and-fourth first quarter, the Clippers outplayed the Lakers on defense and built a double-digit lead by halftime. In the second half, the Lakers tightened up their D and the Clippers just tightened up, and the Lakers got to within one. But the Clippers made the plays and the Lakers did not and that was all she wrote. Kobe finished with 29 points but shot only 13-34 to get them. A few of his shots caromed off the backboard they were so off-line. And this was a game where Lamar Odom and Luke Walton were playing well and yet Kobe still tried to take it all on himself. Two games ago against the Kings, the Lakers won fairly easily by sharing the ball (Kobe had 13 assists and didn't lead the team in scoring) and yet the King of Stubbornness misses the lesson.
The Clippers double-teamed him whenever he got the ball and Black Mamba forced several shots, expecting the refs to bail him out. (Even I thought he got fouled a couple of times only to change my mind on seeing the replay.) The Clippers broadcasters said the game had a real playoff feel and the refs called it like that -- everybody was getting mugged under the basket. But the Clippers played into that and the Lakers didn't. (I mean if there's one thing you learn playing in the NBA is to adjust to the way the refs call the game. They're human. Sometimes they have good games, sometimes they suck. Sometimes, like last night, they're reffing is frustratingly uneven. But there was a time in game where it was clear they were letting everybody play, where they were only calling the most obvious fouls. You have to adjust your game accordingly. )
I'm not sure, having looked at the potential match-ups, how much falling down the playoff seeding chart would hurt the Lakers.
If the season ended today, the Western Conference playoff picture would look like this:
1. Dallas vs. 8. ClippersThe Lakers have had success playing the Spurs in the past (not that S.O.L. thinks they can beat them this year) and there's just no way Kobe and Kompany wants to see Steve Nash or Dirk Nowitzki in round one. The Suns aren't the same team they were last year when the Lakers took them to seven games. There is one big difference. (Say it with me everybody: Amare!)
2. Phoenix vs. 7. Denver
3. S. Antonio vs. 6. Lakers
4. Utah vs. 5. Houston
So you see how come to think of it, the Lakers would be fucked no matter who they play, especially the way they're defending the hoop these days. Maybe they can muster enough team defense to slow down Tim Duncan or Tony Parker or Manu Ginobli but all three? I think you can bet the house on that not happening.
The Lakers have a big week ahead of them. After what should be an automatic win at Seattle, they have four games in six games against Western Conference playoff opponents - a home and home with the Suns, a visit to Denver and at home against the Clippers. After that it's smooth sailing with Seattle and a finish at Sacramento, both lottery teams. The thinking goes they'll make the playoffs if they finish at .500, which means they need just two wins in those final seven games. The question is can they win enough games to keep their hold on the sixth spot, and will it even matter?
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Final Four Tenths
Last night, the University of Florida mens' basketball team did something amazing in this Era of sports that I like to call Parody. They repeated as National Champions by beating Ohio State and it's fabulous freshmen 84-78 in the title game.
I really didn't watch much of this year's tournament. I wasn't that interested and I've
been distracted (by my sick dog and then my sick self). Both of my teams sucked out pretty fast. My favorite school I didn't go to (Duke) lost ignominiously in Round One and my favorite school that I attended (GWU) scored 29 points in a frighteningly awful display of offense (or lack thereof). I noticed both my teams lost to schools that begin with the letter 'V'. I do not pretend to understand the mysteries of the universe but it seems to me that is one fact that cannot be ignored. And that comforts me.
Moving on. In a rare whoop and holler, S.O.L. proudly points out that the NCAA bracket I filled out on ESPN correctly picked the 6 of the Elite Eight teams, all of the Final Four and the eventually national champion. I picked the final score of 78-75, which is pretty damn close and I only missed ONE game in the Southwest Bracket (thanks a lot Duke). I finished with a 99.6 percent winning percentage, which means only four-tenths of the rest of the entries were better (the bad news is that translates into 10,408 entrants). Still, we're talking about more than 2 million entries. Not bad, eh?
PLAY BALL
It has arrived finally. Green grass, glove leather, the crack of ball on bat. Monday was baseball's opening day, a season that S.O.L. has been looking forward to ever since a certain NY outfielder's knees got buckled back in October. I'm a Mets fan. Maybe not the world's biggest but I'm up there. I only say this because you'll be hearing a lot about my Mets obsession during the course of the season. I'll be giving regular updates on the state of the team that many folks expect to be in the World Series this year, having missed going last year by the smallest of margins.
The Mets have one of the best lineups in the majors, certainly in the NL, but they have a lot of questionmarks on the pitching staff. Their first two starters are 40-year-olds and the next three are all kids with not a lot of Major League pitching experience. After one game, the future looks bright. Forty-year-old future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine pitched Sunday night against the World Champs in St. Louis and the Mets won 6-1. Tonight is game two against the Redbirds.
Speaking of baseball, a few friends wrote to me about MLB's inaugral Civil Rights Game, which was played on Saturday, an exhibition game in Memphis, not far from the site of Martin Luther King's assassination.
It doesn't take a cynic to see that the underlying reason for the Civil Rights game is to draw more African-Americans to the game, both as fans and participants. Turns out that the numbers of American black players (not from a Latin country) have dwindled in recent years to a small percentage of major league players. It was 8 percent last season -- in 1975, it was 25 percent (according to Major League Baseball). The reason why is still being debated (MLB is studying the issue and a report is due out next year) but from what I can tell the consensus seems to be several reasons from the obvious (lack of ballparks in big cities) to the fact that it's easier in other sports to get to the professional levels (there's no minor leagues in football) and that it's not the kind of tv-oriented sport that big time college basketball and football is.
You could take the cynical approach and you'd have a point but what struck me most about the coverage and the events surrounding it was the reaction by the ex-black players -- like Frank Robinson and Joe Morgan -- who seemed really into the whole thing. And these guys aren't exactly known for lock-stepping to MLB's hierarchy. Robinson, baseball's first black manager, has long been known as a maverick, for example. My point is that if they think the Civil Rights game is a good thing, who am I to argue?
I did find one thing very curious, however and that is the selection of the teams involved. The game pitted the the St.Louis Cardinals against the Cleveland Indians. That's right, the Indians. Who says irony is dead?
I really didn't watch much of this year's tournament. I wasn't that interested and I've
been distracted (by my sick dog and then my sick self). Both of my teams sucked out pretty fast. My favorite school I didn't go to (Duke) lost ignominiously in Round One and my favorite school that I attended (GWU) scored 29 points in a frighteningly awful display of offense (or lack thereof). I noticed both my teams lost to schools that begin with the letter 'V'. I do not pretend to understand the mysteries of the universe but it seems to me that is one fact that cannot be ignored. And that comforts me.Moving on. In a rare whoop and holler, S.O.L. proudly points out that the NCAA bracket I filled out on ESPN correctly picked the 6 of the Elite Eight teams, all of the Final Four and the eventually national champion. I picked the final score of 78-75, which is pretty damn close and I only missed ONE game in the Southwest Bracket (thanks a lot Duke). I finished with a 99.6 percent winning percentage, which means only four-tenths of the rest of the entries were better (the bad news is that translates into 10,408 entrants). Still, we're talking about more than 2 million entries. Not bad, eh?
PLAY BALL
It has arrived finally. Green grass, glove leather, the crack of ball on bat. Monday was baseball's opening day, a season that S.O.L. has been looking forward to ever since a certain NY outfielder's knees got buckled back in October. I'm a Mets fan. Maybe not the world's biggest but I'm up there. I only say this because you'll be hearing a lot about my Mets obsession during the course of the season. I'll be giving regular updates on the state of the team that many folks expect to be in the World Series this year, having missed going last year by the smallest of margins.
The Mets have one of the best lineups in the majors, certainly in the NL, but they have a lot of questionmarks on the pitching staff. Their first two starters are 40-year-olds and the next three are all kids with not a lot of Major League pitching experience. After one game, the future looks bright. Forty-year-old future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine pitched Sunday night against the World Champs in St. Louis and the Mets won 6-1. Tonight is game two against the Redbirds.
Speaking of baseball, a few friends wrote to me about MLB's inaugral Civil Rights Game, which was played on Saturday, an exhibition game in Memphis, not far from the site of Martin Luther King's assassination.
It doesn't take a cynic to see that the underlying reason for the Civil Rights game is to draw more African-Americans to the game, both as fans and participants. Turns out that the numbers of American black players (not from a Latin country) have dwindled in recent years to a small percentage of major league players. It was 8 percent last season -- in 1975, it was 25 percent (according to Major League Baseball). The reason why is still being debated (MLB is studying the issue and a report is due out next year) but from what I can tell the consensus seems to be several reasons from the obvious (lack of ballparks in big cities) to the fact that it's easier in other sports to get to the professional levels (there's no minor leagues in football) and that it's not the kind of tv-oriented sport that big time college basketball and football is.
You could take the cynical approach and you'd have a point but what struck me most about the coverage and the events surrounding it was the reaction by the ex-black players -- like Frank Robinson and Joe Morgan -- who seemed really into the whole thing. And these guys aren't exactly known for lock-stepping to MLB's hierarchy. Robinson, baseball's first black manager, has long been known as a maverick, for example. My point is that if they think the Civil Rights game is a good thing, who am I to argue?
I did find one thing very curious, however and that is the selection of the teams involved. The game pitted the the St.Louis Cardinals against the Cleveland Indians. That's right, the Indians. Who says irony is dead?
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