Observations after baseball's first full week (1 Viewer)

[Jason Seaver]

I hear what you're saying about sample size, Jason. But the stats we've got are all we have to work with so far. Things have to get better for the Sox bullpen, right? Right?

Which means, unless you're seeing something terribly, identifiably wrong, you just have to sit back and see what happens, as opposed to drawing conclusions from truly insufficient information.

Besides, using the same logic that says that the no-set-closer system doesn't work, well... Jason Veritek is going to shatter every hitting record known to man (except the RBI record, where Shea Hillenbrand will have 300).

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Eric, what do you expect from Kansas City fans? The Royals have fielded a poor team and raised ticket prices over the past several years. Why should people go to those games? The Royals management drove the fans away. Now that they've lucked into a winning team (for the time being) people in KC have something to be excited about. I don't think its fair to label Kansas Citians as fair-weather fans when they haven't had anything to cheer about for several years.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

But Keith, how do you explain Cubs fans then?

 

[CaseyLS]

Wasn't Judy Garland the girl played Dorothy (WOO)? I thought it was her but I am not sure. I just get annoyed that everyone associates The Wizard of Oz with Kansas.

Anyway, go Royals.

 

[Phil L]

Jason,

Mendoza has always looked bad in April. Healthy or not, usually a bad April/early May. His numbers last year were some of the best of his career. I think he'll be fine.

The Yankees would have signed him but this team is somewhat deficient fielding ground balls.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Didn't Rich Ortiz play for the Giants last year?

It wasn't till today that I found out he was playing for the Braves.

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

You mean RUSS Ortiz ?

Go Royals!~

George Brett fan here 5

 

[Steve_Tk]

Yes, was just watching Sportscenter and thought "hey his name is Russ."

 

[Jason Seaver]

The Yankees would have signed him but this team is somewhat deficient fielding ground balls.

I'm pulling this out the next time someone says Jeter is a good fielder.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Mark, can anyone explain Cubs fans?

 

[Phil L]

I'm pulling this out the next time someone says Jeter is a good fielder.

I don't believe I've ever said that he was. He's a below average shortstop who makes up for it with his offense. His defense did improve going to his left last year though.

It isn't just Jeter though, Ventura doesn't have the range he used to. The only 2 infielders with above average range are Soriano and Johnson. Soriano has problems picking up the ball and Johnson DHs so that everyone can have the pleasure of wondering when Giambi will pull his hamstring at first. To be fair to Giambi; I've never seen him misplay a ball that he could get to.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

I'm going to the Jays game tonight, and hopefully our weekend away sweep of the Twins will counteract the negative vibe of the Yankees' sweep of our home opener. We'll see if there are more than 15,000 people there tonight.

Hope so -- dyeing my hair blue was obviously not enough, so last night my wife gave me a mohawk. If anyone at the Jays game tonight sees a six-two guy with glasses, a goatee and a blue mohawk with a Blue Jays temporary tatoo on his forehead, please say hi. I'm really very nice.

Anybody have any ideas about what's happening with Eric Hinske? He seems a little frustrated at the plate (and who saw him throw down his bat after that strike on the weekend? They booted him from the game for that). Personally, I think he maybe just needs to take a few deep breaths and not worry about living up to his billing as AL rookie of the year.

 

[Evan S]

I think he maybe just needs to take a few deep breaths and not worry about living up to his billing as AL rookie of the year.

Don't you mean living up to that big contract he signed in the off season? That's more pressure than any award.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

Don't you mean living up to that big contract he signed in the off season? That's more pressure than any award.

That too. And he's a major part of the marketing push. People are coming out to see him, and they obviously want to see him hit. I mean, the Toronto crowds are not under the illusion that the Jays are contenders for the World Series this year, and they're not being marketed as such, but when your advertising promises a lot of firepower and the first three games are 8-4, 10-1 and 9-7 losses, the crowd can get a little restless. The third game was a lot better than the first two, but by then the crowd really needed a win.

Carlos got a lot of boos over the opening homestand, and Eric was on the receiving end of them, too. It can't help that while Carlos performed very well against the Twins (as did many of our hitters), Eric only did so-so. Checking the team's website, he's been struck out ten times in 21 at bats and has a .095 average. Ow.

I feel for the guy. I was thinking of making a nice, supportive sign to bring to tonight's game, something like, "Just relax, Eric, the hits will come". Maybe I'll see how he does tonight, and if he doesn't get anywhere and if the crowd are hard on him I'll make the sign for tomorrow.

 

[Evan S]

I have Delgado, Phelps and Halladay on my fantasy team and so far I'm happy with the returns. And Vernon Wells has hit also (who I don't have). Funny, but I had a feeling Hinske was in line for a Sophomore slump this year.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

Aw, c'mon, it's only six games in. He can't really be having a sophomore slump yet...

 

[Mark Zimmer]

There is that Rookie of the Year curse to overcome, though--just ask Pat (Who?) Listach....

 

[Steve_Tk]

Question for you guys. I've posted before I'm a Braves fan and always lived in Atlanta. So I can watch almost every game with Braves announcers on TBS or Turner South. Occasionally they are on ESPN.

What station do you all get to watch your team on? I can't see any of the big networks showing a game and bumping prime time television? Seems like you all don't get near the amount of treatment the Braves fans get.

If you watch TBS in your home town when you play the Braves, do you hear the biased Braves announcers, or your own?

It would suck to not be able to see everyone of your home teams games.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Here in New England, pretty much all the Red Sox games are on NESN (New England Sports Network), a cable station owned by the Sox and Bruins. Some Friday night and Sunday afternoon games run on the UPN/CBS stations (in Boston - outside the area, they're on NESN), and some are bumped to a local cable channel to accomodate Bruins playoff games, but even those are produced by NESN.

 

[Brian Perry]

Steve,

We've also been spoiled in Chicago with respect to seeing games on TV. Most games are on WGN, with Chip Carey and Steve Stone doing the announcing.