The Boys are back
April 15th, 2005 at 01:25 am in Sports[deleted due to being against Google TOS]
In fact, there are so many things that I would love to buy for Shyzer (like, say, renew my Tag-Board license that is about to expire, get an advanced stat tracker, upgrade my hosting plan so that I can host more videos and pictures, and buy some discounted advertising space on a few big sites through my connections) but don’t have the extra money to spend. Which is why advertising is a helpful tool. I’d never want to rely on donations to Shyzer or force people to pay for the drivel I put on here, because I’m not even sure I would pay myself to write for a living.
And now, in keeping with my recent theme of jumping from one topic to the next, how about some baseball related news. It looks like I’ll get a chance to play 2nd and 1st grade this weekend since hardly anybody is here over the break. Any good luck sent my way will definitely be appreciated, because I sucked it up at the plate last weekend. I liked to blame it on the fact that we use wooden bats, but I can’t really pull that argument off since I didn’t keep my head down or take any pitches. They say that hitting is a skill that must be practiced year round. The general rule of thumb is if you take over a month off from baseball or hitting, you loose 6 months worth of progress and unfortunately for me, it’s been over a year since I’ve faced live pitching. The batting cages are about to become the next character added to the Aussie Cast section.
And speaking of baseball, it’s been ten days and I’ve somehow not talked about the Mariners. I had somebody actually ask me in a recent e-mail if I followed the Mariners anymore and I was stunned. As I wrote them back, I let them know that while I sat there typing to them, I was wearing a Mariners hat and T-shirt while tossing a baseball to myself in-between paragraphs. Just because they had an off year (if you can even call 99 losses an off year) does not warrant dropping ten years of blind allegiance. How can one not be excited about a team that signed Beltre and Sexson this past off season? Sure, Sexson brings with him health risks, but we got the best 3B in Beltre when you consider the fact that he’s only 25 and has been playing in the majors since he was 19. Oh yeah, and he led the league in homeruns last year. You know, just a fun little stat that some people follow. Sure, the Mariners will be lucky if they can win more games than they lose this year, but Seattle was clearly in rebuilding mode after last season. And I’m not talking about one of those Cleveland Indians 5 year rebuild modes either, I’m talking about the 1-year speed rebuild. The hitting is finally there. Grab a pitcher this off season, move Moyer and Boone off the books, bring up King Felix (#1 minor league pitching prospect whose currently in AAA…AND NINETEEN), and make a race for the playoffs.
But does that mean I’m not interested in this season since they have no shot at the playoffs? God no. I sat on MLB.com yesterday for a good five minutes watching the same video clip over and over. Listening to the crack of the bat as Sexson hit a double into the gap against Texas sent chills down my back. Watching the ball fly off this bat and drop between two helpless fielders was like was staring at my version of Van Gogh. Baseball is finally back and I can’t wait to be in Seattle with Chong this July to see a game. It’s been too long since I’ve been to Safeco.
Jaime
Good luck with the baseball!
I used to enjoy the batting cages, maybe I should go again for kicks. I couldn’t be more happy that baseball is here! I really want to get to a game when I’m out in California next week. There’s nothing like warm weather, baseball and beer.
Angela http://bostonbrat.net
Goob, you rule!
Goob http://www.shyzer.com
Where in California are you going? If you are anywhere near a ballgame, you should definitely go. I’d love to go to San Diego and check out the Padres new stadium. But regardless of where you go, like you said, nothing is better than baseball and a beer.
Jaime
Well I’ll be more near LA, although San Diego isn’t a far drive. The Angles are home all week though, so that’s an option too. I get to the Red Sox a few times a year…but I never go til it’s warm out. I just don’t enjoy sitting outside for hours freezing my butt off!!
Goob http://www.shyzer.com
The Angels or Padres are both great options. The Dodgers are a great team, but they honestly aren’t that fun to watch since they’re not “flashy.” If you like old-school baseball though, you should definitely check them out. Regardless, let us know what games you saw!
andyf
The key to the Mariners this year is their pitching, which quite honestly blew last year. Everyone seems to be throwing the ball better so far. Also, Hargrove is a great manager. He and my father went to college together!!!
Anyway, if Madritsch comes off the DL soon and Pineiro stays healthy then they could be a major force in the AL West. They have better pitching than Anaheim and Texas and much better hitting then Oakland.
Goob http://www.shyzer.com
Their pitching is much weaker than you give it credit for, mainly because it hinges on so many “ifs” Meche, Pineiro, “Every other day” Eddie, and Mads all are health risks. IF they can stay healthy and IF Moyer and Sele can somehow halt giving up the flyballs, then their rotation is decent. Franklin, Sele, and most of the bullpen rely on the flyball outs and strong defense. Last year that’s what mainly killed us, in part because we lost Cameron, Winn had to shift positions, Ibanez has an iron foot, and the infield was a disgrace. This year shows more promise IF Pookey can get healthy and back to SS and IF Boone can revert back to his gold glove self and IF Reed can learn to play CF quickly enough.
As you can see, the IFs are what kills this team. I’m happy to see the decent start they’re off to, but I keep reminding myself that this is such a small sample size, there’s no point in getting giddy. We’ve got a long way to go.
And the boys over at USSMariner did a great write up on each position prior to the start of the season. http://ussmariner.com/index.php?cat=6 I suggest any Mariners fan (or baseball fan for that matter) to read them, because they pretty much hit every nail on the head.