Losing Mo Mentum

As the story made the wire services prior to the Yankees Royals game, the fall out in the world of the pinstripers was immense.

Mo is down, and it looks bad, taken for the field on  a cart, smiling but the grimaces were notable. Mo was in pain. No idea of what it was, but colour commentator David Cone said it looked like a torn ACL.  Turns out Cone was not just speculating on what he had witnessed, he suffered a similar injury, and knew where of he spoke.

It has yet to be announced but the reality is his season is done, and perhaps so is his career, but let's not get too far ahead, and send those Yankee fans to jump off the George Washington bridge.  For the better part of almost 20 years, it seemes, he was either the heir apparent to John Wettleland, or the most widely known Yankee closer since The Goose or Sparky Lyle. Well Mo surpassed all of them, and is a first ballot HOF'er.

As a Yankee hater almost from birth, it is great, but not how I want to see legends leave the game. At 42, it is not impossible for return, but more improbable.  In the meantime, Cashman and Girardi will decide who is the next one. Not sure if Dave Robertson has the mental make up, so will put money on Soriano, as he has performed that role before, and it leaves Robertson in his true comfort zone.

OK so the Red Sox look fallable, the Yanks are brittle, is this a year and an opportunity for the Jays. They also have closer issues, but hope Santos is less than 3 weeks away, but strangely silent isn't it ?

So at least for 2012, they will not play " Enter Sandman" for a Mo appearance. 

We will also see if the lose mo-mentum as well.  Those Yankees had to grow old sooner or later...is the year when their toughest opponent is Father Time ?

Bottom of the barrel

As we approach the end of April, I have to think that the Red Sox are beginning to feel the desparation.
Micheal Bowden, a several time pitching prospect sent to the Cubs, another lovable loser, for Marlon Byrd. 
Byrd joins the team and will find time platooning with Ryan Sweeney or Darnell MacDonald, to bolster an offense not clicking on all cylinders.  But one that had a 9 run lead over the Yankees on Saturday.

So, I am sure the Sox are scouting this Keith Olbermann chap, perhaps he can help them get an 11 run lead, because nobody trusts the Sox bullpen, let alone the rotation.

Last weekend, if you remember, the Sox were 3 quarters the way to a series win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and by the end of the 3rd game, we suddenly watch them defending Kevin Youkilis for a rough start. Pedroia took issue at comments made by the current manager, Bobby Valentine. Bobby cast some doubts as to Youk's make up, this after the Bosoton's had taken 2 of the first 3 on the Rays.

Great timing coach !  By the end of this weekend, the bullpen is in tatters, Danny Bard is being sent from the rotation to the pen presumably to save their back sides.  The Sox, if you remember started poorly last year, Crawford couldn't hit, Pedroia was scuffling, Papi was okay but not mashing balls, the rotation had issues, Jenks blew saves, but it was a different feel.  Francona was there, and they would rebound, they had a playoff nucleus, with pedigree.  No one , save for Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe was really worried.

A win here or there, get some deeper starts from the starters, and guess what, everything got sorted out, well, until August 31st that is. Then troubles that even Francona could not identify tripped them up.
Hear this...it has not changed., not one bit. Life in Boston, Mass revolves around their icons, The Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins.
Right now, the Sox are coming up the rear, the Pats went to another Super Bowl, Bruins are defending a Stanle Cup and the Celts have at least secured a playoff berth, in a rebuilding year. The Sox have more pressure than all 3 put together, and they know it.

If you watched Saturday's game, it serves as a microcosm of where they are on baseball landscape. They have the bats to put up runs, in bunches.  Then their bats go dry, inexplicably as they did the last 4 innings. When they could have tallied more, they seemed to let up, and lost focus. The Yanks, bouyed by long relief keep trying to chip away, chip away.  Sox starter Felix Doubrant stiffled them over 6 plus innings, but then an innocent Mark Texiera big fly poked a hole in the Sox 100 year celebration balloon.

Ah, it's only one run, but as the top of the 8th rolled around, some of the patrons were leaving, an 9-1 lead with 2 innings left.
Have the townsfolk forgotten the wonders that Fenway reveals, the sudden wind shifts, and the inviting left field wall, the nooks and crannies that serve to bounce a ball in two differnt directions, sending the outfielders in opposite directions.

Well, 14 more runs clammered home, while Bobby Valentine wore out his cleats making pitching changes, and one of the biggest swings had robbed the Sox of what would have been an important win.

Them Damn Yankees had one, and the Boston media begin the Valentine death watch. Rain killed the ESPN Sunday night, primetime game, and maybe that was a repreive for Boston.

I did very much predict a down fall year for Boston, and a 4rth place finish. Let's hope for them, the Orioles don't get their game together, or it's the basement for them.

Put a sock in it Ozzie

I am old enough to remember George Steinbrenner and some of his odd ball remarks, and also am reminded of Marge Schott , the owner of the Cincinnati Reds. I also watched a series on the game where Curt Flood spoke to Auggie Busch, who claimed all his players bunked in the finest hotels, which in the mid 60's was not even close to being right. That was ignorance and he was not aware, Schott was an uncouth as a Roseanne Barr appearance singing the national anthem, the grabbing her loins.

Georgie stumbled over the truth, and stretched it , and was bombastic as they come.

Ozzie Guillen has leat past them all.

In this day and age, there are always those that take offense to the slightest remark that is anti this or that, and there are media teams, and lawyers at the ready to spin the politically correct story, the vanilla and shallow story where no one is offended, just bored.

Ozzie's latest has offended the Miami community, many of whom are refugees from Cuba, and principally a Castro regime that was dictatorial , murderous, and oppresive. It's not that Ozzie's comments were not free speech, it's that this organisation is trying to attract the spanish community, I mean heavens, they hired a  Latin manager, brought in Reyes, kicked the tires on Cuban defectee Cespedes, and even signed that blob Zambrano.  Can anyone think of a worse environment.

Oh and they just opened a new swanky new ballpark, hoping the turnstiles would be bustly with activity.

I won't grace this blog with Guillen's likeness, nor a photo of Fidel, but ardently wish that the Marlins hire a guy to follow him around and at the slightest hint, stick a muzzle on him, or sedate him heavily.

A good first week of the season has been overshadowed by these comments, and also I had the over-under on 3 weeks before he'd get into hot water, so well done Ozzie.

Put a sock in it !

Opening Day

Life begins on Opening Day,. all teams have identical records, and hope springs eternal, and all that crap.

Life is not fair, teams are imbalanced, and the Pirates are hereby eliminated from post season because they choose to pocket there share of the pot, while not adding needed support players.

Well there it is, the Yankees will continue to win divisions, the rich will continue to increase their odds bolstered by their bank account, the big spenders win more than they El Cheapos, and teams that cannot decide make up the soft mushy middle ground.

The Rays eventually with success lessen the impact draftees, they will move stars before they command major salaries, and they will begin their slow slide back to reality.

Money makes good team great, great teams winners, and the poor well, they wait for transfer payments, and quite frankly the poor teams are not that poor, they just do not have motivation to spend more than they do.

But here we are 59 minutes from the Jays opener hoping our team has enough good fortune, and dough to compete against the spenders.

I am prediciting 87 wins, and a close shot at a wild card.

No matter how I see things, hope exists on Opening Day, and we should all be excited, I know Luke and Mike cannot stand the suspense, to the point of being annoying. Well that's Luke for you.

Oh, that is Mike there in the front in the striped shirt, Luke is yelling something, and poor Brad is stuck at ther back, saying "I just wanna see".


Me, I am watching on the couch with a cold one, and will be all long weekend.

Enjoy responsibly folks.

A season begins

I am hoping for sunshine to greet the new season, but April is a saucy month, remember Cleveland was snowed out a few years back.

Certainly the schedule makers attempt to find domes, and southern stadiums to begin the early games, but weather is a unpredictable mother, and never predictable.

Jays will be in Ohio for a 3 game weekend against the Indians, hoping the winds off the lake do not bring rain, or worse. A scheduled off day is worked in for Friday, the schedule makers attempt to squeeze in a second Opening Day opportunity.



Rosters are almost set, maybe a handful of positions need settling, and 5th starters get sent to the minors ( if they have options ) to get work in before a 5th starter is needed , sometime in mid April.
I think Jays fans must be very stoked, they have taken to root for the team at Leaf games no less.

Last chance for 40 winks before The Show begins, and folks there is nothing that compares with Opening Day, as Yogi says, even if it's on the road.

Get your caps ready, check the laces on your gloves, warm up the excuses for Thursday, and let's get this party started.


Time to Play Ball !!!

Spring Training Notes

As we wind down in the last 9 or so games, we can start to see teams stretch out their pitchers, and literally stretch for everything.

Pitchers are trying top push that 85 pitch barrier, and players are getting 3 at bats, hoping for as many swings as possible, as they are trying to nail down their timing. For some, they are done, and wish to avoid useless at bats for fear of injury, or losing focus so close to the start.

Teams are almost down to below 30 in camp, some have a few more, some keep their "cut" players in camp, and still play them in games, so they can spot the regulars.

Travis Snider of the Jays got the word he is headed to Las Vegas, Eric Thames can get some sleepo now. Snider had a good camp, beside being struck on a few off speed pitches, he has faired well.
But it was Thames job to lose, and he did not surrender it.

The Jays have 2 other battles, McCoy or Vizquel, and Villaneuva or Luis Perez, but Dustin McGowan may have allowed Kyle Drabek a shot at the 5th spot, so perhaps there's a chance of a 3rd battle. It now depends on McGowan's health, and we were hoping not be reporting a McGowan setback. Hold your breaths, it is the first negative news from a spring that has Jays fans drooling for Opening Day.

Chase Utley won't start the year die to injury, and Miggy Cabrera might be fitted foir a mask, and most camps are essentially down to fine tuning their rotation for next Thursday starts.

The parks are getting ready, the bunting, the banners, the concessions and the beer vendors are gearing up. Not long now, but a few more games, and we raise the roof.
In Japan, the Mariners and Ichiro will face the Athletics and their squad as they kick off in the Far East, with exhibition games and a few tilts against each other.

The counter shows 11 days, 4 hours and descending minutes.

The whole office is jumping, it's a crescendo of emotion. But we just have to relax a bit, and let them play these last few games, and sort out their last cuts, we'll be playing before you know it.
Enjoy the calm before ther storm.

Not these 2 guys of course, they are ready to raise the roof.......

A Wrigley Moment

Lost in the webbing's of my glove I thought that the ball had become. Not possible, but lost in the twines and nettles of the wall was infinitely possible.

When I looked for the ball, it was not in my glove, I searched at my feet, to find only my red laces mocking me, it's not between my feet, nor in my glove, where has it gone. Panic settles in and the noise from the crowd is urging me to produce the ball magically from some secret source.

Then as I am leaning against the vines, and the brush, it slips onto my arm, like an egg from a nest , asking me to care for it. Like a mother to a child, I cradle the ball gently, my eyes, still not believing my fortune.  I grasp the orb, which has magical powers, and throw it straight to the shortstop , who has been pleading with his eyes to receive the ball in time to double up a returning runner.

Where did it come from, the ball. from the sky ?, from my equipment, or from the vines, from the vegetation that lines the wall ? It must be from the wall, or at least I have convinced myself that makes the most sense.

The shortstop gets the ball too late to re tag the runner, and angrily looks out toward centre field, as it to say, if you'd thrown it sooner, maybe we had 2 outs.  He does not know, nor has he comprehended yet, the ball was lost to me, and in the moments that passed, I had thought it carried the fence, the green expanse, and then by the miracle re appeared on my arm, trickling through vine and hedge, as it playing some hide and seek game.

The next hitter pops up to short, and we all start running in to the dug out, the shortstop is slowly waiting for me to reach him. I will have a story to tell him. I did not have any idea where the ball came from. He will laugh and we'll recount the whole thing, re enacting our roles over dinner later, or on the plane.

Such is a Wrigley moment, in one of the most unique baseball meccas that exists.

Old ballparks such as the Chicago institution, or Fenway, hold onto mystery for ball fans, while the newer parks rely on exploding messages, jumbo trons, trim lines, perfect geometric angles that present fielders with mathematical decisions, the correct line to the ball.  Easy choices, no indecision, true bounces, and clean lines.

No obstructions, no left turns in the wall, no hills to climb, and certainly no plant life for the ball to find refuge in.  Fenway and Wrigley continue to engage me more as a fan, for their possibilities are endless, and I have touched the sky.