Opening Day
Well, today (I guess really last night) marks the start of the long, 162-game march to October. Anyone else excited that baseball is finally starting again? After their Game 6 collapse last year, I have high hopes again for my Giants, especially now that they have team speed and no Livan Hernandez. Any thoughts on the upcoming season?
Comments
Pedro Martinez is pitching and we can only hope for a better start for him then opening day last year.
Anyway, I still like my Mariners. A little short on power but if Cirillo can return to form the offense will be OK. Would be great if Cameron can get to around a .380 or .390 OBP.
Defensively we are as good as anyone.
I like Moyer, Piniero and Franklin. Garcia has mad skills but he worries me, he should be much more consistent than he is. Four great bullpen arms though we could use another lefty. Fifth starter remains unproven but that's usually the case for pretty much anyone these days.
]AL West will be real tough. Rangers might be a little bit better and Oakland will still be excellent. I wouldn't be surprised if Anahymen fell off but they could also win 90 games or so again. I wouldn't be surprised if the division broke their own record for best combined winning % again.
Originally posted by ColanderOfDeath
A baseball fan in London?
I'm on a university exchange program for the year until June. It was a pain staying up still 5 am for a week to watch the World Series.
Originally posted by Fran441
The Red Sox play in Tampa Bay at 5:15 PM EST today.
Woo hoo! Whatever else is wrong with the world, at least baseball is back. A contented calm is settling over me already.
Originally posted by ColanderOfDeath
So if you mention baseball to Europeans do you hear them responding by dissing the World Series because it is not literally a World Series but rather a (bi-)national league championship? For some reason this seems to stick with Europeans or at least the ones with whom I have had fleeting conversations about baseball.
I've actually had this conversation a few times. Basically, I say that all the best players play in the U.S. anyway, so that the best MLB team would probably beat a team of some other league anyway. Plus, the usual mumbo-jumbo about how there are lots of players from all over the world (Japan, Latin America, the token Australian on the Giants, etc). And when they're not satisfied, I just tell them that cricket sucks, and it's all really just a moot point then.
Originally posted by DanMacMan
Ah yes, there is no better time of the year than Spring and the start of baseball. As a longtime Cubs fan, I have high hopes for this season, lets just hope they can live up to their talent this year.
well the Cubs pounded the Mets today so they arent mathematically eliminated from the playoff until.....tomorrow at the earliest
I luv Da Cubs
btw Im at 41'42'/86'15 so you must be close-by
my mum called me and she buying her playoff tickets!
it's sweet, especially as it was against the mets.
<gloat>
But I did
</gloat>
Who cares that the Expos CREAMED the Braves?
Who cares if it was supernaturally chilly in our seats BEHIND HOME PLATE!
It was *BASEBALL* baby!
Ahhh, the soothing sounds of a game on the radio.....
Want to know the best part of opening day ceremonies??
The marching bands on the field?
The flags and pennants and banners?
The great seats?
Nope.
Right after Jo Dee Messina finished the Star Spangled Banner four F-18A Hornets blasted over the stadium....and I don't mean a typical fly-by. These jokers were pushing the limits, bet they got in trouble, because they were less than 100 feet over the top of the stadium. You felt the wash as they went over!! I think I could read one of the guy's names on his plane!
Geez-oh-pete it was cool!!
Man.
Baseball.
If only everybody would play baseball maybe there wouldn't be any wars. They'd be too busy drinking beer and eating Crackerjacks.
<slapping forehead> Oh yeah! Eating Crackerjacks was great too!
In other news, Giants win, baby!
Originally posted by ColanderOfDeath:
Anyway, I still like my Mariners.
Yes! Go M's! (and Expos too)
Originally posted by tonton
Well, since the time traveller has informed us that the Cubs don't win for at least 200 more years, I will once again ignore baseball this year.
The Cubs will make the WS, and Dusty Baker will give Kerry Wood the game ball in the middle of the 6th inning of Game 6...on the way to losing the series in seven...
You CANNOT have Perdro Martinez pitch his ass off for 7 innings, put Mendoza in for the 8th and then PULL Mendoza after he has been cleaning house for an inning. I am officially starting the "Fire Grady Little" Fan Club. Way to overmanage a game Grady.
Originally posted by Fran441
Don't even get me started man.
Lowest payroll in the league... 4-1 --> 4-6...
Once the game was out of line I really hoped Sosa would hit #500, but of course that didn't happen.