*** Official 2002 Major League Baseball Season Thread (1 Viewer)

[Michael*K]

OK, I guess the White Sox are going nowhere unless the starters can go 9 each time out.

 

[John Thomas]

Scott/Joe: You did see where I picked your Phils to win the NL East, right? I gave them their props, yo.
HR Race: Barry Bonds - 4. Who else? Gary Sheffield, Derrick Lee, Jason Varitek and Jacque Jones all have 2, I believe.
Michael: You must be referring to Keith Foulke's blown save. I certainly think that the ChiSox have the talent to win (another reference to my picks made earlier in this thread) - Foulke has been a better-than-average closer in the past; he's probably jsut had a bad day - and they were playing Seattle, a quality team.

 

[Joseph S]

...Jason Varitek and Jacque Jones all have 2

Thanks to the magic of falling acidic H2O, Jason Varitek now has only one homerun though he did at one time last night have two. Oh, well. At least he's back from the DL. He also showed no signs of fear and went all out after a pop foul in game one even though a fantastic grab last year cost him 6+ months.

Back to the Homeruns:

If they start walking Barry Bonds every single time he comes to the plate, I hope the opposition gets pounded by the rest of the lineup in much the same manner as the fired Larry Dierker and the Astros did last October in getting swept by the Giants.

 

[Ross Williams]

OK, I guess the White Sox are going nowhere unless the starters can go 9 each time out. I wouldn't worry too much they were just playing the magical Mariners. They look exactly the same as last year, I love it!

 

[Seth Paxton]

Remember for all these April items that baseball is the ultimate streaky sport.
Every year someone is "on pace" to beat out Jesus for the lowest ERA ever or most K's or HR's or Wins.
Not that Bonds hasn't already proven himself, or that Pedro doesn't possibly have an arm problem still. But if we based Greg Maddux's career off of Aprils it would look pretty ugly. And just a few years ago I TRADED Randy Johnson away after arm concerns in spring and an early shelling...then he went on to a season the is typical for him. whoops.
Pedro and Brown both may be having real problems, but they also might both be starting the All-Star game too.
Bonds is going for 80, but does that mean Sheffield is going for 75, or Justice is going for 60?
Everybody has bad games or hitting weeks, but those get offset by great games/weeks. So Wells looks good and I do think he is back to 1998 form maybe, but it is still just one game.
Or maybe ARod really will be hitting .125 with 9 HRs this year.
One thing's for sure...Chan Ho Park hasn't forgotten how to give up the gopher ball.

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

I am a Mariners fan all the way! No bandwagon here. Oh, and Robert, I'll cry...cry with joy when the Yankees finally lose out in the playoffs or before. Anyway, we'll check back in October.

 

[Brian Lawrence]

Nice to see my Braves are swinging the bat well right out the gate. Last night 11-2 pounding of the Phillies was a thing of beauty. I Don't dislike the Phills, But it was great to see Jason Marquise pitch well and actually get some solid run support.
And while I don't see them keeping it up for more than a few days. I still gotta give props to the Devil Rays for starting the season 3-0

 

[Evan S]

Will the Dodgers average more than one run per game this year? When you get shut out by Ryan Jensen, you are really in trouble. 95 million for that lineup? Painful if you own any fantasy players on that team (as I do in 3B Beltre).

Anyway, I'm an A's fan and I have to be happy with this year's 3-1 start after last year going 2-10. All this without Giambi. I guess what they say is true. Good pitching will always beat good hitting.

 

[MickeS]

Is anyone here signed up for the MLB online audio coverage? How is it? I'm a brand new baseball fan (my first exposure to baseball was the World Series last year, I imagine few things in baseball can top that, so it's all downhill from now, right? ), and I was thinking about signing up for it. Do you think I would enjoy it?
/Mike

 

[Jason Seaver]

my first exposure to baseball was the World Series last year, I imagine few things in baseball can top that, so it's all downhill from now, right?

Well, you missed Ted Williams throwing out the first pitch at the '99 All-Star Game. That was something.

And a Red Sox or Cubs WS victory will be major... Last year's Series was one of the great ones, and not just because it involved a Yankee defeat, but when one of the century-plus old teams with a long drought and fans all over the country takes the crown...

 

[BryanZ]

Let's see. Devil Rays are in first place in their division, Bonds has 4 HRs. Time to buy a lottery ticket. (And no, I'm not picking the Rays to win their division.)

 

[John Thomas]

I'm watching the Oakland/Seattle game right now on ESPN and I have one question: WHat gives with the train in the background? That is ANNOYING!

Rule #1: Don't build a baseball stadium near railroad tracks.

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

John, The train is part of what makes Safeco special. It was built to focus on that part of Seattle's history. Much like Baltimore's park was built to focus on their part of history and San Francisco's being built around a bay motif. I, for one, love the trains.

 

[John Thomas]

...and Busch Stadium was built right next to 'da beer factory.
Woody Williams on the DL - great. The weird thing is, they aren't calling Bud Smith up from Memphis. He must've just exploded during spring training...I would've thought he'd made the starting roster.

 

[Ross Williams]

I'm watching the Oakland/Seattle game right now on ESPN and I have one question: WHat gives with the train in the background? That is ANNOYING!

You're the first person I've ever heard say that. I find it to be really fun, especially when you're at the game. Adds to the mystique of our great new ballpark.

 

[Jon_Are]

Go Tigers!!!!!!

This is a new year, a new beginning!!!

Let's win a game !!!

It's still early yet, the season's 162 games long!!!!

C'mon, Tigers....I mean....uhmmmm.....well.....uh, nevermind.

Jon

 

[John Thomas]

You're the first person I've ever heard say that. I find it to be really fun, especially when you're at the game. Adds to the mystique of our great new ballpark.

I suppose it's different when you live there and were told that there was going to be a train riding by during games. You've worked into the idea of having it there. For me, I like game sounds - and only game sounds - in the background. The crack of the bat, the cheer of the crowd. Vendors are ok to an extent - when the come around every minute and distract from the game, that too is annoying.
Sometimes I'll go to watch the crowd. It's almost as entertaining (sometimes moreso) than the game.
Anyhow - how about Craig Biggio hitting for the cycle?

 

[Brian Lawrence]

One thing that has been bugging me this year, Is the fact that We are still not seeing the National Anthem telecasted before the games.

 

[Jason Seaver]

That bothers you? Maybe I don't care about that because the Sox have a long history of unexciting people singing the anthem (Steven Tyler and Kay Hanley this year excepted), but I figure it would just make the telecast five minutes longer or cause you to lose the line-ups at the start. No thanks.

On a related note, is there a timetable on "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" being restored to the 7th-inning stretch? They're still asking us to sing "God Bless America" at Fenway. Don't get me wrong, I love my country, but I really dislike being told to express that love on-demand. Really, it strikes me as kind of creepy (if the anthem disappeared from sporting events tomorrow, I don't think I'd miss it).

 

[LarryDavenport]

Thank you Jason! I am so sick of being asked to stand up and take off my cap and sing that frigging song!!! They might as well make us take a loyalty oath!!
And John, at least our trains are real! (unlike Houston or whatever team back east that drags out that fake train when the home team gets a homer).
With 9 or 10 games left this month I wonder if the M's will win 20 games in April again (they've already won 13). Hope so. I think it helped the M's that they've been in California and Texas where it's been warmer than Seattle (it finally creeped above 60 degrees yesterday).
I'm glad Ruben Sierra has been able to fill in for Edgar pretty well.
My prediction: M's will win the West with 97+ wins, beat the Yankees in the first round, and Cleveland in the ALCS. (But I say that every year!)