Musings on a new season
Well, after having had 24 hours (or so) to reflect on the debacle yesterday, it’s time to put it past and get ready for game #2, tomorrow.
I’m not yet worried about Jose Contreras, nor am I worried about the rotation. I want to see Contreras over three or four outings, and I won’t begin to judge the effectiveness of the entire rotation until I see the complete package over two or three weeks.
In terms of offense, I’m very excited. The Sox are starting to ratchet up the bats and not only are they hitting home runs, they’re getting singles and doubles and starting to string hits together. I was a bit disappointed that they blew bases loaded and one out at a point in the game where a 4- or 5-spot would have vaulted them back into the game, but if they can avoid making that the norm for the season, I’ll let it pass.
My early thanks to the Angels for passing Erstad along to us, as well… 🙂
In other news:
Apparently DWI does not apply to zamboni drivers.
One of the most hushed-up stories of the new season: Apparently Ray Durham is batting cleanup behind Barry Bonds. I remember when Durham was leading off for the White Sox, and he couldn’t find the outfield wall with a compass. My, how times change.
If only Mike Tyson had this opportunity.
Speaking of Bonds and prison, the Bonds watch begins tonight. I’m not particularly interested, one way or the other; if he breaks Aaron’s record, great. Congratulations to him. If he doesn’t, life will go on. I’ve not ever been a big fan of the HR records. I’d rather see someone chase DiMaggio, Williams, or another one of the fundamental hitting records. Even Hack Wilson’s 191 RBIs holds more allure for me. Still, I do have this opinion: whether morally/ethically correct or not, MLB did not begin testing for steroids and performance-enhancing drugs until a couple of years ago. Because of this, it was never against the rules of the game. If Bonds did use any performance-enhancing drugs, the burden is solely on his own conscience. He deserves the record and the recognition as much as anyone else because despite everyone else’s moral obligations, he played the game by the rules laid out under the jurisdiction of Major League Baseball.
Now, if he broke the law and goes to jail under the U.S. legal system, that’s his fault and I don’t feel the least bit sorry for him. You make your bed, eventually you’ll have to sleep in it.
Oh, and some have been asking for playoff predictions. So here they are:
ALDS:
White Sox over Angels
Tigers over Red Sox
ALCS:
White Sox over Tigers
NLDS:
Phillies over Cardinals
Dodgers over Braves
NLCS:
Dodgers over Phillies
World Series:
White Sox over Dodgers
Come on, you don’t think I’m actually going to bet against my hometown boys, do you?
I do actually think they’ll go to the playoffs. If anything, they’ll lose to the Tigers in the ALCS, but the Tigers will still beat the Dodgers in the World Series. So there. If I have to do it impartially, I’ll say that the Tigers will win.