OK, so the emails have been coming in at a slow pace for me. All the emails for Inside Pulse’s Amazing Baseball Preview went to the Bootleg Guy, so I didn’t see any of them, but enough of you have contacted me that I feel the need to defend myself. Most of them have been along the following theme:
Good pick on the Braves winning everything… they’re off to a smashing start.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Braves play the same season every year. They start off trading wins and losses, usually staying over .500. Around about the All-star break, word comes down from Time Warner and the Braves proceed to not lose anymore. Then, they beat the Mets in heartbreaking games and trounce on the rest of the division. If they are under .500 in July, I’ll be a little worried, but not much. I’m far more concerned with them breaking the playoff curse than getting through the regular season with a division win.
Now to respond to some of the feedback Aaron posted in the various parts.
C’mon, guys, the “Jonathan” Damon jokes ceased being funny about a week after he signed. He got a haircut, we get it.
I disagree. Corporate Caveman Jonathan Damon is funny. If you don’t think it is, picture Captain Caveman. If it’s still not funny, you probably thought Dodgeball sucked and I have no time to try and impress you.
Did Daniels REALLY say the Blue Jays were “underrated”? Jesus Christ, outside of New York and Boston, no team has gotten more ink in the offseason than Toronto. If they do contend, it won’t be because they snuck up on anybody. I eagerly await part three, where Daniels tells about this “Albert Pujols kid” who really might be something, someday.
Andy C.
Check the name of the column. The New York Sports Media is completely disregarding the Blue Jays. They expect the Yankees to win 95 (which they probably will, awful start or not) and the Red Sox to win 90-something. In my corner of the country, the Blue Jays are getting no press. I call that under-rated.
Yo, AC…tell your boy Hulse that “breakout candidate” David Wright went for $32 in my fantasy draft last weekend. I live in Omaha, f*cking, Nebraska, where Major League Baseball is mostly a rumor and played only inside televisions. I think it’s safe to say he’s already “broken out”
Randall H.
This wasn’t directed at me, but I disagree. David Wright had a good season last year… a really good season. In fact, had he been eligible, he had a Rookie of the Year season last year. The problem is: you don’t have a “breakout” season the first season you come up on the radar. The first season gets you attention. I’ll draw a comparison to Albert Pujols. His 2001 rookie year was amazing (194/590, AVG: .329, OBP: .403, HR: 37) but he really didn’t start becoming a household name until 2003. Wright is on that border now… he’s huge because he’s in New York so he gets press, but it’s all sizzle unless he delivers huge again this year. He’s in the process of doing this right now: an RBI in six straight games, delivering clutch hits when the team needs it, and just doing everything right. Contrast this to Jeff Francoeur, who managed the cover of SI in his rookie year. Francoeur went in the top ten rounds of most drafts… in leagues that drafted right fielders instead of generic outfielders, he probably went higher. He’s hit 2 in his first 33 at bats. If he turns out to be a flash in the pan, people won’t know his name next year. People don’t get fired up about rookies. Their second year is what makes them a star.
Christ…the three of you really shouldn’t try to s*ck Barry Bonds’ c*ck all at once. All of the “difficulties” he’s facing were brought on entirely by himself. I’m so sick of apologists like you guys trying to tell me how great he is. He is nothing without the juice and I can assure you that I won’t be cheering for him in this or any other season.
Scott L.
You know, as I read back through the preview columns, I agree that the three of us were really high on Barry Bonds. There’s a reason for… what is it… oh yeah…
He’s the best f*cking player in the National League.
Look, I’m not a Barry Bonds fan by any means. I don’t like him, he usually comes across as a jackass, and I think it’s disgusting the blowjob that ESPN is giving him this season. It doesn’t matter. None of that changes the fact the Giants’ season goes with him. If guys get on ahead of him, he’ll get them in.
I’m not going to debate the merits of his numbers, because they were incredible before he allegedly started juicing. Before you wipe his stats away, remember a couple things:
- The Hall of Fame already has cheaters in it
- The Hall of Fame already has guys who liked illegal substances; remember that Babe Ruth liked him some booze during the 20s
Also, if you really think Bonds is nothing without steroids, then I don’t know what to tell you, other than you’re an idiot. Look at his stats pre-1998. This is the most tragic thing about Barry Bonds… he didn’t need the juice to be a great player. All steroids did for him, if he took them, was break a homerun record and create a quagmire of crap for himself.
Now on to the regular column.
The Three Themes of this Early Baseball Season
1) Role Reversal
One of the oddest things in this early season has been the reversal of perennially awful teams getting out to a hot start. In the preview, I said I thought the Milwaukee Brewers were a dark horse to get the wildcard this year because I never thought they’d be able to take the division from the Cardinals. Now granted, their “hot start” has come at the expense of the Diamondbacks and the Pirates, and they’ve lost to the Cardinals, but if they can successfully beat up on weaker teams (and their division is full of them) they may end up giving St Louis and Houston a run for their collective monies. I am not lumping the Cubs into this group yet because, well, they’re still the Cubs. I expect to know more about the Brewers after Saturday, when I actually will watch them play the Mets at Shea. As of now it looks like I’ll get some form of Ohka/Capuano vs Glavine/Pedro. As much as I love Tommy, I’ve already seen him live twice this season… give someone else a chance.
Speaking of Role Reversal, how about the New York Mets? Not only have they managed to get out to a 5-1 start and a quick 2 game lead in the division, but they’ve managed to take press off of the Yankees here in the Apple. The Yankees (and Tanyon Sturtze particularly) tried their best to get the press back yesterday by dropping their home opener to the Royals, until some heroics by Derek Jeter. The Mets real proving ground will come next week. They start the week against Atlanta and The Bobby Cox’s Met Voodoo Doll, then go on the fabled West Coast Trip that destroyed their season twice last year. When they come back from the West Coast Trip, they walk right into the Ted to face Atlanta again. The next two weeks is really going to define the Mets season. If they come back from this 13 game road trip 7-6 or better, they’ll make a believer out of me.
I could mention the Rockies being in first place in the NL West but, well, just about anything can happen in that division.
2) Injuries
Mike Hulse and I had a debate recently as to whether or not you can factor injuries into predictions for a season. Every sports columnist always throws a “barring injuries” into their predictions. When I spoke of the Dodgers being overrated, I said it was almost guaranteed someone would end up injured. We collectively created the “Nomar Principle” which states: You can’t predict injury, but you can assume based on history that a guy won’t play the entire season. I tossed around the idea of calling this the “Griffey Principle” but… the name Nomar is funnier and it gives me the opportunity to make Nomaaaaahhhh jokes.
Overrated or not, I still thought this team had the gusto to get through the season. I made that prediction on the assumption not more than one person in their lineup would be out at any given time. However, Nomar and Kenny Lofton managed to start the season on the DL. Gagne is gone again for 6-8 weeks and I don’t expect him to be able to close a door by the time he gets back. His elbow has been disassembled and reassembled so many times he can’t possibly come back and still be Gagne. This leaves the Dodgers’ lineup missing two primary pieces and relying on the Devil Rays’ closer to win games for them. I’m not loving my pick anymore.
3) Burying the Yankees
As a Met fan, the Yankees annoy me. I don’t hate them with the Boston fan’s passion (or even Mets fan’s). I don’t follow most of the “you can only like one team” rule. I am also a firm believer that you can change your team affiliation without being a frontrunner, which is another hotly debated item between Hulse and myself. I like New York sports. Period. I don’t actively root against the Yankees, but if they play the Mets, I pull for the Mets. This is mainly due to living in primarily Italian town in New York State (Italians LOVE them some Yankees) my entire life. As such, I’ve dealth with a lot of spoiled Yankee “Fans” who couldn’t name a player other than Derek Jeter. Yes, I realize not all Yankee fans are like this, but it’s based on the same principal that causes one to hate all cops because a (theoretically) small percentage of them are douchebags. The idiot Yankees fan is the louder than the guy who can tell you their lineup and Aaron Small’s, or even Randy Johnson’s, ERA from last year.
Now, the Yankees got off to a slow start… granted. They dropped 4/6 to Oakland and Anaheim. First off, Anaheim always beats up the Yankees. For whatever reason, be it Mike Scioscia shopping at Bobby Cox’s New York Voodoo Doll Shoppe or something more sinister, the Angels consistently own the Yankees. They have since 2002. I actually expected the Yankees to open at home with a 2-4 record because I expected them to take 2/3 from Oakland and then get swept by the Angels. Had they managed to lose to the Royals this week, maybe there would have been an argument, but it wouldn’t have been much of one.
I understand the burning desire to see the Yankees lose. The obscene payroll, the annoying cast of characters, the hatred of A-Rod because he makes more money than you, the hatred of Derek Jeter because he has more sex than you, the admitted steroid use, the idiotic “they spend more money than my team” argument… there’s a lot to hate. Remember folks… it’s April. Last May, the Yankees were 11-19… then they won 10 in row. The Yankees are never out of it… ever. Why? A few reasons: First, they can easily put up 15 runs on a good pitcher (See also: Zito, Barry). Second, you have 8 innings to beat them in a close game. The “This is Mariano’s last year” and “Has he lost it” columns are late this year because Mariano hasn’t had his trademarked April Blown Save. Then he’ll proceed to blow everyone away in the ninth inning until August when he blows a couple more saves. Third, they’re always a threat to win 15 in a row, which means an 8 game lead can evaporate in two weeks.
Long story short: as much as you hate to admit it, the Yankees aren’t out of it. Let’s wait until at least Memorial Day before pulling out the shovels, shall we?
Conclusion
This is going to be my first attempt at a weekly column in two or three years. Putting it on Monday should fit into my schedule perfectly. I hope to hear from any readers out there who agree or disagree. It may take me some time to shake off the rust. To answer: No, this column won’t be exclusively for east coast sports… I will talk about various things over time including boxing, horse racing, and other obscure sports.
Also, if anyone creative wants to Photoshop a logo for this column, let me know. I have zero Photoshop skill but I’d like a snazzy logo.
