Curveballs and Sliders 04.05.07: Running Diary
Posted by Jared Marcus on 04.05.2007
This week in Curveballs and Sliders we make predictions for the 2007 MLB All-Star Game rosters and present a running diary of the Mets/Cardinals game on Opening Night. Plus thoughts on the Florida Gators and Wrestlemania.
LEADING OFF
Hello all and welcome to the very first edition of Curveballs and Sliders of the 2007 Major League Baseball season. It has been a big week and there is a lot to get to, but before we jump in I just want to throw a couple links out there.
First, in case you missed it last week, here is my full 2007 MLB Preview.
Second, in case you missed this as well, check out Tim O'Sullivan's Masters Roundtable for my Masters picks.
Speaking of the Masters, before we move on to the baseball I just have to address a few things from the greatest week of the Sports year. I have discussed it before in this column, but this week (more than a week really, ranging from last Sat. to this Sun.) is truly a sports fans dream. Last Sat. you had the NCAA Tournament Final Four games, then on Sunday it was Wrestlemania and MLB Opening Night. Then in Mon. it was MLB Opening Day and the College Hoops National Championship game. Now this weekend comes The Masters and of course the entire week is highlighted by the start of fantasy baseball. It really doesn't get any better than this.
So with that in mind, I would just like to throw a few thoughts out there on the week that was so far.
Congratulations to the Florida Gators on another phenomenal run. Ohio St. had a tremendous season and kudos to Greg Oden for his performance on Monday night, but the best team definitely won. Florida starts four legitimate NBA players, all of whom could have left for those greener pastures last year. Instead they all stuck around and the decision paid off as they became the first team since Duke in 91-92 to repeat as the champions of college basketball. I give Billy Donovan credit for the job he has done but I really have to tip my hat to the Florida kids for coming back in a day and age when so few do. Now I wish them all luck in the NBA, but I would be lying if I said I wouldn't love to see them try for a three-peat.
And speaking of coming back or leaving, what is Greg Oden going to do? Everyone seems to think it is a foregone conclusion that he will leave, but is it really? I mean sure the odds are heavily in favor of him leaving, but I wouldn't say it's a lock. For starters he could really use one more year of seasoning in college, and secondly, if he and Mike Conley Jr. both return, the Buckeyes would have to be the odds on favorites to win it all in 2008. Sure there is the money and risk of the injury and the fact that he is already a lock to go at least #2, so there really isn't much more for him to accomplish, but by all accounts he may be the type of person who isn't interested in all of those things. Everyone who knows or has met him, portrays him as a genuine nice kid, who is funny and humble and who doesn't display any of the usual attributes that go along with a star athlete. Perhaps school and college life mean more to him than any of us imagine. I for one would love to see him stick around and see what kind of a season he could produce at the college level if he was 100% healthy. But again, that is probably highly unlikely, although I would imagine we might find out pretty soon.
The other issue I would like to address is the awful product known as the WWE. Yup, you got me Vince, I fell for it again. Fifty bucks for that crap was just criminal. You want to come over to my house and kick my dog while you're at it? Actually he probably would because he is a sick, sick man. In all seriousness though, it wasn't that bad of a show, but it definitely wasn't as good as last year's. Maybe it's because last year I had zero expectations going in so when the show was pretty good it seemed like it was great. Whereas this year I had pretty high hopes and was ultimately disappointed with what I saw. The Money in the Bank Ladder Match was ok, but I don't think it was as good as either of the first two, despite all the good wrestlers involved. I was really shocked at how little coverage Randy Orton and Edge got in this match, it didn't make much sense to me at all. Batista versus Undertaker was much better than I expected and the final 7-8 minutes of the match were really exciting. The same can be said of HBK versus Cena, although the first 10 minutes or so were unbearable. And like most people, I am very sick of seeing Cena win and having him shoved down our throats. Umaga versus Lashley was fun with Shane O'Mac getting involved and the shaving of Vince's head, but it was far from classic. All the other matches on the card were just fillers and very weak, making it a weak show overall. In the end I would call it a C.
So that just about does it for the events of the past few days doesn't it? What's that you say? I missed something? The most important event of them all? Ohhh yeah, how could I forget?.......Ohh yeah I couldn't, instead I have something extra special up my sleeve…..
THE TWO HOLE
Of course this past week included the beginning of the Major League Baseball season and with this being a baseball column, that is of the utmost significance. Making the first game even more significant in terms of this column was the fact that the New York Mets, my favorite team, were playing in it. So in honor of that event, I wrote a running diary during the game, so here now is the unedited transcript that was written in real time on Sunday Night.
METS-CARDS RUNNING DIARY
Now I generally try to be as original as possible in this column and there is no debating the fact that many internet writers intend to be copycats in hoping to be the next Bill Simmons. With that being said, there is no denying the man's genius and I have in the past referenced his brilliant work at times. What I have not done (until now) is blatantly steal from him. Today however, that is all going to change. As much as I know that he hates copycats, I am going to have to be one as I present my own running diary of opening night, Mets vs. Cardinals. The reasons for this theft job are twofold, one is that I think it could be great fun and two, it is just too genius of an idea to not rip-off. So with that I present my first ever crack at a running diary, opening night, my favorite team the New York Mets versus the World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals.
8:00 – Joe Morgan and Jon Miller in rare form as they actually remember their own names, each other names and the teams the are here to see tonight.
8:05 – A wise man (Harry Doyle in Major League) once said, "You can tell a lot about how the season is going to go by the first batter", I believe firmly in that logic and I am seriously sensing a leadoff homer from Jose Reyes here.
8:06 – Scratch that, the leadoff batter means nothing, its all about batter number two.
8:08 – OOHH, LoDuca just missed a bloop single, instead he grounded out, but that was improvement, I like what I am seeing so far. Anyway, I have always been a firm believer that you can tell a lot about how the season is going to go by the third batter of the year.
8:09 – Almost an error by MISTERRRRRR KENNNEDDDDY, CAN-NAH-DEE, but he ended up making the play. Adam Kennedy is an awful offensive player but I sense something big from him tonight, his namesake already won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and now this. (Note: Can Jon Miller take it easy with the Carlos Bel-TRON calls, it's one thing to make sure you get a guys name right, its quite another to invoke Richie Valens while doing play-by-play)
8:11 – OK, the top of the first wasn't our inning, but I feel pretty good about Glavine's start tonight, in fact it feels special, like something special might be in the air, I feel it….mark my words….special.
8:12 – Base hit David Eckstein. Is anyone worse than me? (Note: I swear I am doing this live, you couldn't make this up, well anyone that knows me could probably make it up word for word, but still, it is live)
8:14 – NICE SNAG BY WRIGHT!!! DP BABY!!! MVP BABY WITH A CAPITAL M!!!
8:16 – DEAR GOD, Jon Miller has just announced that Glavine has never surrendered a home run to Albert Pujols, you absolutely know it's coming now, in fact this whole situation seems eerily familiar. It might not be this at bat, but at some point tonight it will happen.
8:17 – Surprise Surprise, Miller was wrong, he just announced that Glavine let up a homer in the playoffs last year to Pujols. Now I remember why it seemed so familiar. It was in Game 2 of the NLCS and throughout Pujols entire first at bat Joe Buck talked about how Pujols had never homered off Glavine. Then sure enough, next time up, he clobbered one over the fence. I should have remembered that immediately and probably would have had I not started drinking at noon. Anywho, Pujols flied out, inning over.
8:19 – Just saw the DirecTV commercial with Charlie Sheen as "Ricky Vaughn", one of my personal favorites, blows the "Entourage" commercial out of the water. The most baffling thing about it is that Charlie Sheen actually looks younger than he did in "Major League", and that got me thinking about the rest of the cast, Wesley Snipes…looks exactly the same, Dennis Haysbert…..exactly the same, even Tom Berenger….exactly the same, Corbin Bernsen can't be happy with these developments. (Note: Speaking of time not being kind, did anyone catch Aretha Franklin at Wrestlemania? She seems to have eaten Gladys Knight…………. and the Pips)
8:23 – David Wright just grounded out to David Eckstein and this reminded me, is there anything more annoying in all of sports than the way Eckstein plays the game. ALRIGHT, first hit of the season, Moises Alou, going to be a big season for him……GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY HE BROKE HIS LEG ROUNDING FIRST, ohh wait that was years ago, he is on safely, now back to my story. Is there anything more annoying than the way Eckstein plays the game. Some people call it hustle, some people even admire him, I call it obnoxious. The way he throws to first, the way he runs to first. I admire hustle as much as anyone, like Derek Jeter who runs out every grounder, but then there is Eckstein who literally sprints to first base every time he makes contact. I mean there is putting in effort and there is beating a dead horse. Eckstein reminds me of Rudy Ruettiger, and not the character Sean Astin played in the greatest movie ever made, the actual guy. The real Rudy that was despised by all of his teammates because all of his "hustle" was by design to feed his massive ego, to get himself attention and to show up his teammates. No thanks David Eckstein, I don't need your ego or your attitude.
8:30 – Shawn Green singled which could be a good sign since the last time he had a hit
"The Departed" was in theaters. HA, the last time anyone had a hit "The Departed" was in theaters, it was just last October, RO HO HO, I am too silly…..Shawn Green stinks. But it could be a good sign since he was hitting -.231 this spring, but now Albert Pujols made a great play to end the inning.
8:37 – WOW, Yadier Molina hitting 5th? They are really putting a lot of stock in his game seven HR last year. Although more likely its just God spitting in my face for drafting Jim Edmonds, who has just come up to bat to a massive pop after Molina flied out. Edmonds just got a bigger crowd reaction than anyone at Ford Field, man that crowd was dead, but then he struck out, proving that being on my fantasy team is bad for your career and that Vince McMahon is not the only one who doesn't put the crowd favorites over.
8:41 – ALRIGHT, little bloop single for Tahmmy Glavine. Now……..HO-SAY….HO-SAY, HO-SAY, HO-SAY……..wow, already down on strikes.
8:44 – It's only the third inning but I am already thinking this was an awful idea, there is just no way to calculate how big of a jinx I am. Ever seen the movie "The Cooler" starring William H. Macy, or how about "Double Down" starring Jason Priestley (a fantastic movie by the way, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking it up), well there are characters in both that are loosely based on my life, and by loosely I mean exact replicas.
8:47 – CAR-LOS BEL-TRAN, CLAP, CLAP…CLAP CLAP CLAP. OHH THAT BALL MAYBE…….foul. Thought I finally avoided the jinx but should have known better. LOLOLOL, instead he gets hit by the pitch. This is honestly hysterical, even to me. (Note: I am fake laughing…only the tears are real)
8:50 – HOLD THAT, DELGADO TO THE WALL, THAT BALL IS…..Off the wall, extra bases, 2-run double, the Mets offense is in gear baby, LET'S GO METS, LET'S GO METS. David Wright up, this inning could be huge!!!!
8:51 – Inning Over
8:52 – That's ok, 2-0 lead, Glavine on the mound, the defense looks good, the hitters have no fear of Carpenter, the beginning of a good season. OK, I will officially stop the jinxing now, plus I think the joke is getting old……if only it was a joke. Why I oughta.
8:54 – MISSSTERRRR KEEENNNN….well you get the point. Triple off the wall by Kennedy, I told you so. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy…..CAN-NAH-DEE, have to be proud tonight, their boys are coming up aces. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy on the other hand…..you should be ashamed.
8:57 – SQUEEZE PLAY, SQUEEZE PLAY, SQUEEZE PLAY, GOOD GOD ALMIGHT, SQUEEZE PLAY!!!!
8:58 – And it failed miserably. Wrestlemania and opening day on at the same time is really screwing up my brain, to all you Sioux City Sweathogs….…DAMNIT!!
I am sorry, I promise it ends here.
9:02 – A commercial for Stone Cold Steve Austin's "The Condemned". Has anyone else noticed that this movie is an exact replica of "The Running Man". It's one thing to re-make a movie, than another to make basically the same movie and just slightly alter the plot like Sandra Bullock has done with her lasts seven films, but its yet another to completely steal from another movie without at all acknowledging it. I actually think the two movies have the same exact script, only "The Condemned" is set on an island. My buddy Max just chimed in with this gem, can't you just see the pitch to Vinny Mac….Movie Exec: "Vince, it's ‘The Running Man' meets ‘Survivor'…..Vince: "SOOOOOLLLLLLDDDDDDDDD!!!!".
9:06 – I just can't get away from the Wrestling, sorry guys, its just that time of year. While I was off on that last rant the Mets got a couple of guys on, now Glavine is up and it's looking like a safety squeeze….and as usual, Glavine does his job.
9:09 – Reyes walks to load the bases, man that guy has improved his overall game as much as I have ever seen any player do in such a short amount of time. He is completely different player now than he was even two and half years ago. Paul LoDuca is up, the Mets with a chance to blow this game wide open……….LET'S GO METS!!!
9:13 – Good at bat by LoDuca as he fouls off the 2-2 pitch, they show a shot of the Cardinals crowd which is always amazing. As great of fans as I know they have in NY and Boston, I have to question why Cards fans are not automatically lumped in with the "greatest fan" discussion. How they manage to get every single person in the stadium to wear red for every single game, I'll never know. If the St. Louis fans were running Russia, they would still have communism. And a bigger compliment I could not pay them.
9:15 – BASE HIT!!!! TWO RUN SINGLE LODUCA!!!! 4-0 METS!!! TAKE THAT CARDS!!! YOU CAN HAVE THE NLCS, I WILL TAKE OPENING DAY!!!!!! (Important to note here that this is clearly a lie, I would trade this game, tomorrow's game and my first born to have that NLCS back).
9:16 – You have to love how I have basically already written this game off as a Mets win, in 20+ years as a Mets fan, I have learned nothing.
9:17 – THEN AGAIN!!!! Base hit BEL-TRON!!!! THAT'S RIGHT JONNY MILLER, I AM NOW ON BOARD!!!!! CAR-LOHS DEL-GADO IS UP and MOI-SAAYS AL-OO is on deck.
9:18 – Delgado grounded out, but 5-0 METS!!!!!
9:20 – OHHH BOY, the obligatory manager interview, and Joe Morgan is asking the questions, this has disaster written all over….and sure enough, only two seconds later Joe Morgan asks Willie Randolph "Tom Glavine is your ace, no?"…..in a rotation that includes El Duque, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey, Joe Morgan just used one of his two questions to ask Willie Randolph if future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine is his ace. You can't buy this kind of penetrating journalism. Hey Joe, has the NY Times called yet??
9:21 – I have to address that last comment because although it was funny, I have to say I keed, I keed. The truth is I used to despise Joe Morgan, but I have really grown to appreciate the guy because his love for the game is unquestioned and he has come along way over the years in terms of his ability to call a game. (Note: I wrote this before Joe Morgan used his second question to ask Willie about Pedro Martinez who is out until at least July)
9:24 – Give credit to Bill Simmons, while this is a great deal of fun, it does take a lot of enjoyment away from actually watching the game. Luckily for me this game doesn't take much intensity since the Mets are winning in a blowout…….WHY DO I DO IT, WHY???
9:26 – Now Miller and Morgan are moving on to the Tony LaRussa interview, which should probably be simulcast on Comedy Central. LaRussa, ever the wordsworth, reveals that the Mets are "doing well". Then somehow, Miller and Morgan manage to get LaRussa to uncover the fact that the members of his rotation all have "good arms". Thank God for Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, the Woodward and Bernstein of Major League Baseball.
9:35 – MOISES ALOU IS DOWN!!!!!!!!!..........HE IS OK…..FWEEEEEEEEE, but he did strike out. Better that than having him go down, he only has 152 at bats left this season, we need to make them count.
9:37 – Does anyone in the world think that Jose Valentin can repeat last seasons success? NO? Well you can all go straight to Hell, Hell, Hell, because I do. Oops, Valentin down on strikes, I think that makes me 0-41 for the night. Now let me get a piece of cake….the one with the sweet frost.
9:42- Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are pleased to be with us……I wish I could say the feeling was mutual. Jimmy Edmonds is up, I think a 5-0 lead for the Mets is enough of cushion for me to pull for a homer for my fantasy team………a single instead….I WILL TAKE IT.
(Note: Is anything more difficult in all of sports than the fantasy team versus hometown team conundrum? I am not saying it's ever ok to cheer for your fantasy team over your hometown team or that you would, but you are lying if you say you have never been tempted)
9:44 – Edmonds is up now, did I just dream that single……WEIRD…..it's an appropriate time to once again mention that I have been drinking since Noon.
9:46 – I guess it was Molina that singled and I just saw Edmonds standing on deck, I am thrown off by this damn diary, my head is buried in the computer and I am relying on my ears more than my eyes……so far it's a failure. OHHH Nice Scoop by Tahmmy Glavine, inning over. Jon Miller throws it to commercial with the words "Glavine is dazzling them"…..The Mets are DOOMED!!!
9:48 – THIS ISSSS OUR COUNTRY!!!!! Had to do it, not stealing Bill, just a shout out to the best in the business, although I have to admit, I love that commercial……and the song. MELLENCAMP RULES!!!..........once again….drinking since noon.
9:52 – Glavine leading off the top of the 6th, Jon Miller with a long story about Tom Glavine growing up in Massachusetts playing hockey, he even compared him to Wayne Gretzky. Jon Miller either clearly has it in for the Mets or is a closet Mets fan, either way, this won't end well. (Note: It's hard to believe the last 30 seconds actually happened).
9:53 – YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS. So Taguchi just made a terrible misplay in left field, that is payback for his home run in Game 2 of the NLCS off Wagner last year. Joe Morgan says "he must have lost it in the lights, either that or Satan came to collect on the pact he signed last October". (Note: Joe only really said the first part, the second part was all me, but I think my assessment is more likely)
9:55 – Jon Miller is selling for Tom Glavine like Shane McMahon did for Stone Cold, meanwhile Joe Morgan is no-selling the Mets all over the place like Donald Trump did with the Boogeyman. Who will win out? It doesn't really matter, the viewers are all losers here.
9:58 – OOOOOOOOOOOOO, DIVING STAB BY ALOU……season threatening injury scare #3, luckily he is ok again, but how many more bullets can we dodge? It's never a good sign when you are already looking out for season ending injuries on opening day. So this is what it feels like to have Moises Alou on your team hunh? Ken Griffey Jr., J.D. Drew and Nomar Garciaparra fans, I now officially feel your pain. (Note: I actually fall into the Griffey camp despite the fact that he has never been on the Mets because A) I have always been a big fan and B) For some reason, after all these years, I insist on drafting him on my fantasy team every single season…..Yes, I am that guy)
10:01 – Red Birds on the board, the still ever annoying David Eckstein with an RBI double. Now we can watch that idiot dance around second base ……wait……base hit Preston Wilson, Eckstein rounds third AND…………OUT AT THE PLATE!!!!!!!!!
BEL-TRON threw him out at the plate with a phenomenal throw. TAKE THAT ECKSTEIN, maybe if you were less of a showboat you would be safe at third.
10:03 – The celebration ends as reality sets in and Albert Pujols steps up, is this the home run at bat? And when he hits it, will Jon Miller completely forget that he discovered Pujols actually did homer off Glavine previously and call it as if it is a first? Unfortunately we will never know because Pujols walked.
10:06 – Glavine hits Scott Rolen, bases are now loaded with two outs, this could be the inning where it all comes undone, but I am going to spit in the face of the jinx, Glavine is going to get it done, RIGHT NOW!!!!
10:07 – PLEASE PLEASE DON'T LET ME HAVE JINXED IT, PLEASE!!!
10:08 – STILL TERRIFIED, but also surprisingly confident, if confidence is measured by nausea and chest pains……….YESSS, pop out to Reyes, Glavine gets out of it. I told you he'd do it, I told you in Spring Training he'd do it.
10:11 – Alright, I was on board for a few innings, but I am now officially angry about Jon Miller's pronunciation of Beltran, does he have to say it 14 times per at bat? I really think he is just doing it to show off. I am beginning to think he went to the David Eckstein school of broadcasting.
10:13 – David Wright hit one that looked like it had some legs, but just a harmless fly out, inning over, Jon Miller throws it to commercial and says "Will Tom Glavine come back out, I am not sure but ……". Then a commercial suddenly came on cutting him off, what was that but going to be? Sadly we will never know, but I am sure it was something overly complimentary along the lines of "if he does, I am sure he will pick up where Sandy Koufax left off", meaning that I am now praying that Glavine's day is done.
10:16 – Luckily for all of us Mets fans and for Jon Miller, Glavine is done. In comes Pedro Feliciano and up at bat is….Jim Edmonds?? How can that be?? I swear I have seen him bat 7 times already. This is just getting silly. 5-1 Mets, Glavine out of the game, no one on base, I feel better than ever about cheering for an Edmonds homer.
10:17 – BASE HIT…..WAIT……YES, definitely base hit, this one was not just imagined. Alright, first hit of the season for the Diamond Kings, you're dead Brewtown Bashers!!! DEAD!!! (Note: I know none of you care about that last piece of info, but you should know that the owner of Brewtown Bashers is my friend Chris, and get this, he is from Milwaukee…..what's that you say? now you are on board against him?….yeah I figured).
10:20 – MISSTERRRR KENNEEDDY…..CAN-NAH-DEE is up and Joe Morgan is talking about how we have yet to see a homer tonight. Ohhh man, his jinx and mine are going to team up for an unlikely home run from Mr. Money in the Bank here. WHOAA, hold the phone, Jon Miller just negated mine and Joe's double jinx by recounting a game where Kennedy hit three home runs. Thanks Jon!!!
10:21 – Sure enough Kennedy hits into a double play, thanks again Jon, you are my hero tonight. As for Mr. Kennedy, his night is dropping off fast, luckily he can still challenge John Cena or Undertaker at Backlash. Mr. MONEEEEEEEY IN THE BANK……BANK.
10:26 – Backhanded catch by David Eckstein……needless to say he could have caught that over his head. Tune in next inning when he catches a ball in his hat.
10:31 – Man I am tired…….Wrestlemania stinks……the Mets are blowing the Cards out……and I completely stopped drinking…..BIG MISTAKE…… I may go down any minute.
10:34 – Peter Gammons interviews Tom Glavine. Finally some insightful commentary and interesting analysis. Gammons still is the best in the business, great to have him back.
Gammons throws it back to Miller and Morgan and Jon Miller takes some credit for the Glavine interview. These guys have really lost their minds, Gammons got more done in 2 minutes than Miller and Morgan did in 2 hours, but yeah Jon, you are the star.
10: 37 – Rookie Joe Smith gets his first Major League action, I am interested to see what he can do. But I feel good things a comin'.
10:39 – Base hit David Eckstein. Has there ever been a peskier hitter than Eckstein. Sure he is conceited and sure he put the ME in TEAM, but he really is a good hitter.
10:41 – Smith is a potentially nasty side-arm pitcher, but right now he seems a little bit overanxious, perhaps its just the adrenaline of his first game, but I am getting a little nervous…..and rightfully so as he walks Pujols, loading the bases for the Cards. Perhaps this isn't the time to test Smith's courage.
10:43 – FWEEEEEE again, Willie defies his usual logic and decides to pull Smith before things get worse. I love Willie, but he places too high of a value on "sticking to his guns". If there is one thing I would like to see him improve at it is definitely being quicker to make a change. If this is an indication of the philosophy Willie will employ this season it is a very good sign. Also of note, as Joe Smith walks off the mound Jon Miller notes that he let three of the four men he faced on base, including walking the leadoff man. That would be dead on if in fact Smith had started the inning, but it was Feliciano who walked the leadoff man, Smith only faced three batters…..keep ‘em comin' Jon.
10:44 – Aaron Heilman is in, Scott Rolen is up, 5-1 Mets and Jon Miller just acknowledged that he made his 82nd mistake tonight and that Pedro Feliciano had in fact walked the leadoff man this inning, not Joe Smith. .
10:45 – YEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE DIVING STAB BY HO-SAY VALEN-TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN, DOUBLE PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW, WOW, WOW!!!! HUGE!!!! Mets get out of the inning. That had base hit written all over it for Rolen and Valentin just robbed him. GREAT PLAY!!! The Mets now have this one in the bag, you don't lose games when plays like that happen. (Brain flashes back to NLCS Game 7 and Endy Chavez's catch and myself proclaiming to everyone in earshot that "You don't lose games when plays like that happen")
10:46 – Side note here, during the commercial break I went back on my DVR to see Valentin's play again and upon him snagging the ball Joe Morgan actually yelled out the words "OH NO". I swear on my life this happened, proving that everything I have said about him tonight is 100% accurate. Part of me wants to be angry but it I am think I am leaning more towards laughter because it was just so unbelievable.
10: 48 – David Newhan, who is only on the roster until Mike Pelfrey gets recalled, starts off the season with a hit. I am happy for him, but I am delirious and am at the point where I just want the hitters to get out so that Wagner can close the game out. Instead Jose Reyes singles. Time for reverse psychology.
10: 49 – Come one Jose, steal second.
10:50 – HMMM, Reyes was picked off, it actually worked. Let me a try again.
10:52 – Please don't let me find a million dollars in a briefcase outside of my house……. I'll be right back.
10:55 – No briefcase, but Carlos Beltran just grounded out. Now I feel bad. This isn't working for me.
10:56 – Peter Gammons and Joe Morgan both just called the Mets the team to beat in the NL. I am not sure if I am happy or offended.
10:57 – End of inning, bottom of the 9th we go, Wagner to close it out. Wags, I am in no mood for you making this thing interesting, my heart won't be able to take it, I think my pulse is resting not so comfortably at 43 beats per minute as we speak.
11:00 – OHHH SURE, leadoff single………here we go. On a positive note, Peter Gammons has joined Jon Miller and Joe Morgan for play-by-play duties the rest of the way, that should at least make it a little more bearable while I watch Wagner blow this.
11:01 – THROW STRIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, Wagner is great and better than most closers, but he can still be as frustrating as anyone. OK, pop out, 2 to go.
11:03 – SO F'N TAGUCHI with a single, so much for my Devil's pact theory. Unless he re-upped with him during the 7th inning stretch.
11:05 – Gary Bennett flies out, 2 down, 1 to go. COME ON!!!!!!!
11:06 – GAME OVER, METS WIN, 6-1. Tom Glavine wins #291, only needs 9 more. Very good first game, great start from Glavine, some clutch hits and a fantastic defensive effort. Now only 161 more to go.
That will do it for my running diary of opening night, I hope you enjoyed, I sure did and perhaps I will be back with another one or two later on in the season. Now let's move on…
BATTING THIRD
As I promise last week, this week we are going to finish up my season preview with my predictions for the 2007 All-Star Game Rosters. As I did last season, I will be back with this feature several more times between now and the actual All-Star Game, but all those future editions will be based entirely on stats and performance. This time its just my own predictions, in other words, this is barely worth reading. However, I am still going through with it, so let's just jump right in.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Catcher: Brian McCann is an easy choice as the starter and after that the candidates kind of thin. I am choosing two first timers, Josh Bard and Ronny Paulino as my backups, just edging out Paul LoDuca and Russell Martin.
First Base: Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard are no-brainers here, but adding other first basemen is a Herculean task. There is just too much depth at first base, particularly in the NL. Strong consideration was given to Carlos Delgado, Prince Fielder, Derrek Lee and Adam LaRoche, but ultimately I am choosing Adrian Gonzalez as my third first baseman. I am also taking Lance Berkman because he can play the outfield where pickens are a little more slim, and also because he is just too good to be left off.
Second Base: Chase Utley is another automatic choice, but again things get cluttered after that. I badly wanted to choose Rickie Weeks as my backup and also gave strong consideration to Dan Uggla, but my choice is Jeff Kent, who is going to have a monster rebound season.
Shortstop: Jose Reyes will probably win the fan balloting again and deservedly so, so he is my choice as the starter. Hanley Ramirez gets the backup spot over Jimmy Rollins and Stephen Drew because, well because I think he will have a better season.
Third Base: Like his infield partner Jose Reyes, David Wright will probably win the balloting and get the nod here. Plus he gets the nod because he is my favorite player and he is great. Here the backup is equally as easy because Miguel Cabrera is the best third baseman in baseball. Apologies to Garrett Atkins, Aramis Ramirez and Ryan Zimmerman, who almost made it as the Nationals representative.
Outfield: As I said earlier, the NL outfield pool is very weak this season, probably was weak as it has ever been. There are a couple of easy choices like Carlos Beltran and Alfonso Soriano who will be starters and Jason Bay and Carlos Lee who will be reserves. I will select Andruw Jones as the final starting outfielder and also choose his outfield partner Jeff Francoeur. I will round out the outfield with Matt Holliday as the Rockies lone representative, he beats out Bill Hall, Adam Dunn, Barry Bonds and Luke Scott.
Starting Pitching: This was probably the toughest position to select out of them all, there were just sooo many names I wanted to include on this roster. But alas I only had room for nine starters and they are Chris Carpenter, Ben Sheets, Aaron Harang, Roy Oswalt, Barry Zito, Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Ted Lilly and Brett Myers. I could have just as easily gone with anyone from the group of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Cole Hamels, Carlos Zambrano, Jason Schmidt, Chris Young, Adam Wainwright, Scott Olsen, John Maine and Ian Snell in the place of any of the above, but ultimately decided on the nine that I have above.
Relief Pitching: The NL starting pitching possibilities were just so deep that I only had room left for three closers. The three I am taking are Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito and Chad Cordero as the lone Nationals representative. Trevor Hoffman, Francisco Cordero and Brian Fuentes were also considered.
2007 PROJECTED NL ALL-STAR ROSTER
C – Brian McCann, Josh Bard, Ronny Paulino
1B – Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Lance Berkman, Adrian Gonzalez
2B – Chase Utley, Jeff Kent
SS – Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez
3B – David Wright, Miguel Cabrera
OF – Carlos Beltran, Alfonso Soriano, Andruw Jones, Carlos Lee, Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Jeff Francoeur
SP – Chris Carpenter, Ben Sheets, Aaron Harang, Roy Oswalt, Barry Zito, Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Ted Lilly, Brett Myers
RP – Billy Wagner, Chad Cordero, Takashi Saito
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Catcher: Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer are locks for this team right out the gate with Martinez just edging Mauer for the starting job. The third catcher could be anyone from the group of Jorge Posada, Ramon Hernandez, Pudge Rodriguez, A.J. Pierzynski and Kenji Johjima, but I am choosing Johjima because he has the most upside.
First Base: First base in the AL is just as deep and just as tough as it is in the NL, and for that reason I am going with four firsts basemen here as well. David Ortiz and Travis Hafner are easy choices and have to be considered first basemen rather than DH's since this year's All-Star game will be played in an NL park. I am also selecting Justin Morneau and Mark Teixeira over Paul Konerko, Aubrey Huff an another DH, Mike Piazza.
Second Base: Second base in the AL is an strange position because there are no real superstars at the position. At the same time, there is also an abundance of potential as any number of AL second basemen could break out this year and become superstars. I am choosing Robinson Cano as my starter because he is most likely to make that leap and regrettable I am taking Tadahito Iguchi over some other more deserving candidates because the White Sox need a representative. Ian Kinsler, Josh Barfield, Howie Kendrick and Jose Lopez were the others that were considered.
Shortstop: Derek Jeter will most likely win the balloting here and will most likely deserve to make the roster, so I will give him a spot. If he doesn't win the balloting, Miguel Tejada will, and he will also more than likely deserve a spot, so he gets the backup job. Michael Young and Jhonny Peralta fall short.
Third Base: Regardless of what the perception of him has been lately, A-Rod is really the only choice as the starter here. After him you have a slew of guys who could put up good numbers but there is no way to really differentiate them at this point. That list includes Troy Glaus, Adrian Beltre, Eric Chavez and Hank Blalock. In the end I am going with Alex Gordon as the Royals lone representative, though I would really much rather take Mark Teahen for that role. Unfortunately for Teahen though, he shifted to the outfield which is loaded, leaving Gordon able to slide into the wide open third base race.
Outfield: The outfield situation in the AL is the direct opposite of the situation in the NL as it is completely loaded. Other than NL pitcher, this was the hardest position to narrow down. In the end I chose Ichiro Suzuki, Vlad Guerrero and Manny Ramirez as the starters because they will win the balloting and as long as they are healthy, they will make this team. My backups are Vernon Wells, Grady Sizemore, Nick Swisher and Alex Rios. Apologies to Bobby Abreu, Rocco Baldelli, Gary Sheffield, Jermaine Dye, Carl Crawford, Delmon Young, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Michael Cuddyer and the aforementioned Mark Teahen.
Starting Pitching: Well if you read my season preview you saw that I picked Daisuke Matsuzaka for both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year, so obviously he is going to make my all-star team. Joining D-Mat on the team will be his teammate Josh Beckett, Scott Kazmir, Johan Santana, Jeremy Bonderman, Rich Harden, Felix Hernandez and Daniel Cabrera. Like with the NL, there were plenty of starters who easily could have made the team, but space just didn't allow and those pitchers include Roy Halladay, Erik Bedard, C.C. Sabathia, Gil Meche, John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Danny Haren and Andy Pettitte.
Relief Pitching: Yet another category where the NL and AL are polar opposites. In the NL, top closers are few and far between, and that is obviously because they are all in the AL. It was very difficult to even narrow the list down to four, but I did and the pitchers that made the cut are Jonathan Papelbon, B.J. Ryan, Joe Nathan and Francisco Rodriguez. They made the team over Mariano Rivera, J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks who were also strongly considered.
2007 PROJECTED AL ALL-STAR ROSTER
C – Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer, Kenji Johjima
1B – David Ortiz, Travis Hafner, Justin Morneau, Mark Teixeira
2B – Robinson Cano, Tadahito Iguchi
SS – Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada
3B – Alex Rodriguez, Alex Gordon
OF – Ichiro Suzuki, Manny Ramirez, Vlad Guerrero, Vernon Wells, Grady Sizemore, Alex Rios, Nick Swisher
SP – Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Scott Kazmir, Johan Santana, Jeremy Bonderman, Felix Hernandez, Rich Harden, Daniel Cabrera
RP – Jonathan Papelbon, B.J. Ryan, Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez
That's all for my All-Star predictions, meaning that is now time to begin sending hate mail. Get in ASAP.
That will do it for this week, but of course I will be back next week and by that time we will know a little bit more about how the start of the season is going. Until then…….
