4.10.2005
Week One
It's no exaggeration to say Week One has made life worthwhile again, if you define "life" as "life within a five-foot radius of a TV and/or laptop at all times." Good to be alive again.
You the readership must wait a little longer for an in-person MLBeat game report, but already I can let you in on a great non-secret: SBC Park gives out free standing-room opportunities, three innings at a time, for folks who wander behind the rightfield wall and wait patiently for admittance. Using a tip from a benevolent (not to mention smashing, tee hee) regular customer at the day job, I was sufficiently educated to wander over to the Phone Booth in time to see Giants ace Jason Schmidt give up a dinger to the first batter of the 2005 season, Cesar Izturis (career 9 HR in 1824 AB). And then I turned around and saw drunk people kayaking around each other, superfans reduced to mere carousers in a non-Bonds world.
Looking back on the season's Act I, Scene i, a few things jump out at me.
How bent out of shape people can get after a week. Already Mariano Rivera is cooked as a closer, Joe Randa is an All-Star, and Brad Wilkerson is the new Larry Walker. Take a deep breath, guys.
Josh Beckett. We'll know in a couple of months if this truly was a breakout year that jumped right out of the gate -- first Beckett has to survive a stretch without blister problems -- but so far we're at April 10, and Beckett is 2-0 with a clean 0.00 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his 15 innings so far. Today he caused fantasy owners across the nation to sully their britches in delight with a coveted CG-SHO, uncommon this early in the season since most managers are cautious with their young arms in April. Said his catcher Matt Treanor, "He was throwing all three of his pitches and locating with all of them. You couldn't play Nintendo any better." Sounds like a wager to me....
No major first-week injuries. Seems like one team has had a death blow to their contention hopes by this point most years. It was nearly Marcus Giles, who apparently slid into second base for the first time in his life on Tuesday. And isn't Ken Griffey usually in a cast by now?
Those silly Mets. If we let X equal the number of things that have to go wrong for the Willie Randolph Watch to begin in earnest, then right now were are at about (X - 4). At least one of those is an injury, and one is a sweep at the hands of the Yankees. I'm guessing one more will be a drug bust (steroids?), and maybe one more embarassing losing streak will seal the deal.
You the readership must wait a little longer for an in-person MLBeat game report, but already I can let you in on a great non-secret: SBC Park gives out free standing-room opportunities, three innings at a time, for folks who wander behind the rightfield wall and wait patiently for admittance. Using a tip from a benevolent (not to mention smashing, tee hee) regular customer at the day job, I was sufficiently educated to wander over to the Phone Booth in time to see Giants ace Jason Schmidt give up a dinger to the first batter of the 2005 season, Cesar Izturis (career 9 HR in 1824 AB). And then I turned around and saw drunk people kayaking around each other, superfans reduced to mere carousers in a non-Bonds world.
Looking back on the season's Act I, Scene i, a few things jump out at me.
How bent out of shape people can get after a week. Already Mariano Rivera is cooked as a closer, Joe Randa is an All-Star, and Brad Wilkerson is the new Larry Walker. Take a deep breath, guys.
Josh Beckett. We'll know in a couple of months if this truly was a breakout year that jumped right out of the gate -- first Beckett has to survive a stretch without blister problems -- but so far we're at April 10, and Beckett is 2-0 with a clean 0.00 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his 15 innings so far. Today he caused fantasy owners across the nation to sully their britches in delight with a coveted CG-SHO, uncommon this early in the season since most managers are cautious with their young arms in April. Said his catcher Matt Treanor, "He was throwing all three of his pitches and locating with all of them. You couldn't play Nintendo any better." Sounds like a wager to me....
No major first-week injuries. Seems like one team has had a death blow to their contention hopes by this point most years. It was nearly Marcus Giles, who apparently slid into second base for the first time in his life on Tuesday. And isn't Ken Griffey usually in a cast by now?
Those silly Mets. If we let X equal the number of things that have to go wrong for the Willie Randolph Watch to begin in earnest, then right now were are at about (X - 4). At least one of those is an injury, and one is a sweep at the hands of the Yankees. I'm guessing one more will be a drug bust (steroids?), and maybe one more embarassing losing streak will seal the deal.
