That would be Matt Chico and John Maine. Maine got the better of Chico last night, something Jack Albertson rarely did to Freddie Prinze back in the 70's, tossing six and two-thirds strong innings before walking Christian Guzman and Ronnie Belliard and yelling an expletive that would not have made it past the NBC censors as Willie Randolph (who was playing the role of Scatman Crothers) came out to get him. Joe Smith finished the inning and the 8th, and Billy Wagner had a 1-2-3 ninth to close out a 5-2 Mets victory.
Both team scored a single run in the 1st, as Maine walked two and looked generally shaky. Ryan Church's homer in the bottom of the inning tied it, and then Austin Kearns homered in the 4th to untie it. The Mets took the lead they would never relinquish in the 5th on a solo shot by Jose Reyes, and a three-run smash by Carlos Beltran, both their first dingers of the season.
There was a Chad Cordero sighting for the Nats, but his fastball was a no-show. The flat-brimmed one clearly still has a bum shoulder, and could not break 81 mph with his heater. He was good enough to retire the side in order, but what was he doing out there? The guy needs to go back on the Disabled List. It's not like the Nats will sniff a pennant race this season, and he's only 26. Baseball GM's befuddle me sometimes.
The Mets are now 7-6, still a game and a half behind Florida, who beat Atlanta for the second straight time, and a game ahead of Philadelphia, who failed to mount a second consecutive 9th inning comeback at home against Houston. Florida's cupcake April schedule continues with another game against Atlanta followed by three home games against the Nats before heading to Atlanta for three. Finally they'll play a team with a winning record (maybe) when they travel to Milwaukee on April 25th. Don't worry, the Fish will start stinking it up before too long.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
BATS NOT HITTING THE PELFREY
It was Jackie Robinson Night all around baseball, and the Mets player with the same first and last initials and the most similar playing style as #42 had his first big night of the year as New York blanked the Nats 6-0. Jose Reyes had four hits, including a double and triple, and showed no signs of a bad hammy. David Wright did his best Dixie Walker impression, bashing another homer and doubling twice, and driving in five of the six Met runs. I'm not sure which 1947 Brooklyn Dodger he was supposed to be (Ervin Martin Palica, maybe?), but Mike Pelfrey threw a stellar seven innings of shutout ball, walking two and striking out four. Aaron Heilman worked out of a jam of his own making in the 8th, and noted reckless cab passenger Duaner Sanchez made his 2008 debut with a one-hit ninth.
This was the best the Mets have looked all year, but you have to consider the competition. The Nationals are about as sorry a collection of ballplayers as the Mets will see this year, and they are in a particularly bad stretch of what should be a dismal season. Still, it was a very good night on one of the best commemorative days of the year. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda at CitiField was also dedicated yesterday. I'm looking forward to seeing it when I make my pilgrimage next year. I'm still trying to figure out what game I'd like to go to. I'm thinking I'll time it with the US Open across the street so I can also watch the several hundred Russian girls with -ova at the end of their name play tennis in frightfully skimpy outfits.
While the Nats are away, Pope Benedict XVI is saying Mass at their new stadium this morning. HOLY WATER!! ICE COLD HOLY WATER HERE!! FOUR DOLLARS!! VOTIVE CANDLES!! GET 'EM WHILE THEIR HOT!! HYMNALS! CAN'T TELL THE HYMNS WITHOUT A HYMNAL!!
I'm going straight to hell.
This was the best the Mets have looked all year, but you have to consider the competition. The Nationals are about as sorry a collection of ballplayers as the Mets will see this year, and they are in a particularly bad stretch of what should be a dismal season. Still, it was a very good night on one of the best commemorative days of the year. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda at CitiField was also dedicated yesterday. I'm looking forward to seeing it when I make my pilgrimage next year. I'm still trying to figure out what game I'd like to go to. I'm thinking I'll time it with the US Open across the street so I can also watch the several hundred Russian girls with -ova at the end of their name play tennis in frightfully skimpy outfits.
While the Nats are away, Pope Benedict XVI is saying Mass at their new stadium this morning. HOLY WATER!! ICE COLD HOLY WATER HERE!! FOUR DOLLARS!! VOTIVE CANDLES!! GET 'EM WHILE THEIR HOT!! HYMNALS! CAN'T TELL THE HYMNS WITHOUT A HYMNAL!!
I'm going straight to hell.
Monday, April 14, 2008
MILWAUKEE'S FINEST
It started out well. With most of Brooklyn in his player's box, Nelson Figueroa made his debut as a Mets starter by allowing only two hits in six innings. The Mets offense strung together a three-run 4th inning, which was enough to get Figgy the win, even after his 87 mph fastball started getting timed by the Brewers' many sluggers. Aaron Heilman (gasp!) and Billy Wagner both delivered perfect innings to sew up the 4-2 victory.
Game two of the series on Saturday was a different beast altogether, with Johan Santana, a man with expectations set far higher than they were for a guy who hadn't started a game since 2004, facing his counterpart ace, Ben Sheets. Neither pitcher was sharp early, with the Mets taking an early 2-0 lead punctuated by a Carlos Delgado near-homer double off the right field wall. The Brewers got a run back in the 2nd on a safety squeeze by Sheets, and then Big Ben settled in. Johan, not so much. While Sheets was retiring the next 19 batters in a row, Santana was giving up enormous home runs to Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks, and the crushing blow by Gabe Kapler that knocked him out of the game. David Wright hit one out to the picnic pavilion in left in the 8th to end Sheets' streak, but the Mets couldn't dent the shaky Brewer pen, and lost it 5-3.
The finale on Sunday was a tedious, sloppy, and ultimately dispiriting 9-7 defeat. The Mets trailed early, on another Gabe Kapler homer (I really think you should go back to managing, Gabe. Please.), but re-took the lead on Wright's third HR of the season in the 1st and a two-run bottom-of-the-order rally in the 2nd. New York appeared to start to pull away in the 3rd when Carlos Beltran and Brian Schneider each had RBI hits to make the score 6-2. Pitcher Oliver Perez barely missed an extra-base hit to the right field corner off Brewer starter Jeff Suppan, and then struck out to end the inning, or the Mets might really have put it away. I don't know if it was the near miss at bat, or the fact that the Brewers can flat out rake, but Perez fell completely apart in the top of the 4th, allowing Milwaukee to tie the game on two 2-run singles by Jason Kendall and Ryan Braun.
The score remained tied until the 6th, when reliever Jorge Sosa gave up another towering drive to Weeks, and then nearly wriggled out of a jam before Corey Hart ripped a single to left to score Kapler to make it 8-6. The Brewers hitters just keep coming in waves. If these guys can keep their pitching healthy, which is a huge if, they can hang with anybody.
Kapler added another RBI double off Joe Smith, and the Mets got a Damion Easley RBI single in the 7th, and then continued hitting into more double plays in more varied and interesting ways than had ever been seen by most of the patrons present (starting in the 4th inning, it was 3-unassisted, 4-6-3, 1-6-3, 4-6-3, 3-2). Old friend and boo-receiver Guillermo Mota and former and current bullpen mate Eric Gagne finished up with two shutout innings.
Obviously, the encouraging aspect of the weekend, perhaps the only one, was Nelson Figueroa. It'll be interesting to see how he does on the road when only maybe his wife is there to cheer for him, as opposed to the better part of a borough. He was not at all overpowering, but he changed speeds, had good command, and was poised and confident. He was kind of like, well, El Duque, although we can probably find Figueroa's birth certificate. As I mentioned, the Brewers bats caught up the third time around, which will probably be a recurrent theme in Figueroa's tenure on the staff.
Nobody took charge in the NL East this weekend, with Florida maintaining their tenuous 1-1/2 game edge over us and the Phillies. The Nats finally won after nine straight losses, defeating the Braves on Sunday, which put Atlanta two games back. The Mets get an off day today, and then we try to start another losing streak for the Nationals.
Game two of the series on Saturday was a different beast altogether, with Johan Santana, a man with expectations set far higher than they were for a guy who hadn't started a game since 2004, facing his counterpart ace, Ben Sheets. Neither pitcher was sharp early, with the Mets taking an early 2-0 lead punctuated by a Carlos Delgado near-homer double off the right field wall. The Brewers got a run back in the 2nd on a safety squeeze by Sheets, and then Big Ben settled in. Johan, not so much. While Sheets was retiring the next 19 batters in a row, Santana was giving up enormous home runs to Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks, and the crushing blow by Gabe Kapler that knocked him out of the game. David Wright hit one out to the picnic pavilion in left in the 8th to end Sheets' streak, but the Mets couldn't dent the shaky Brewer pen, and lost it 5-3.
The finale on Sunday was a tedious, sloppy, and ultimately dispiriting 9-7 defeat. The Mets trailed early, on another Gabe Kapler homer (I really think you should go back to managing, Gabe. Please.), but re-took the lead on Wright's third HR of the season in the 1st and a two-run bottom-of-the-order rally in the 2nd. New York appeared to start to pull away in the 3rd when Carlos Beltran and Brian Schneider each had RBI hits to make the score 6-2. Pitcher Oliver Perez barely missed an extra-base hit to the right field corner off Brewer starter Jeff Suppan, and then struck out to end the inning, or the Mets might really have put it away. I don't know if it was the near miss at bat, or the fact that the Brewers can flat out rake, but Perez fell completely apart in the top of the 4th, allowing Milwaukee to tie the game on two 2-run singles by Jason Kendall and Ryan Braun.
The score remained tied until the 6th, when reliever Jorge Sosa gave up another towering drive to Weeks, and then nearly wriggled out of a jam before Corey Hart ripped a single to left to score Kapler to make it 8-6. The Brewers hitters just keep coming in waves. If these guys can keep their pitching healthy, which is a huge if, they can hang with anybody.
Kapler added another RBI double off Joe Smith, and the Mets got a Damion Easley RBI single in the 7th, and then continued hitting into more double plays in more varied and interesting ways than had ever been seen by most of the patrons present (starting in the 4th inning, it was 3-unassisted, 4-6-3, 1-6-3, 4-6-3, 3-2). Old friend and boo-receiver Guillermo Mota and former and current bullpen mate Eric Gagne finished up with two shutout innings.
Obviously, the encouraging aspect of the weekend, perhaps the only one, was Nelson Figueroa. It'll be interesting to see how he does on the road when only maybe his wife is there to cheer for him, as opposed to the better part of a borough. He was not at all overpowering, but he changed speeds, had good command, and was poised and confident. He was kind of like, well, El Duque, although we can probably find Figueroa's birth certificate. As I mentioned, the Brewers bats caught up the third time around, which will probably be a recurrent theme in Figueroa's tenure on the staff.
Nobody took charge in the NL East this weekend, with Florida maintaining their tenuous 1-1/2 game edge over us and the Phillies. The Nats finally won after nine straight losses, defeating the Braves on Sunday, which put Atlanta two games back. The Mets get an off day today, and then we try to start another losing streak for the Nationals.
Friday, April 11, 2008
ANGEL OF THE (ALMOST) MORNING
Long after I went to sleep, Angel Pagan hit a game-winning single up the middle, scoring Jose Reyes to give the Mets a 4-3 victory in the 12th at about 11:10 PM EDT (less than an hour from the morning). Jorge Sosa vultured the win, finishing up the top of the 12th for Scott Schoeneweis. Scotty finally contributed positively, getting Chase Utley to ground into a DP to end the 11th. Starter John Maine went six plus strong innings, leaving in the 7th after a Pedro Feliz homer was followed by a Chris Coste double.
It looks like the Mets caught a break on the game-winning play, as Reyes may have been tagged out after a strong throw by mid-game replacement centerfielder Jayson Werth. I haven't seen it yet. Who cares? The call was made, so let's move on. We could use some breaks against the Phils, who suddenly started getting all the bounces last year after Jimmy Rollins proclaimed them the team to beat.
New York built a 3-0 lead, on a two-run single by Ryan Church in the 4th and an RBI single by Carlos Beltran in the 6th, both off starter Adam Eaton. After Feliz's homer, Pedro Feliciano finished the seventh, and then Aaron Heilman entered in his customary 8th inning slot. Don't get too comfy, Aaron. For the third time this season, Heilman surrendered two runs in an appearance, starting with a frightening blast by Ryan Howard, followed by a walk to Pat Burrell, a Geoff Jenkins single, and a So Taguchi RBI grounder.
Billy Wagner came in to pitch the ninth, and I'm a bit concerned about his velocity. It's April, only his second appearance, he's pitching from the full windup, and he was still only able to hit 95 on his fastball. That could be down to 92 by Summer, and maybe in the 80's by September. The slider looked great, but he tends to get wilder with that pitch as the season progresses. In this outing, the only blemish was a two-out walk to Utley, but if both the fastball and slider decline even a little bit off what they were last night, the hits might not stop coming.
At 4-4, we're still a game and a half behind Florida. Hey, Marlins, play some real teams, already! The Braves were snowed out in Colorado, which allowed them to avoid a four game sweep. Nelson Figueroa makes his first start in the bigs since 2004 tonight vs. the Brewers and Manny Parra. As I've been saying in the comments, Figueroa figures to be a replacement-level starter. Anything better will be a bonus, and we start finding out tonight if he can provide it.
It looks like the Mets caught a break on the game-winning play, as Reyes may have been tagged out after a strong throw by mid-game replacement centerfielder Jayson Werth. I haven't seen it yet. Who cares? The call was made, so let's move on. We could use some breaks against the Phils, who suddenly started getting all the bounces last year after Jimmy Rollins proclaimed them the team to beat.
New York built a 3-0 lead, on a two-run single by Ryan Church in the 4th and an RBI single by Carlos Beltran in the 6th, both off starter Adam Eaton. After Feliz's homer, Pedro Feliciano finished the seventh, and then Aaron Heilman entered in his customary 8th inning slot. Don't get too comfy, Aaron. For the third time this season, Heilman surrendered two runs in an appearance, starting with a frightening blast by Ryan Howard, followed by a walk to Pat Burrell, a Geoff Jenkins single, and a So Taguchi RBI grounder.
Billy Wagner came in to pitch the ninth, and I'm a bit concerned about his velocity. It's April, only his second appearance, he's pitching from the full windup, and he was still only able to hit 95 on his fastball. That could be down to 92 by Summer, and maybe in the 80's by September. The slider looked great, but he tends to get wilder with that pitch as the season progresses. In this outing, the only blemish was a two-out walk to Utley, but if both the fastball and slider decline even a little bit off what they were last night, the hits might not stop coming.
At 4-4, we're still a game and a half behind Florida. Hey, Marlins, play some real teams, already! The Braves were snowed out in Colorado, which allowed them to avoid a four game sweep. Nelson Figueroa makes his first start in the bigs since 2004 tonight vs. the Brewers and Manny Parra. As I've been saying in the comments, Figueroa figures to be a replacement-level starter. Anything better will be a bonus, and we start finding out tonight if he can provide it.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
PHINALLY
We beat the Phillies! It only took nine games and one division title, but the Mets for once outscored their surly neighbors 90 miles to the southwest, 8-2. Mike Pelfrey was solid, allowing two runs in five innings, and the bullpen, bolstered by the now-present Pedro Feliciano, held the Phils scoreless. Feliciano had been away attending to a "family emergency", which contributed to Tuesday's late game collapse.
The game was a laugher in more ways than one, owing mostly to the Phillies ineptitude with the glove, and Kyle Kendrick's inability to throw a strike after getting the count to 0-2. Jimmy Rollins was on the bench with a sore ankle, forcing Eric Bruntlett to play short, and that was where most of the hilarity ensued. The Mets scored in the first inning on what was apparently a poorly scored error by Chase Utley on a hard-hit grounder by David Wright (I was standing outside a Coldwater Creek waiting for my wife to spend more money at the time). The Phils tied it up in the second after Jose Reyes botched a sure inning-ending double play grounder, tossing it behind second baseman Damion Easley and off his fingertips. Pelfrey stayed remarkably calm after that play, allowing a Carlos Ruiz single, but getting pitcher Kendrick and the Flyin' Hawaiian Shane Victorino to ground out.
Kendrick walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, accounting for three of the six walks by the alliterative young righty, but wriggled out of that jam by getting Carlos Beltran to tap weekly to Utley. In the third, the Mets did regain the lead on a double by Delgado, who looks very Delgado-like again, and singles by Ryan Church and Easley. After Brian Schneider lined out, Pelfrey attempted a bunt and nearly interfered with Ruiz, who nudged Pelfrey out of way, grabbed the ball, and threw wide to third off Pedro Feliz' glove to load the bases. Bruntlett then literally booted a possible double-play grounder by Reyes, scoring Church. Angel Pagan followed with a double just inside the bag at third, to make it 5-1, and then after Chad Durbin relieved the frustrated Kendrick, Wright hit a sharp grounder that Bruntlett completely whiffed trying to backhand for his second error of the inning and the Phillies third. Reyes scored on that play to
make it 6-1, and Durbin then bounced a sinker off the front of the plate to the backstop to score Pagan to make it 7-1.
The Phils mounted a few minor challenges, including loading the bases off Feliciano in the 8th, but could not get closer than five runs the rest of the way. The win makes us 3-4, still a game and a half back of the Marlins, and in third place. The Braves were hammered by the Rockies, and go for four straight losses to Colorado this afternoon.
MLB.TV gave me a non-full screen picture for about the first six innings last night, and then somebody at MLB headquarters flipped a switch and I got the full screen video. I have no idea what they are doing with this product. It seems like nobody really cares that much about customer service, but they are all over the idea that if they can't figure out a way to derive revenue off the commercials, you aren't getting them! I'm assuming somebody stands by each feed and manually cuts it over to the white "MLB.TV" logo screen between innings and during pitching changes. If that's the case, why isn't somebody checking the feed to make sure we're getting full-screen video? I gave the Microsoft Silverlight video player another shot last night, but even at 800 KB it's jumpy and looks terrible. The 1.2 MB feed is a complete mess. I might just go ahead and get Extra Innings, because MLB.TV is not getting any better, and if you call their customer service line, all you get is some dope with a New Yawk accent who basically tells you to go screw yourself. If I didn't travel so much, I never would have bought it in the first place. I might also invest in a Slingbox, which can broadcast your cable signal to any PC over the web.
The game was a laugher in more ways than one, owing mostly to the Phillies ineptitude with the glove, and Kyle Kendrick's inability to throw a strike after getting the count to 0-2. Jimmy Rollins was on the bench with a sore ankle, forcing Eric Bruntlett to play short, and that was where most of the hilarity ensued. The Mets scored in the first inning on what was apparently a poorly scored error by Chase Utley on a hard-hit grounder by David Wright (I was standing outside a Coldwater Creek waiting for my wife to spend more money at the time). The Phils tied it up in the second after Jose Reyes botched a sure inning-ending double play grounder, tossing it behind second baseman Damion Easley and off his fingertips. Pelfrey stayed remarkably calm after that play, allowing a Carlos Ruiz single, but getting pitcher Kendrick and the Flyin' Hawaiian Shane Victorino to ground out.
Kendrick walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, accounting for three of the six walks by the alliterative young righty, but wriggled out of that jam by getting Carlos Beltran to tap weekly to Utley. In the third, the Mets did regain the lead on a double by Delgado, who looks very Delgado-like again, and singles by Ryan Church and Easley. After Brian Schneider lined out, Pelfrey attempted a bunt and nearly interfered with Ruiz, who nudged Pelfrey out of way, grabbed the ball, and threw wide to third off Pedro Feliz' glove to load the bases. Bruntlett then literally booted a possible double-play grounder by Reyes, scoring Church. Angel Pagan followed with a double just inside the bag at third, to make it 5-1, and then after Chad Durbin relieved the frustrated Kendrick, Wright hit a sharp grounder that Bruntlett completely whiffed trying to backhand for his second error of the inning and the Phillies third. Reyes scored on that play to
make it 6-1, and Durbin then bounced a sinker off the front of the plate to the backstop to score Pagan to make it 7-1.
The Phils mounted a few minor challenges, including loading the bases off Feliciano in the 8th, but could not get closer than five runs the rest of the way. The win makes us 3-4, still a game and a half back of the Marlins, and in third place. The Braves were hammered by the Rockies, and go for four straight losses to Colorado this afternoon.
MLB.TV gave me a non-full screen picture for about the first six innings last night, and then somebody at MLB headquarters flipped a switch and I got the full screen video. I have no idea what they are doing with this product. It seems like nobody really cares that much about customer service, but they are all over the idea that if they can't figure out a way to derive revenue off the commercials, you aren't getting them! I'm assuming somebody stands by each feed and manually cuts it over to the white "MLB.TV" logo screen between innings and during pitching changes. If that's the case, why isn't somebody checking the feed to make sure we're getting full-screen video? I gave the Microsoft Silverlight video player another shot last night, but even at 800 KB it's jumpy and looks terrible. The 1.2 MB feed is a complete mess. I might just go ahead and get Extra Innings, because MLB.TV is not getting any better, and if you call their customer service line, all you get is some dope with a New Yawk accent who basically tells you to go screw yourself. If I didn't travel so much, I never would have bought it in the first place. I might also invest in a Slingbox, which can broadcast your cable signal to any PC over the web.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
HOME MOPE-ENER
I missed the last Shea home opener because I work for the Man. Several Men, and a few Women, actually, who do not allow streaming video on the company wires. I didn't miss much, as the Mets dropped another one, this time to the hateable Phillies, 5-2.
Oliver Perez had another stellar outing, giving up only three hits and three walks in five innings. The bullpen failed to hold another lead, though, with Schoeneweis and Heilman (sounds like one of those personal injury law firms that advertise on the outer cable channels) doing their worst. The Mets got an early couple of runs off Old Man Jamie Moyer, but that was all they could muster for the day, as Chad Durbin, JC Romero, and the previously combustible Tom Gordon shut them out.
The good news is, Wright, Delgado and Beltran are all hitting, Pagan, Church and Schneider aren't embarrassing themselves, yet, and at least Perez and Santana look sharp. The bad news is the bullpen, which could be a disaster this year, especially since they will be overtaxed having to mop up for Mike Pelfrey and Nelson Figueroa. Of course, Pelfrey and Figueroa pitching in the first place is the real bad news. El Duque will have to miss a rehab start while he continues to recover from his foot ailment, and there's no telling when Petey will be back.
The loss drops the Mets to 2-4, a game and a half behind the Marlins, who have been getting fat on Pittsburgh and Washington. The Braves lost again to the Rockies, a team that was hitting under .200 coming into that series. The NL East looks historically awful right now.
Oliver Perez had another stellar outing, giving up only three hits and three walks in five innings. The bullpen failed to hold another lead, though, with Schoeneweis and Heilman (sounds like one of those personal injury law firms that advertise on the outer cable channels) doing their worst. The Mets got an early couple of runs off Old Man Jamie Moyer, but that was all they could muster for the day, as Chad Durbin, JC Romero, and the previously combustible Tom Gordon shut them out.
The good news is, Wright, Delgado and Beltran are all hitting, Pagan, Church and Schneider aren't embarrassing themselves, yet, and at least Perez and Santana look sharp. The bad news is the bullpen, which could be a disaster this year, especially since they will be overtaxed having to mop up for Mike Pelfrey and Nelson Figueroa. Of course, Pelfrey and Figueroa pitching in the first place is the real bad news. El Duque will have to miss a rehab start while he continues to recover from his foot ailment, and there's no telling when Petey will be back.
The loss drops the Mets to 2-4, a game and a half behind the Marlins, who have been getting fat on Pittsburgh and Washington. The Braves lost again to the Rockies, a team that was hitting under .200 coming into that series. The NL East looks historically awful right now.
Monday, April 07, 2008
FORGET THE MAINE - AND THE SOSA TOO
The Mets/Braves game was washed out on Friday, which turned out to be the highlight of the weekend for the New Yorkers.
Saturday's game started out fairly well, with the Mets tying the game at 1-1 in the second on an Angel "Godless" Pagan fielder's choice. The game proceeded squarely downhill after that, and never recovered. John Maine nearly wriggled out of a jam in the 3rd, but then gave up a two-out two-run single to Matt Diaz. He yielded another two-out RBI hit in the 4th, this time to Mark Teixeira, to make it 4-1.
The Mets briefly made a comeback, getting to within one run at 4-3 on a RBI single by Reyes and a run-scoring groundout by Castillo. Maine gave way to Joe Smith, who along with Scott Schoeneweis gave up another run in the 6th to make it 5-3. It looked like the Mets might do some damage off reliever Pete Moylan when Brian Schneider and pinch-hitter Endy Chavez both reached base in the 7th, but the top of the order fizzled out the rally, and Jorge Sosa came in to pitch the bottom of the 7th.
Since Sosa had a nice outing last time, I was pretty much prepared for the worst this time, and the worst pretty much occurred. It wasn't all Sosa's fault, only mostly. Brian McCann hit a double up the gap with one out, and then Jeff Francoeur popped up to short right for what should have been out number two. Reyes went back on it, Pagan came in, and Pagan failed to call off Reyes, who turned his back to the field and completely lost the ball. It fell in for a single, moving McCann to third. Fill-in second basemen Martin Prado drew an unconscionable walk, and was followed by pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson, the real second baseman. Johnson showed why he is the regular, hitting a pinch-hit grand slam deep into the right field stands, effectively ending the game. It did for me, anyway, as I turned it off and got on with my life. The Mets added a couple of runs off of Royce Ring, and the Braves followed with a couple off of Nelson Figueroa to make the final 11-5.
Sunday's game matched aces John Smoltz and Johan Santana. The two pitchers posted zeroes until the bottom of the third, when Yunel Escobar doubled in Mark Kotsay to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Smoltz was finished after 5 shutout innings, and once again I had some hopes that the Mets could have some fun with the Braves bullpen, but it wasn't to be. Blaine Boyer, Pete Moylan, and Will Ohman, not exactly names to be feared, held the Mets scoreless for three innings. Meanwhile, Aaron Heilman relieved a valiant Santana and gave up a two-run bomb to Teixeira in the 8th to put the game out of reach. Braves closer Rafael Soriano allowed a meaningless two-out run in the 9th for the 3-1 final. Luckily, I missed the ending because I attended a San Antonio Missions game with another owner in my Strat league who, moved here last year. They also lost, but I would recommend picking up Dexter Fowler from the Rockies' organization in your next draft.
The losses dropped the Mets to 2-3, a half-game back of the Braves and Marlins. The Phillies did not distinguish themselves over the weekend either, losing two of three to Cincinnati. We get the Phils at home tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday after an off-day today. Mike Pelfrey gets the Tuesday start, and thank goodness it's not at Citizen's Bank Park. ESPN has Figueroa starting against Milwaukee on Friday night. Wow, this is not looking very pleasant. I'm starting to resign myself to a .500 season if Pedro stays on the DL or is as ineffective as he was for the three-plus innings he did pitch. And I'm also thinking that .500 might be good enough to make the playoffs in this very poor division.
Saturday's game started out fairly well, with the Mets tying the game at 1-1 in the second on an Angel "Godless" Pagan fielder's choice. The game proceeded squarely downhill after that, and never recovered. John Maine nearly wriggled out of a jam in the 3rd, but then gave up a two-out two-run single to Matt Diaz. He yielded another two-out RBI hit in the 4th, this time to Mark Teixeira, to make it 4-1.
The Mets briefly made a comeback, getting to within one run at 4-3 on a RBI single by Reyes and a run-scoring groundout by Castillo. Maine gave way to Joe Smith, who along with Scott Schoeneweis gave up another run in the 6th to make it 5-3. It looked like the Mets might do some damage off reliever Pete Moylan when Brian Schneider and pinch-hitter Endy Chavez both reached base in the 7th, but the top of the order fizzled out the rally, and Jorge Sosa came in to pitch the bottom of the 7th.
Since Sosa had a nice outing last time, I was pretty much prepared for the worst this time, and the worst pretty much occurred. It wasn't all Sosa's fault, only mostly. Brian McCann hit a double up the gap with one out, and then Jeff Francoeur popped up to short right for what should have been out number two. Reyes went back on it, Pagan came in, and Pagan failed to call off Reyes, who turned his back to the field and completely lost the ball. It fell in for a single, moving McCann to third. Fill-in second basemen Martin Prado drew an unconscionable walk, and was followed by pinch-hitter Kelly Johnson, the real second baseman. Johnson showed why he is the regular, hitting a pinch-hit grand slam deep into the right field stands, effectively ending the game. It did for me, anyway, as I turned it off and got on with my life. The Mets added a couple of runs off of Royce Ring, and the Braves followed with a couple off of Nelson Figueroa to make the final 11-5.
Sunday's game matched aces John Smoltz and Johan Santana. The two pitchers posted zeroes until the bottom of the third, when Yunel Escobar doubled in Mark Kotsay to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Smoltz was finished after 5 shutout innings, and once again I had some hopes that the Mets could have some fun with the Braves bullpen, but it wasn't to be. Blaine Boyer, Pete Moylan, and Will Ohman, not exactly names to be feared, held the Mets scoreless for three innings. Meanwhile, Aaron Heilman relieved a valiant Santana and gave up a two-run bomb to Teixeira in the 8th to put the game out of reach. Braves closer Rafael Soriano allowed a meaningless two-out run in the 9th for the 3-1 final. Luckily, I missed the ending because I attended a San Antonio Missions game with another owner in my Strat league who, moved here last year. They also lost, but I would recommend picking up Dexter Fowler from the Rockies' organization in your next draft.
The losses dropped the Mets to 2-3, a half-game back of the Braves and Marlins. The Phillies did not distinguish themselves over the weekend either, losing two of three to Cincinnati. We get the Phils at home tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday after an off-day today. Mike Pelfrey gets the Tuesday start, and thank goodness it's not at Citizen's Bank Park. ESPN has Figueroa starting against Milwaukee on Friday night. Wow, this is not looking very pleasant. I'm starting to resign myself to a .500 season if Pedro stays on the DL or is as ineffective as he was for the three-plus innings he did pitch. And I'm also thinking that .500 might be good enough to make the playoffs in this very poor division.
Friday, April 04, 2008
MLB PREDICTIONS - WRONG OR YOUR MONEY BACK
Yes, it's back, by popular (read: my own) demand, TCP's annual MLB Predictions. Participate in the Moral Imperatives, if you dare. Simply list the winners of all 6 divisions, the 2 wildcard teams, and how the playoffs will play, um, off, plus any other happenings that might, um, happen. Then I will ridicule you. Start ridiculing me...now!
NL East....Phillies. Oh, how I hate to make this prediction. I was a Mets fan for the first 22 years of my life, moved to Illinois and became a White Sox fan, moved to Houston and became an Astros fan, and then moved to Pennsylvania and became a Phillies fan. Then Ed Wade hired one too many 40-year old relievers, MLB.tv came into existence, and Brett Myers beat his wife and Phillies President Bill Giles apologized to him for letting her get in the way of his fist, and I went back to being a Mets fan. Then Jimmy Rollins turned into the second coming of Ernie Banks, and the Phillies are good now. Meanwhile, the Mets appear to believe that they are in an over-40 Latino-only league. The Braves have cut costs to the bone and will play Mark Kotsay in CF, who has more back problems than the Mandelbaum family on Seinfeld. The Marlins would LOVE to have the Braves salary structure, and should enjoy some peace and quiet at their home games. The Nats built a new stadium, which if nothing else, should be cheaper than their last new stadium, the Stade Olympique, which Montrealers are still paying for even though it is now used mostly for the occasional Rush concert.
NL Central...Cubs. Ah, the Audacity of Hope! Comically named Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome (the crowd chants Fuk-U!, Fuk-U!) joins this band of chronic fan-letter-downers for their 100th Anniversary non-World-Series-winning campaign. But they should make the playoffs in the Weakest Division In Baseball (c). The Brewers will find a way to blow it again, as Ben Sheets comes down with Smallpox or possibly Diphtheria. The Reds should be improved, but they are still the Reds. The Astros hired Ed Wade as their GM, so watch out at the 59 Diner for a phalanx of relievers coming in for the early bird special. The Cards have one pitcher in RF and another pitcher batting eighth, signaling their complete surrender. The Pirates can't even get "Talk Like A Pirate Day" scheduled until they are already out of it by 40 games.
NL West...Diamondbacks. These are the guys who haven't changed their name to be politically correct. I guess they could take out the "Diamond" to be sensitive to African tribal conflicts. They won it last year with a bunch of guys that had to get permission slips from their parents to make road trips. I don't expect them to get any worse. The Padres rid themselves of one Giles brother, but are still subsidizing the other one's declining years for some reason. The Dodgers have Joe Torre, who will suddenly become a much worse manager now that he doesn't have a $200 million payroll. The Rockies, as often happens to World Series losers, will slip back to reality, probably because of a humidor malfunction. The Giants have the worst lineup since Saturday night on ABC in 1976 (Dave Roberts is "Holmes & Yo-Yo", and Ray Durham is "Mr T & Tina").
NL Wild Card...Padres
NL Playoffs...D'Backs beat Phillies, Cubs beat Padres. D'Backs beat Cubs when a female Chicago mental patient dressed as Beatrix Kiddo from "Kill Bill" wielding a samurai sword runs onto the field during Game 7 and causes Fukudome to drop a crucial pop fly. The Cubs bullpen will then give up 18 runs.
AL East...Red Sox. I'm a Yankee despiser going way back, so there doesn't need to be any other reason, but now that Manny is doing yoga, the chakras will be opened up in Fenway like nobody's business. The Yankees will revert to the 70's as Hank Steinbrenner takes full control. He'll try to start a running feud with Bobby Abreu, but unlike Reggie Jackson, Abreu will barely notice, or care. The Rays, who DID change their name to be politically correct, will still not be any good, but they will be better than the Blue Jays and way better than the Orioles, who should change everything about their franchise except their name (and ballpark) immediately.
AL Central...Tigers. The Motor City Kitties went out and got Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for a bunch of minor leaguers. Detroit hasn't seen a knee-capping like that since Nancy Kerrigan. The Indians (the guys who should really be changing their names), will continue to field a team with a guy nicknamed Pronk. The White Sox will cause manager Ozzie Guillen to finally become unable to utter anything besides unintelligible bilingual profanity. The Twins will discover that the Mets farm system wasn't any good BEFORE they traded Johan Santana to acquire it. The Royals will experience another year in a rebuilding process that began shortly after the retirement of George Brett.
AL West...Angels. No more team name jokes, we've hit our quota. Los Angeles De Los Angeles De Anaheim (ok, one more) has a four-man outfield of Garrett Anderson, Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, and Gary Matthews, Jr., which would be great if they were playing in a beer league on Tuesday nights, but not so good for the majors. They'll figure it out enough to beat the likes of the Mariners, Athletics and Rangers, who don't have four decent outfielders between them. The Rangers are just hoping George W. Bush doesn't go back to being their owner in his post-White House years.
Al Wild Card...Yankees
AL Playoffs...Red Sox beat Tigers, Angels beat Yankees. Red Sox beat Angels as Sox fans, instead of singing "Sweet Caroline" during the middle of the 8th inning, take to reciting passages of the Bhagavad Gita.
World Series...D'Backs beat Red Sox, despite the fact that the latter parts of the games are past most of their bed times.
NL East....Phillies. Oh, how I hate to make this prediction. I was a Mets fan for the first 22 years of my life, moved to Illinois and became a White Sox fan, moved to Houston and became an Astros fan, and then moved to Pennsylvania and became a Phillies fan. Then Ed Wade hired one too many 40-year old relievers, MLB.tv came into existence, and Brett Myers beat his wife and Phillies President Bill Giles apologized to him for letting her get in the way of his fist, and I went back to being a Mets fan. Then Jimmy Rollins turned into the second coming of Ernie Banks, and the Phillies are good now. Meanwhile, the Mets appear to believe that they are in an over-40 Latino-only league. The Braves have cut costs to the bone and will play Mark Kotsay in CF, who has more back problems than the Mandelbaum family on Seinfeld. The Marlins would LOVE to have the Braves salary structure, and should enjoy some peace and quiet at their home games. The Nats built a new stadium, which if nothing else, should be cheaper than their last new stadium, the Stade Olympique, which Montrealers are still paying for even though it is now used mostly for the occasional Rush concert.
NL Central...Cubs. Ah, the Audacity of Hope! Comically named Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome (the crowd chants Fuk-U!, Fuk-U!) joins this band of chronic fan-letter-downers for their 100th Anniversary non-World-Series-winning campaign. But they should make the playoffs in the Weakest Division In Baseball (c). The Brewers will find a way to blow it again, as Ben Sheets comes down with Smallpox or possibly Diphtheria. The Reds should be improved, but they are still the Reds. The Astros hired Ed Wade as their GM, so watch out at the 59 Diner for a phalanx of relievers coming in for the early bird special. The Cards have one pitcher in RF and another pitcher batting eighth, signaling their complete surrender. The Pirates can't even get "Talk Like A Pirate Day" scheduled until they are already out of it by 40 games.
NL West...Diamondbacks. These are the guys who haven't changed their name to be politically correct. I guess they could take out the "Diamond" to be sensitive to African tribal conflicts. They won it last year with a bunch of guys that had to get permission slips from their parents to make road trips. I don't expect them to get any worse. The Padres rid themselves of one Giles brother, but are still subsidizing the other one's declining years for some reason. The Dodgers have Joe Torre, who will suddenly become a much worse manager now that he doesn't have a $200 million payroll. The Rockies, as often happens to World Series losers, will slip back to reality, probably because of a humidor malfunction. The Giants have the worst lineup since Saturday night on ABC in 1976 (Dave Roberts is "Holmes & Yo-Yo", and Ray Durham is "Mr T & Tina").
NL Wild Card...Padres
NL Playoffs...D'Backs beat Phillies, Cubs beat Padres. D'Backs beat Cubs when a female Chicago mental patient dressed as Beatrix Kiddo from "Kill Bill" wielding a samurai sword runs onto the field during Game 7 and causes Fukudome to drop a crucial pop fly. The Cubs bullpen will then give up 18 runs.
AL East...Red Sox. I'm a Yankee despiser going way back, so there doesn't need to be any other reason, but now that Manny is doing yoga, the chakras will be opened up in Fenway like nobody's business. The Yankees will revert to the 70's as Hank Steinbrenner takes full control. He'll try to start a running feud with Bobby Abreu, but unlike Reggie Jackson, Abreu will barely notice, or care. The Rays, who DID change their name to be politically correct, will still not be any good, but they will be better than the Blue Jays and way better than the Orioles, who should change everything about their franchise except their name (and ballpark) immediately.
AL Central...Tigers. The Motor City Kitties went out and got Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for a bunch of minor leaguers. Detroit hasn't seen a knee-capping like that since Nancy Kerrigan. The Indians (the guys who should really be changing their names), will continue to field a team with a guy nicknamed Pronk. The White Sox will cause manager Ozzie Guillen to finally become unable to utter anything besides unintelligible bilingual profanity. The Twins will discover that the Mets farm system wasn't any good BEFORE they traded Johan Santana to acquire it. The Royals will experience another year in a rebuilding process that began shortly after the retirement of George Brett.
AL West...Angels. No more team name jokes, we've hit our quota. Los Angeles De Los Angeles De Anaheim (ok, one more) has a four-man outfield of Garrett Anderson, Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, and Gary Matthews, Jr., which would be great if they were playing in a beer league on Tuesday nights, but not so good for the majors. They'll figure it out enough to beat the likes of the Mariners, Athletics and Rangers, who don't have four decent outfielders between them. The Rangers are just hoping George W. Bush doesn't go back to being their owner in his post-White House years.
Al Wild Card...Yankees
AL Playoffs...Red Sox beat Tigers, Angels beat Yankees. Red Sox beat Angels as Sox fans, instead of singing "Sweet Caroline" during the middle of the 8th inning, take to reciting passages of the Bhagavad Gita.
World Series...D'Backs beat Red Sox, despite the fact that the latter parts of the games are past most of their bed times.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
The Mets were off last night, and moved up to a half-game behind the Nats, who dropped an extra-inning "Citizens Bank Special" to the Phillies, 8-7.
Meanwhile, I got word that I am headed to Los Angeles during the last week of April and the first week of May, when by happenstance, the Amazin's will be in town. I am so there. Photos and a full accounting of Dodger Dog delectability will follow.
The Braves are up next for a weekend set leading up to the final Opening Day at Shea against Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, I got word that I am headed to Los Angeles during the last week of April and the first week of May, when by happenstance, the Amazin's will be in town. I am so there. Photos and a full accounting of Dodger Dog delectability will follow.
The Braves are up next for a weekend set leading up to the final Opening Day at Shea against Philadelphia.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
WRIGHTING THE SHIP
The Mets improved to 2-1 with a 13-0 smackdown of the Marlins. David Wright singled, doubled, homered, and generally made us all feel goooood. The homer was a majestic objet d'art, with Wright waiting perfectly on a hanging curve from Lee Gardner and making every millimeter of the sweet spot of the bat meet of the baseball. It was a no-doubter even through the blurry haze of MLB.TV.
Carlos Beltran now leads the civilized planet in extra-base hits, adding three more doubles last night. One of the doubles was a home run that crew chief Rick Reed (not the ex-Met scab pitcher) let himself be talked out of. The ball bounced squarely of a railing about three feet beyond the fence and came back into play. Reed initially signalled for a homer, but after a conference with the other blind bats, who were even further from the play than Reed, umping second base, was, he changed it to a double. It's a play replay was made for. Someday, Bud will embrace this new-found video thingy he's heard so much about.
Oliver Perez went six shutout innings, and then Pedro replacement Nelson Figueroa, Pedro Feliciano, and Daddy Wags finished up. Ol' Pete had his MRI in New York, and he'll be out the obligatory "4 to 6 weeks", meaning he'll be back when he's damn well ready. Pedro tends to take his time with pretty much every aspect of his life, so I'm think we'll see him back on the mound in early June. That will leave El Duque and Mike Pelfrey to get way too many starts. Luckily, the Phillies' bullpen is a shambles and the Braves have no pitching after Smoltz and Hudson, so I think we'll muddle through, at least as long as Wright and Beltran stay this molten, anyway. I'll think I'll watch that Wright homer again on the highlight video. Mmm, mmm, gooooood.
Carlos Beltran now leads the civilized planet in extra-base hits, adding three more doubles last night. One of the doubles was a home run that crew chief Rick Reed (not the ex-Met scab pitcher) let himself be talked out of. The ball bounced squarely of a railing about three feet beyond the fence and came back into play. Reed initially signalled for a homer, but after a conference with the other blind bats, who were even further from the play than Reed, umping second base, was, he changed it to a double. It's a play replay was made for. Someday, Bud will embrace this new-found video thingy he's heard so much about.
Oliver Perez went six shutout innings, and then Pedro replacement Nelson Figueroa, Pedro Feliciano, and Daddy Wags finished up. Ol' Pete had his MRI in New York, and he'll be out the obligatory "4 to 6 weeks", meaning he'll be back when he's damn well ready. Pedro tends to take his time with pretty much every aspect of his life, so I'm think we'll see him back on the mound in early June. That will leave El Duque and Mike Pelfrey to get way too many starts. Luckily, the Phillies' bullpen is a shambles and the Braves have no pitching after Smoltz and Hudson, so I think we'll muddle through, at least as long as Wright and Beltran stay this molten, anyway. I'll think I'll watch that Wright homer again on the highlight video. Mmm, mmm, gooooood.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
OH, MY HAMMY!
That didn't go well.
Pedro Martinez' healthy period lasted all of three and one-third innings in 2008. After inducing a grounder from Matt Treanor (how's that name for irony?), Petey grabbed the back of his leg and called out the Mets trainers. ESPN is reporting that he heard a "pop" in his hamstring. It might have been champagne coming from Phillies' and Braves' clubhouses.
Pedro wasn't exactly looking like Johan Santana at the time, ceding homers to Dan Uggla and Luis Gonzalez in his brief stint. According to the fine Marlins broadcast team of Rich Waltz and Tom Seaver-killer Tommy Hutton, Luis Gonzalez is third on the all time list for homers by a left fielder (only Mr. Bonds and Mr. Williams are his betters), which was pretty shocking to me at least. He still throws like a particularly unathletic girl.
The Mets erased a 4-0 deficit to tie the game, mostly with walks, singles, and sac flies. Marlins starter Rick Vandenhurk was no Dutch Master, throwing 76 pitches in 3-plus innings of work and giving up three of the four runs. That left the decision to the bullpens, and both were outstanding. After Renyel Pinto bailed out Vandenhurk in the third inning, the rest of Florida's pen yielded only a questionable infield hit to Brian Schneider for the rest of the game. It's a shame that the Marlins will have to wear these guys' arms out, because they look pretty good when fresh. The Mets pen was equally as good, especially Jorge Sosa, who finished up for Pedro in the third and went two more scoreless frames.
The 4-4 score held until the bottom of the 10th, after I had given up and gone to bed. Fifth Met reliever Matt Wise served up a nice fat one to someone called Robert Andino, who smacked it over the scoreboard in left field for the game-winner. All 27 Marlins fans left at the game drove home through the chowder-like south Florida humidity happy, and the Mets dropped to 1-1.
I was watching the game, as I will most games this year, on MLB.TV. I chose MLB.TV over ExtraInnings from the cable provider because I travel so much. At home, I have a 42" LCD TV, to which I have connected a spare PC in the VGA input of the TV. It works great, and I love being able to check my Strat team's live stats between innings. I bought the Premium package to take advantage of their higher resolutions. This year, they upped the highest resolution to 1.2 megabits, but I ended up watching most of it at 800 kilobits because the 1.2 feed kept freezing up at least twice per half-inning. MLB makes you download some kind of "web accelerator" if you want to watch the 1.2 feed, and as soon as I saw that, I knew it wasn't going to be very good. I can only hope Time-Warner continues to improve their bandwidth up to broadcast quality, because this accelerator business will never cut it. Maybe in 2013 I'll get a decent picture.
The Mets take on the Istiophoridae again today, with Oliver Perez matching left arms with rookie Andrew Miller. Miller is on my Strat team, so I fully expect a thumping from the Mets' bats. I only hope young Andrew can keep it from turning Buerhle-esque.
Pedro Martinez' healthy period lasted all of three and one-third innings in 2008. After inducing a grounder from Matt Treanor (how's that name for irony?), Petey grabbed the back of his leg and called out the Mets trainers. ESPN is reporting that he heard a "pop" in his hamstring. It might have been champagne coming from Phillies' and Braves' clubhouses.
Pedro wasn't exactly looking like Johan Santana at the time, ceding homers to Dan Uggla and Luis Gonzalez in his brief stint. According to the fine Marlins broadcast team of Rich Waltz and Tom Seaver-killer Tommy Hutton, Luis Gonzalez is third on the all time list for homers by a left fielder (only Mr. Bonds and Mr. Williams are his betters), which was pretty shocking to me at least. He still throws like a particularly unathletic girl.
The Mets erased a 4-0 deficit to tie the game, mostly with walks, singles, and sac flies. Marlins starter Rick Vandenhurk was no Dutch Master, throwing 76 pitches in 3-plus innings of work and giving up three of the four runs. That left the decision to the bullpens, and both were outstanding. After Renyel Pinto bailed out Vandenhurk in the third inning, the rest of Florida's pen yielded only a questionable infield hit to Brian Schneider for the rest of the game. It's a shame that the Marlins will have to wear these guys' arms out, because they look pretty good when fresh. The Mets pen was equally as good, especially Jorge Sosa, who finished up for Pedro in the third and went two more scoreless frames.
The 4-4 score held until the bottom of the 10th, after I had given up and gone to bed. Fifth Met reliever Matt Wise served up a nice fat one to someone called Robert Andino, who smacked it over the scoreboard in left field for the game-winner. All 27 Marlins fans left at the game drove home through the chowder-like south Florida humidity happy, and the Mets dropped to 1-1.
I was watching the game, as I will most games this year, on MLB.TV. I chose MLB.TV over ExtraInnings from the cable provider because I travel so much. At home, I have a 42" LCD TV, to which I have connected a spare PC in the VGA input of the TV. It works great, and I love being able to check my Strat team's live stats between innings. I bought the Premium package to take advantage of their higher resolutions. This year, they upped the highest resolution to 1.2 megabits, but I ended up watching most of it at 800 kilobits because the 1.2 feed kept freezing up at least twice per half-inning. MLB makes you download some kind of "web accelerator" if you want to watch the 1.2 feed, and as soon as I saw that, I knew it wasn't going to be very good. I can only hope Time-Warner continues to improve their bandwidth up to broadcast quality, because this accelerator business will never cut it. Maybe in 2013 I'll get a decent picture.
The Mets take on the Istiophoridae again today, with Oliver Perez matching left arms with rookie Andrew Miller. Miller is on my Strat team, so I fully expect a thumping from the Mets' bats. I only hope young Andrew can keep it from turning Buerhle-esque.
Monday, March 31, 2008
OPEN SEASON ON MARLIN
Oh, yeah, you know it, I'm baseball blogging again. I gotta keep this thing on life support. It's how I know I'm alive.
I didn't see today's Mets game, it being an afternoon tilt and me being a person who works at that time. I noticed from ESPN GameCast that the Mets put up a 6-spot in the 4th, with my man crush David Wright capping off the scoring with a bases-clearing double. Johan put in a decent effort, striking out 8 in 7 innings. The bullpen was scoreless, which is a good sign.
The Marlins have Luis Gonzalez. In right field! Dude has an arm like a paraplegic. In my advanced state of decrepitude, I could go first to third on him, on a line drive hit right at him, with me carrying two bowling balls. What are they thinking?
I didn't see today's Mets game, it being an afternoon tilt and me being a person who works at that time. I noticed from ESPN GameCast that the Mets put up a 6-spot in the 4th, with my man crush David Wright capping off the scoring with a bases-clearing double. Johan put in a decent effort, striking out 8 in 7 innings. The bullpen was scoreless, which is a good sign.
The Marlins have Luis Gonzalez. In right field! Dude has an arm like a paraplegic. In my advanced state of decrepitude, I could go first to third on him, on a line drive hit right at him, with me carrying two bowling balls. What are they thinking?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
PINKED
I'm in Hawaii. Again. Yeah, what glamour. I've been spending most of the last week in a 12'x14' box in the middle of a refinery. I'm living the dream.
Anyway, I had a few hours of reprieve today and attended the LPGA Fields Open, which was being held at the resort where I am staying. After arriving, I started following local phenom Michelle Wie's group. Wie had shot 69 on Thursday and 73 on Friday to put herself 10 shots back and playing for a slighty larger share of the scraps awarded to the back end of the field. I stayed to watch Wie for three holes, and it was Vintage Wie.
On the 17th hole, her 8th of the day, Wie hit a fine fairway metal followed by a gorgeous wedge to 3 feet, which put her in position to get back one of the two shots to par she had lost before I got there. Of course, she missed the putt. Next on 18, she snap-hooked her fairway metal into the palm trees, and with me standing yards away, she hooded her mid-iron out of the rough and dropped the ball in the center of the lake in front of the green. After a drop, she pushed her approach shot right and short, nearly dunking it again. She failed to get it up and down from there and took a 7.
On the Par 5 1st, she pulled out The Big Wiesie and smashed a drive about 290 yards. Her approach shot landed in the front bunker, and she nestled her sand shot within 2 feet, finally making a birdie. So, blown three-footer for par, triple bogey, birdie. She's definitely a crowd-pleaser, but not in a good way. At this point, she's the female John Daly, with a flat stomach and without the alcoholic shakes.
After that display I started following the lead group, Jeong Jang, Song-Hee Kim, and Paula Creamer. The photogenic Creamer was the crowd favorite, but to that point, Jang had maintained her one-shot overnight lead and was playing solidly for the first few holes that I saw. Kim, a boyish, tall, thin drink of kimchi, was having a terrible day, 5 over par for the day when I joined the gallery, and was out of contention. The 5'-nothing Jang was actually outdriving the 5'9" Creamer, which was surprising to me anyway. Creamer was wearing a pink rhinestone-studded belt with a matching rhinestone-studded skull and crossbones buckle. The significance of the buckle would become evident to Jang (and me) only later.
Jang and Creamer traded pars until the 14th, a shortish par 5, where both reached the green in two. Creamer just missed an eagle putt, and Jang lagged her eagle try to 3 feet. Both birdied, and the lead remained one, 14 under to 13 under. On the 15th, a short par 4, Creamer and Jang both hit perfect drives, Paul to about 120 yards and JJ to about 100 yards. Creamer left her approach short, and Jang seized the opportunity like a matador facing a tired bull, spinning a wedge to within two feet. Jang buried the birdie after Creamer had missed her chip, and it looked to me like it was over. JJ had plunged the sword into this tournament's heart.
Creamer then hit a decent tee shot on the par 3 16th, leaving herself about a 12-foot birdie putt. I didn't have any confidence in her ability to birdie at this point, having seen her just miss putt after putt since the 5th hole. JJ hit her tee ball short, and lagged to within 3 feet left. Creamer then somehow finally curled her pink ball right into the right side of the cup to cut the lead to one. This was the first roar from the crowd I'd heard all day.
I still thought Paula was playing out the string, and I walked up to the green at 17 to put myself in better position to walk up 18 and to my car. I could see both drives in the fairway, and Creamer once again was away. She hit another pretty good shot to within about 12 feet. Nothing spectacular, but makeable. Jang played safe to the midde of the green to about 15 feet. JJ's approach put drifted right, and she settled for par. Then the injured bull started looking a whole lot more healthy, as Paula drained her birdie putt dead-center. Another big roar, and it's all-square with one to play.
I made my way up 18 and to the green to get a good vantage point. I could see the scorer at 18 leave his laptop and start making his way up the stairs to the big scoreboard as I walked past. I found a decent spot behind the green to watch the finish play out and I heard the crowd gasp and clap as the scorer put up a red "15" on Creamer's line to match Jang's red 15 that she had maintained since the birdie on the 15th hole. By that point, both ladies had reached the other side of the lake that Wie had almost lost two balls in. Creamer was away as usual, and her pink Bridgestone fluttered in, homing in on the cup. It hit softly, and landed to within 5 feet, eliciting the third and loudest roar to date. JJ landed her mid-iron short, rolling just off the right edge. Suddenly, this bull was not only alive, but kicking.
Jang rolled her birdie try three feet past, and it was Paula's turn. A look from behind, a look from the other side of the cup, and couple of short practice putts, and then, quickly, it was over. JJ, now you and I both know what the skull and crossbones were for. I guess Creamer was the matador, and this toro's ears were hers.
Paula Creamer's line on the last five holes: Birdie. Par. Birdie. Birdie. Birdie. That's about as spectacular a finish as you'll ever see at any golf tournament, or any sporting event for that matter, at any level. It was a privilege to witness. And, it sure beat sitting in a box all day.
Anyway, I had a few hours of reprieve today and attended the LPGA Fields Open, which was being held at the resort where I am staying. After arriving, I started following local phenom Michelle Wie's group. Wie had shot 69 on Thursday and 73 on Friday to put herself 10 shots back and playing for a slighty larger share of the scraps awarded to the back end of the field. I stayed to watch Wie for three holes, and it was Vintage Wie.
On the 17th hole, her 8th of the day, Wie hit a fine fairway metal followed by a gorgeous wedge to 3 feet, which put her in position to get back one of the two shots to par she had lost before I got there. Of course, she missed the putt. Next on 18, she snap-hooked her fairway metal into the palm trees, and with me standing yards away, she hooded her mid-iron out of the rough and dropped the ball in the center of the lake in front of the green. After a drop, she pushed her approach shot right and short, nearly dunking it again. She failed to get it up and down from there and took a 7.
On the Par 5 1st, she pulled out The Big Wiesie and smashed a drive about 290 yards. Her approach shot landed in the front bunker, and she nestled her sand shot within 2 feet, finally making a birdie. So, blown three-footer for par, triple bogey, birdie. She's definitely a crowd-pleaser, but not in a good way. At this point, she's the female John Daly, with a flat stomach and without the alcoholic shakes.
After that display I started following the lead group, Jeong Jang, Song-Hee Kim, and Paula Creamer. The photogenic Creamer was the crowd favorite, but to that point, Jang had maintained her one-shot overnight lead and was playing solidly for the first few holes that I saw. Kim, a boyish, tall, thin drink of kimchi, was having a terrible day, 5 over par for the day when I joined the gallery, and was out of contention. The 5'-nothing Jang was actually outdriving the 5'9" Creamer, which was surprising to me anyway. Creamer was wearing a pink rhinestone-studded belt with a matching rhinestone-studded skull and crossbones buckle. The significance of the buckle would become evident to Jang (and me) only later.
Jang and Creamer traded pars until the 14th, a shortish par 5, where both reached the green in two. Creamer just missed an eagle putt, and Jang lagged her eagle try to 3 feet. Both birdied, and the lead remained one, 14 under to 13 under. On the 15th, a short par 4, Creamer and Jang both hit perfect drives, Paul to about 120 yards and JJ to about 100 yards. Creamer left her approach short, and Jang seized the opportunity like a matador facing a tired bull, spinning a wedge to within two feet. Jang buried the birdie after Creamer had missed her chip, and it looked to me like it was over. JJ had plunged the sword into this tournament's heart.
Creamer then hit a decent tee shot on the par 3 16th, leaving herself about a 12-foot birdie putt. I didn't have any confidence in her ability to birdie at this point, having seen her just miss putt after putt since the 5th hole. JJ hit her tee ball short, and lagged to within 3 feet left. Creamer then somehow finally curled her pink ball right into the right side of the cup to cut the lead to one. This was the first roar from the crowd I'd heard all day.
I still thought Paula was playing out the string, and I walked up to the green at 17 to put myself in better position to walk up 18 and to my car. I could see both drives in the fairway, and Creamer once again was away. She hit another pretty good shot to within about 12 feet. Nothing spectacular, but makeable. Jang played safe to the midde of the green to about 15 feet. JJ's approach put drifted right, and she settled for par. Then the injured bull started looking a whole lot more healthy, as Paula drained her birdie putt dead-center. Another big roar, and it's all-square with one to play.
I made my way up 18 and to the green to get a good vantage point. I could see the scorer at 18 leave his laptop and start making his way up the stairs to the big scoreboard as I walked past. I found a decent spot behind the green to watch the finish play out and I heard the crowd gasp and clap as the scorer put up a red "15" on Creamer's line to match Jang's red 15 that she had maintained since the birdie on the 15th hole. By that point, both ladies had reached the other side of the lake that Wie had almost lost two balls in. Creamer was away as usual, and her pink Bridgestone fluttered in, homing in on the cup. It hit softly, and landed to within 5 feet, eliciting the third and loudest roar to date. JJ landed her mid-iron short, rolling just off the right edge. Suddenly, this bull was not only alive, but kicking.
Jang rolled her birdie try three feet past, and it was Paula's turn. A look from behind, a look from the other side of the cup, and couple of short practice putts, and then, quickly, it was over. JJ, now you and I both know what the skull and crossbones were for. I guess Creamer was the matador, and this toro's ears were hers.
Paula Creamer's line on the last five holes: Birdie. Par. Birdie. Birdie. Birdie. That's about as spectacular a finish as you'll ever see at any golf tournament, or any sporting event for that matter, at any level. It was a privilege to witness. And, it sure beat sitting in a box all day.
Friday, February 15, 2008
A.B.B - DAY 262
REPUBLICANS
John McCain - He's won it. Quit nibbling at his ankles, Huck, it's over. The Republicans design their primaries to get an early winner, and McCain was the beneficiary. I pretty much blew this call. I didn't see the GOP hard-liners allowing this to happen, but I guess they have no choice. The rest of the party wants at least a chance to win, and they wouldn't get that with Romney or Huckabee. How will Mac do? I don't think he beats Obama, but he could barely beat Hillary.
DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama - Well, call me oh-for-2. It appears the Democrats are leaning towards Obama now, and I thought he had maybe a 25% chance of getting the nomination the last time I did an A.B.B. He still has to do well in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, but if he does, Hillary can kiss Bill good night, if she can find him.
Hillary Clinton - On the other hand, Ms. Clinton is capable of some down and dirtiness the likes of which even Karl Rove would approve. It's not over, but she best get to it.
Next big highlight - I get to vote! If my Texas absentee ballot ever shows up, that is.
John McCain - He's won it. Quit nibbling at his ankles, Huck, it's over. The Republicans design their primaries to get an early winner, and McCain was the beneficiary. I pretty much blew this call. I didn't see the GOP hard-liners allowing this to happen, but I guess they have no choice. The rest of the party wants at least a chance to win, and they wouldn't get that with Romney or Huckabee. How will Mac do? I don't think he beats Obama, but he could barely beat Hillary.
DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama - Well, call me oh-for-2. It appears the Democrats are leaning towards Obama now, and I thought he had maybe a 25% chance of getting the nomination the last time I did an A.B.B. He still has to do well in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, but if he does, Hillary can kiss Bill good night, if she can find him.
Hillary Clinton - On the other hand, Ms. Clinton is capable of some down and dirtiness the likes of which even Karl Rove would approve. It's not over, but she best get to it.
Next big highlight - I get to vote! If my Texas absentee ballot ever shows up, that is.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
TOP TEN IDEAS FOR THE NEW CONGRESSIONAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE
10. Everybody gets a Bridge to Nowhere!
9. Unemployed to get government jobs photographing Britney.
8. All CEOs to get a tax increase - Ha! We're just kidding! I mean, that's crazy talk.
7. For every job shipped to India, we get 10 gallons of chutney.
6. Sell A-Rod to the Chinese.
5. Use Warrantless Wiretapping Program to hack Bill Gates' bank account.
4. State of Arkansas Yard Sale.
3. Ladies of the 110th Congress Nude Calendar.
2. $500 bounty if you turn in an illegal alien - two problems solved at once!
And the number one idea for the new congressional economic stimulus package is:
1. Take the Giants and the points for $1 trillion.
9. Unemployed to get government jobs photographing Britney.
8. All CEOs to get a tax increase - Ha! We're just kidding! I mean, that's crazy talk.
7. For every job shipped to India, we get 10 gallons of chutney.
6. Sell A-Rod to the Chinese.
5. Use Warrantless Wiretapping Program to hack Bill Gates' bank account.
4. State of Arkansas Yard Sale.
3. Ladies of the 110th Congress Nude Calendar.
2. $500 bounty if you turn in an illegal alien - two problems solved at once!
And the number one idea for the new congressional economic stimulus package is:
1. Take the Giants and the points for $1 trillion.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
A.B.B. - 305
I started this at 1000 days, and we're down to 305. Talk about the audacity of hope! We're also on the verge of some votin', or caucusin' ("caucusin' by caucasians" - sounds like a Daily Show chiron) as it were, so it's again time to have a look at the would-be White House occupants:
REPUBLICANS
Mike Huckabee - As predicted here (you'll see that a lot - I like to gloat), the Huckster has become the default choice of the GOP base. He's ahead by a corn husk in Iowa and nationally, and moving up everywhere else. He's showing unmistakeable signs of cracking under the pressure, though. He's gotten a little petty and mean-spirited at times, and from what I've read, his staff doesn't seem to know what they are doing, which has reflected badly on him in the press. His lack of funds will be exposed after Iowa and New Hampshire. He can't possibly compete with Romney and Rudy for TV time in the Super Tuesday states. I don't think he can win by delegate count alone. It may actually come down to Minneapolis in September. Former Newt Gingrich staffer Tony Blankley has said publicly on two occasions that he is booking extra hotel rooms for the convention to facilitate deal-making. As the only faith-based candidate, Huck will get more than his due should it come down to that.
Rudy Giuliani - His fall in the polls has been precipitous, as predicted here. The scandal that got him good was the revelation that he had taxpayers pay for his extra-marital trysts with Judith Nathan. Joe Biden's line about "noun-verb-9/11" really nailed him, too. He's still got plenty of oil money, and he's cruising in New York, California, and Florida. At the very least he'll be in the mix on Super Tuesday.
Mitt Romney - The Well-Coiffed Latter-Day Saint is spending furiously to ensure a victory in Iowa, and he has a thin lead in New Hampshire. Like Rudy, he'll be around come February 5th with an unprecedented ad blitz covering all 22 states and all Democrats abroad. Knowing him, he'll have his message translated into 100 different languages and beamed to every TV station in the developed world. The man wants to win, which is half the battle, I guess.
John McCain - Mac is banking on a strong third in Iowa, where he rarely appeared, and a second win in New Hampshire to propel him ahead of Rudy and Romney as the moderate alternative to Huck. I don't see how anybody can make their living in the GOP as the moderate anything. Worst-case is that he finshes fourth in Iowa, second in New Hampshire, and all of the money runs out. This seems more likely.
Fred Thompson - Freddie is barely hanging on as a major candidate. The only way his campaign resurrects is with a win in South Carolina, where he is currently running third. Don't get too comfortable in that D.A.'s chair, Sam Waterston.
The Field - Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter. Paul is mysteriously raising big cash on the Internet, but he's not a Republican in anything other than name, and will not get the nomination. Hunter needs to crawl back under his rock and go away.
DEMOCRATS
Hillary Clinton - She still leads by a huge margin nationally and in New York, Florida, and California, and I still think she will be the nominee, but the whole inevitability thing has nearly vanished. It started with that press release about all the boys ganging up on her in the debates. What a dumb mistake that was by her campaign. Bill has pretty much taken over after that, and things have smoothed out, but Iowa may very easily go to Edwards or Obama, and New Hampshire is also very close. I doubt either of these results will have a bearing on the big three states or the Super Tuesday states, but once she starts ending up second or third, it could become a habit. It seems like a lot of Dems are trying to think of a reason not to vote for her.
Barack Obama - Well, I predicted that the party had given up on him as lacking experience, but he's held things together well in Iowa, is moving up nationally, and has emerged as the clear alternative to the Pantsuit. He's got to do a lot better in the big three states, though. If he could win California, it could turn the whole thing around, but so far, there are no signs of that happening. A win in South Carolina could help, and he is improving rapidly there. I'd say he has maybe a 25% chance of breaking through, which is a lot better than a few months ago.
John Edwards - He will follow up his win or second in Iowa with some really ugly results in New Hampshire, Michigan, and South Carolina, and then he'll be done, with a Veep spot a possibility. Pretty much the same as last time.
The Field - Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich. Iowa will be their last chance to kiss babies for a while. It's a three-person race now, and will be a two-person race by Super Tuesday.
INDEPENDENTS
Michael Bloomberg - Arianna Huffington says he's going to run, and he certainly has the money. At this point, his chances are nil, but Perot got 20% of the vote running against a sitting president, and he was balls-out insane.
REPUBLICANS
Mike Huckabee - As predicted here (you'll see that a lot - I like to gloat), the Huckster has become the default choice of the GOP base. He's ahead by a corn husk in Iowa and nationally, and moving up everywhere else. He's showing unmistakeable signs of cracking under the pressure, though. He's gotten a little petty and mean-spirited at times, and from what I've read, his staff doesn't seem to know what they are doing, which has reflected badly on him in the press. His lack of funds will be exposed after Iowa and New Hampshire. He can't possibly compete with Romney and Rudy for TV time in the Super Tuesday states. I don't think he can win by delegate count alone. It may actually come down to Minneapolis in September. Former Newt Gingrich staffer Tony Blankley has said publicly on two occasions that he is booking extra hotel rooms for the convention to facilitate deal-making. As the only faith-based candidate, Huck will get more than his due should it come down to that.
Rudy Giuliani - His fall in the polls has been precipitous, as predicted here. The scandal that got him good was the revelation that he had taxpayers pay for his extra-marital trysts with Judith Nathan. Joe Biden's line about "noun-verb-9/11" really nailed him, too. He's still got plenty of oil money, and he's cruising in New York, California, and Florida. At the very least he'll be in the mix on Super Tuesday.
Mitt Romney - The Well-Coiffed Latter-Day Saint is spending furiously to ensure a victory in Iowa, and he has a thin lead in New Hampshire. Like Rudy, he'll be around come February 5th with an unprecedented ad blitz covering all 22 states and all Democrats abroad. Knowing him, he'll have his message translated into 100 different languages and beamed to every TV station in the developed world. The man wants to win, which is half the battle, I guess.
John McCain - Mac is banking on a strong third in Iowa, where he rarely appeared, and a second win in New Hampshire to propel him ahead of Rudy and Romney as the moderate alternative to Huck. I don't see how anybody can make their living in the GOP as the moderate anything. Worst-case is that he finshes fourth in Iowa, second in New Hampshire, and all of the money runs out. This seems more likely.
Fred Thompson - Freddie is barely hanging on as a major candidate. The only way his campaign resurrects is with a win in South Carolina, where he is currently running third. Don't get too comfortable in that D.A.'s chair, Sam Waterston.
The Field - Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter. Paul is mysteriously raising big cash on the Internet, but he's not a Republican in anything other than name, and will not get the nomination. Hunter needs to crawl back under his rock and go away.
DEMOCRATS
Hillary Clinton - She still leads by a huge margin nationally and in New York, Florida, and California, and I still think she will be the nominee, but the whole inevitability thing has nearly vanished. It started with that press release about all the boys ganging up on her in the debates. What a dumb mistake that was by her campaign. Bill has pretty much taken over after that, and things have smoothed out, but Iowa may very easily go to Edwards or Obama, and New Hampshire is also very close. I doubt either of these results will have a bearing on the big three states or the Super Tuesday states, but once she starts ending up second or third, it could become a habit. It seems like a lot of Dems are trying to think of a reason not to vote for her.
Barack Obama - Well, I predicted that the party had given up on him as lacking experience, but he's held things together well in Iowa, is moving up nationally, and has emerged as the clear alternative to the Pantsuit. He's got to do a lot better in the big three states, though. If he could win California, it could turn the whole thing around, but so far, there are no signs of that happening. A win in South Carolina could help, and he is improving rapidly there. I'd say he has maybe a 25% chance of breaking through, which is a lot better than a few months ago.
John Edwards - He will follow up his win or second in Iowa with some really ugly results in New Hampshire, Michigan, and South Carolina, and then he'll be done, with a Veep spot a possibility. Pretty much the same as last time.
The Field - Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich. Iowa will be their last chance to kiss babies for a while. It's a three-person race now, and will be a two-person race by Super Tuesday.
INDEPENDENTS
Michael Bloomberg - Arianna Huffington says he's going to run, and he certainly has the money. At this point, his chances are nil, but Perot got 20% of the vote running against a sitting president, and he was balls-out insane.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
NYAH, NYAH, NYAH NYAH NYAH!
I have the rest of the year off, and you don't!
The flip side is, I'm so brain-stupefyingly bored, I'm posting an entry in this blog. And, you probably do have the rest of the year off, because only people under 22 read random blogs of people they don't know.
Well, I'm not sure what that proved, but I only have 12 days and 16 hours until I have something to do again.
The flip side is, I'm so brain-stupefyingly bored, I'm posting an entry in this blog. And, you probably do have the rest of the year off, because only people under 22 read random blogs of people they don't know.
Well, I'm not sure what that proved, but I only have 12 days and 16 hours until I have something to do again.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
OF ALL THE STORIES IN THE WORLD...
I guess Google News knows me better than I know myself...also, doesn't it figure that she'd be born in a Hindu nation?
Thursday, October 25, 2007
SHINY HAPPY LOCAL NEWS PEOPLE
Hey, it wasn't her fault they played the "cat-who-can-play-the-violin" story right before this one.
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