Tagged: New York Yankees

Another Season underway

IM001169.JPGWelcome to the second week of the 2009 Season – the MLB Thunderdome, where 30 teams enter, and at the end only 1 team leaves.

Congrats to Wakefield for winning his first game in Oakland since 1999. 10 years without a win there, this one has got to feel really good for him (and for the bullpen for the much needed day off.) And flirting with a no-hitter into the eight – which of course reminded me of Schillings bid for a perfect game (ending in a one hitter) against the A’s in 2007.

Oh, and Happy Jackie Robinson day! 

That being said, here in Boston, the Sports talk radio airwaves and office cooler talk has been dominated by the Red Sox poor start to the season: The lack of extra base hits by Ortiz (until today); the poor pitching performances by Lester and Matsuzaka; the lack of production by J.D. Drew, Dustin Pedroia; and where the Red Sox offense has gone, how Papi is probably done as a power threat, and how the Red Sox are in deep trouble because of their offense.

Of course, after an 8 run outburst today, I’m sure those same people will still espouse the lack of offensive production and how the Red Sox are doomed.

And I’m sure teams like the Nationals (0-7), Indians (2-7), Astros (1-6), Brewers (2-6), Giants (2-5) and others have fans who are jumping off the deep end right now about how their team has been playing.

Did I miss something, or have teams only played in up to 9 game sgoing into today? Fans, you know what the first week and a half of Baseball tells you about your team? Absolutely nothing. At this time in previous years, there are examples of plently of good and bad teams having starts that in no way indicated how their season would progress:

2008 – the Tampa Bay Rays sit at the bottom of the AL East with a 6-8 record and finish the year with a trip to the World Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks are tied with the MLB’s best record (10-4) and neither team makes the playoffs.

2007 – Atlanta claims the Best record on this date (8-3) but misses the playoffs and finishes 6 games out of the wild card. The Chicago Cubs start the season 4-7 and at the bottom of the NL Central, yet finishes the season in first. The Phillies at 3-8 have the second worst record in baseball, and they finish the season first in the NL East. And lets not forget Colorado, which starts 5-7, but has a stellar end of the season to force a 1 game playoff with the Padres (7-5) for the NL west title…with Arizona (9-4) and Los Angeles (8-4) watching from their homes.

2006 – San Deigo sits with a 3-7 record and at the bottom of the NL west, and they finish the season at the top, while divison leader Colorado (7-4) finishes where San Diego started. Boston (7-4) and Baltimore (7-5) sit atop the AL East, but finish 3rd and 4th in the Division, while the New York Yankees go from the bottom of the pack to the playoffs.

Hey, the 2004 World Series teams are 4-4 (Boston) and 4-6 (St Louis) at this point.

So my point is this, baseball fans, as of right now no one knows how good or bad your team really is. Maybe this is the Nationals year, maybe the Astros make the playoffs, maybe Seattle ends the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s run of division wins, and maybe the Marlins make another run at the World Series….

So, while the view from the Green Monster may not look so great right now (3-6) for you Red Sox fans, keep in mind that this is still April, and we haven’t seen enough baseball to know how October is going to turn out.

Some Postseason thoughts from the Green Monster…

I won’t be the last, and am probably not the first to post this sentiment but: Congratulations Philadelphia Phillies!

 

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It’s their first World Series appearance in 15 years, and this team will be looking to notch its second championship banner. Unless you happen to be a Dodgers fan who just witnessed (unless you Tivo’d the game and watched the Presidential debate – in which case you need to get your priorities in the right order ASAP) what may be Manny Ramirez’s last game in Dodger blue, you have to be happy for this organization to make their 6th World Series appearance. While the Phillies wait to see who they’ll play, one thing is certain – history is going to be made this World Series.

 

Baseball fans have to be happy for the Phillies. Coming into the league in 1883, they have only won 5 Pennants and 1 World Series before tonight’s NLCS victory. The only teams that have been around as long, or longer, than the Phillies are the Braves (17 Pennants – 3 World Series); Cubs (16 Pennants – 2 World Series); Reds (10 Pennants – 5 World Series); Pirates (9 Pennants – 5 World Series); Cardinals (21 Pennants – 10 World Series); and the Giants (20 Pennants – 5 World Series) which have all enjoyed somewhat more postseason success than the Phillies. If the Phillies win it all, they will not only have their second Championship (their first since 1980) but will be the first organization with a total of 10,000 plus losses to win a Championship. For a fan base that has seen many years of hard times and disappointing ends to a season, a Championship would be very much deserved and appreciated. Losing the Series, that would be another painful end to a season and something Phillies fans would not be unaccustomed to (as a Boston fan, I can sympathize) but would also be historic as well.

 

If the Tampa Bay Rays win their first World Series title ever, the Phillies will have the distinction of being the only team to lose to all 5 of the current AL East teams in the World Series (Boston, New York, Toronto, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay).  

 

If the Boston Red Sox win their 8th World Series, the Phillies will have lost both the first and second years of a Back-to-Back Red Sox championship (1915; 2008), and also to a former manager of their organization.

 

The Phillies, like the rest of us, will just have to wait and see.

 

The view from the Green Monster was altered again this morning when the fabled Citgo sign caught on fire this morning. Unlike the idiotic Boston media, I doubt this is an omen as much as a coincience. If it is an omen, I hope it’s one that lights a fire under the Red Sox to play better for the rest of the postseason. I say the view has been altered again because the view changed earlier this year when the Red Sox traded Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and got back Jason Bay from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

Sorry Dodger’s fans, there is always next year. Unfortunately, I sincerely doubt Manny will be a part of next year. As much as Manny hustled and bustled since being traded, he sulked and dragged and complained, and assaulted (punching Youkilis in the dugout during a game, and pushing Jack McCormick in the clubhouse in Houston), and “hurt” (amazing how that California Sunshine caused his knees and hamstrings to magically heal) while he was in Boston.

 

The only reason Manny didn’t play in Boston like he did in LA was because of those options, and the only way Manny agreed to be dealt was if the Dodgers agreed not to pick up those one-year options. So Manny is a free agent, and you just have to know that Manny is going to be Manny in New York because of the revenues from those new stadiums – either working for Mr. Steinbrenner and Mr. Cashman, or for Mr. Minaya. We all know Steinbrenner saw the damage Manny can inflict on good pitching while he was doing it to the Yankees, and we all know how Minaya pines after Latino players (no matter how old or feeble they may be) and I’m sure old pals Pedro Martinez and Trot Nixon would love to have Manny as a teammate again. 

 

But that’s a topic for after the season is over, We still have some baseball left to play, and we and the Phillies and their fans will be watching to see who they will play.

 

But for now, we have ~ 19 hours until Kazmir and Matsuzaka face off in Game 5 of the ALCS.

 

Hopefully, 24 hours from now, I won’t be posting about how you have to be happy for the Tampa Bay organization to make their 1st World Series appearance. Hopefully, I’ll be posting about being happy about Game 6.