Paper Tigers
Ten free minutes for me, 10 free throwaway lines for you . . .
1. I'll admit, I bought the hype about the new-look Tigers in the offseason, but after catching their act the past few days, I'm beginning to think they're a classic looks-good-on-paper ballclub that has too many crucial flaws to succeed consistently. Jeremy Bonderman (career ERA+: 93) is sadly miscast as a No. 2 starter, the infield defense is brutal, Gary Sheffield (.202) and Pudge Rodriguez (.252) are showing their age, and the bullpen is such a disaster that I expect an infuriated Jim Leyland to put out his cigarette on a relief pitcher's forehead one of these days.
2. I hope Jonathan Papelbon was appropriately scolded for taking out his frustrations last night on the water cooler. If he wants to kick something, he should know to start with Julio Lugo and go from there. Sometimes I can't believe the Sox won a World Series with that high-strung, scatter-armed mediocrity playing shortstop. You'd think he'd have screwed it up along the way.
3. All right, Dice-K, I give up. Just when I think he's on the verge of establishing himself as a legitimate, consistent No. 2 starter, he goes out and coughs up an excruciating five-inning, 109-pitch, eight-walk hairball, ends up with the win anyway, and I end up as perplexed as usual with this ridiculously enigmatic pitcher. And enigmatic is the right word - just look at his stats this season: 5 wins, 0 losses, just 22 hits in 40 innings, a 2.43 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP. Outstanding, right? Yup . . . until you notice the 33/27 K/BB ratio, which is both alarming and inexcusable. Like I said, I give up. I can't solve this mystery. I'll leave that to John Farrell.
4. I almost feel sorry for Matt Walsh, who it seems to me is about to be exposed as an insecure, scorned braggart who simply wanted to feel more important than he is or ever will be. (The key word there is "almost.") I hope all the Easterbrooks and Kings who have been reveling in this controversy, often at the expense of logic and facts, have their mea culpas ready now that it's apparent that Walsh didn't have anything more than what the Patriots already divulged.
5. The early scouting report on NESN newcomer Heidi Watney: Certainly easier on the eyes than, say, Eric Frede, but in terms of baseball knowledge I suspect she's going to make Tina Cervasio look like Buster Olney. And that's no easy feat.
6. The more I hear about Jerod Mayo, the more I think he's exactly what we've been wishing for at linebacker the past couple of seasons, and all things considered it's a pretty damn intriguing rookie class. For the first time since the David Tyree Experience, I'm excited about the Patriots again.
7. Shhh, don't tell McCarver: Derek Jeter, a month shy of his 34th birthday, has no home runs and no stolen bases this season. Fortunately, the eyes remain as calm as ever, and his .316 batting average will dupe those who don't know any better into thinking he's been productive.
8. Barry Zito's transformation into Steve Avery circa 1997 is officially complete. I give ESPN's Keith Law complete credit for calling this one. He took a lot of heat a year ago for ranking Zito below the likes of Ted Lilly prior to the beginning of free agency. He looks pretty prescient now, and while J.P. Ricciardi might not agree, I'd sure rather have Law running my team than, say, Brian Sabean.
9. I'm willing to give Ray Allen the benefit of the doubt for his Game 1 whitewash, for a couple of reasons: 1) I expect he'll bounce back in the next game or two with a vintage shooting performance, because there's no freakin' way Wally Szczerbiak is stopping him again. 2) he's made the biggest personal sacrifice on the court of any Celtic this season, basically becoming a spot-up jump shooter after years of having the offense run through him, and for his quiet selflessness I couldn't respect him more.
10. As for today's Completely Random Baseball Card:
Stumbled upon these two (here and here) interesting links regarding, of all people, old friend Fred Lynn this week, and don't tell Buzz Bissinger, but reading them back to back will give an appreciation for the diverse styles and quality writing that you can find on blogs. (Of course, one of them is by Joe Posnanski, who is a master of the written word in any medium.) For what it's worth, the best piece I ever read about Lynn ran in the Boston Phoenix during the All-Star festivities in '99. It was by a writer named Jason Gay (now at Rolling Stone) and his quest for "redemption" as an adult after getting blown off by Lynn as an autograph-seeking kid. I failed to find it in the Phoenix's archives, but maybe one of you more Google-savvy types can track it down. It's worth the time, and Lynn, as usual, comes across as a terrific guy.
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Couple of quick housekeeping items: Yes, I am trying to write more often. Thanks for noticing. The schedule's been a little easier lately, and to be honest, I'm rejuvenated by the new home. So be sure to check back in more often - at least for now, I'm aiming for five posts per week. Also, as always, feel free to pop in and say hi on Facebook. It's always a kick to see who reads this nonsense.
I think it's official: Daisuke Matsuzaka is Japanese for "Derek Lowe" just without The Face. I just hope he responds the same way Lowe did when he was held up against the fire.
As I've said about Brian Sabean before, he likes to sign All Stars. The only problem is that he signs them about 5 years after they hit their peak. Just look at his past signings of Omar Vizquel, Bengie Molina, and of course Barry Zito. Kind of is a bummer for the younger guys like Lincecum and Cain.
I'm expecting (hoping) that Lowrie will be the SS by the All-Star break and Theo can find a nice home for Julio. Notwithstanding his offensive outburst so far (which won't last), I don't see how the Sox can continue to win consistently with that guy playing shortstop.
1. Sheff and Pudge notwithstanding, the Tigers' biggest problem -- by far -- is the rotation. Rogers is old, Robertson is a #4 type at best; Willis, Bonderman and Verlander may be examples of Why You Bring Young Pitchers Along Slowly. Look at the two "great young rotations" of the early 00s: the Marlins and the A's. Every single one of their pitchers has gone through significant injury issues. Some (Beckett, Penny) have weathered the storm; some (Mulder, Zito) have not. It's more evidence in favor of the Red Sox' patient approach with their young arms. (Might be a blessing in disguise for the Yankees that their young starters struggled. Otherwise, Hughes and Kennedy would be strong candidates for the "early success and burnout" career path.)
5. Watney is unwatchable. It's painful to see a broadcast professional take the air for a quick spot (for which she's had a couple of INNINGS to prepare) and immediately start fumbling with her sheaf of notes. Did she never learn to rehearse? Someday a gust of wind is going to come up, her notes will go flying, and she'll either gape wordlessly into the camera or break down in tears.
Maybe she will improve with practice. But, as I said last year about Glenn Geffner, I don't see why viewers in a major broadcast market should be subjected to a greenhorn's on-the-job training. When they toss it to Watney, I channel-surf. Bring back Frede! He may have jug ears, but so does Obama. Indeed, 2008 may be shaping up as the Year of the Ear. It's Frede Time!
re: #4 - are you kidding me? There's no way those tools Mea Culp-anything. They've been running a no-lose campaign from the start. No more "evidence?" Well, that's precisely the story!
They'll just continue to whinge and gripe about WHY the NFL destroyed the evidence... because, you know, if there's no evidence AGAINST the Pats, there's no proof that these morons are wrong, either.
They'll never give up - and it's really sad and pathetic to see.
As for Walsh, he deserves everything he gets. Another scumbag out trying to make a buck for himself at the expense of others...
I just could not pass up the opportunity to comment on the lid Jim Leyland is wearing. I am a baseball fan of a certain age but I sure do not remember those hats. He looks like he's going to get us all onboard an Amtrak real soon.
On another note - I am so tired of Lugo. I remember yelling at my computer during the offseason 2 years ago when Theo decided to get rid of Alex Gonzales. I never understood and still don't. Nothing that's happened (or not happened) in the last 2 years will make me understand why Theo wanted Lugo so much.
I used to sit in my Section 17 seats, look straight ahead and just watch Alex Gonzales. Not the ball, not the pitcher, not the hitter, just Alex. I didn't care if he ever hit the ball.
Chad,
i believe Mike Reiss and you nailed what info Walsh would have weeks ago (i.e., no walk-through tape and copies of what the Pats already provided to the NFL back in September). I'd like to believe that this will end this whole debacle, but i fear that the haters, the conspiracy theorists, Arlen Specter, and the Easterbrooks of the world will continue to fan the flames. I must say, as a Pats fan, that when i first saw the "news" break on 2-2-08 that the Herald was reporting a walk through tape existed, I got a sick feeling that seemed to cast a pall over the next 24 hours, which ended with the heart-breaking loss. It was really an awful way to end what i thought was going to be the greatest achievement in NFL history. I'm rambling here but i just hate how this whole Spygate thing continues to spin and spin, and i hope it ends now and the Pats go on another roll that concludes with a win in SB 44.
Gracie - Gonzalez was a treat to watch defensively, probably the best I've ever seen (though Pokey might have been a little flashier). But he was injury prone while he was here, and he's been injury prone since he left. He's not the answer, either.
Marv, I pester the hell out of Mike Reiss and Chris Gasper every time I see them in the office, so any wisdom or foresight I have comes from having my dumber theories shot down by them. And your feelings about the whole Spygate subject are exactly like mine.
Wayne, I saw Lowrie quite a bit at Portland, and I'm convinced he cannot play shortstop at the major league level. In terms of range, he makes Jeter look like . . . well, Alex Gonzalez, I guess. I think he's going to be a pretty good stick, though.
Ok.
Now how do we get Tomase assigned to covering high school sports.
I'd say fired, but . . .
Hell with a cigarette. I'm thinking Leyland might light up a Cuban cigar for the purpose of stamping it out on the face of his entire bullpen. Although Todd Jones mustache is likely more flammable than his fastball so he might wanna have a fire extinguisher nearby.
Chad, you and I now have a mutual friend on Facebook: The Poz. I would highly recommend "The Soul of Baseball" - I read it on a cross-country plane ride and never put the book down.
Jeter also has a whopping 4 walks (and 2 HBP) in 126 PA. His OPS is about 150 points lower than his career average right now. But my God, he's Driven, so much that they took his body sweat and turned it into a cologne. I would assume that the cologne smells like crap, but purists will say that you can't measure a cologne by its smell and it's full of intangibles.
I had an opportunity to see some of Heidi "Don't Call Me Dixie" Whatney in action last night. She's easy on the eyes, but I still prefer Kathryn Tappen.
Great Fred Lynn links. Thanks for that, Chad!
!00 million ( give or take a few bills) for Glass Joe and Julio combined! Lugo has the worst baseball IQ these parts have seen in some time. Just a complete trainwreck. Sidenote: Has anyone noticed when RemDog mentions Lugo's name his voice changes. You can hear the comtempt in his voice. Never fails to crack me up.
I've kind of started to like J.D. Drew, who is really fun to watch hit when he's going well. But I'll never get the fascination with Julio Lugo. He's mediocrity personified.
How's this for irony. Lugo's top comp at baseballreference.com is Mike Lansing.
I like Lugo MUCH better than Lansing. He was the worst.
Not only did Lansing stink, he had a surly reputation. One of the selling points of Lugo being signed by the Red Sox was his popularity in the locker room as well as being one of Papi's best friends.
Tina is/was a sharp as Buster Olney. I'm not sure if that says more about Tina or Buster, but that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
McCarver is too busy getting driven around by Federal Marshalls to pay close attention to DJ's production...
I think I like Lansing more than Lugo the more of Lugo I see. Then again, I'm too young to remember Lansing and company too well, I'm only twenty.
I solved the Easterbrook (and Fish) and King problem -- I just don't go to ESPN.com anymore or look at King's column at SI. There are lots of other more reliable sports addresses on the web (newspaper sites, for instance). If everybody else started boycotting ESPN.com (and SportsCenter, too, as I have since Feb. 2), they'd have to hire some writers who deal in facts rather than fiction.
So will Pats fans finally admit that their team is run by a cheating scumbag? I mean, you seem to be pretty high on a pulpit with the Matt Walsh thing, when the basic facts of the whole situation haven't changed.
My god, who beat Heidi Watney in the Miss California beauty pageant? Forget baseball, basketball, and football, why wasn't that pageant on tv?
Another error for Julio. That's 11. Easy grounder, too. Naturally, unearned runs scored right after.
Frank Duffy is not coming through that door.
Jackie Gutierrez and Rey Quinones are not coming through that door.
Luis Rivera is not coming through that door!
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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