Leaving aside any issues regarding shenanigans--and, in any event, these days balls are taken out of play so frequently that I tend to doubt pitchers can get much of an advantage from doctoring the ball--I think there's finally a decisive winner in the Montero/Pineda trade. Of course Montero being 40 lb overweight and stuck in AAA hitting like Rey Ordonez has something to do with that. Still, Pineda's looked good and if he does anything even close to reverting to form that really solidifies the Yanks starting pitching. Of course overcoming the Yankees infield might require multiple clones of Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds . . .
Yeah, Pineda looked very good. And as somebody who has always favored cheating in baseball, all I have to say is that he ought to at least make it look like he isn't doctoring the ball. His entire palm was glistening with pine tar. Cheating is good, but only when done with proper flair.
Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing pine tar be legal for pitchers to use. To the extent it works it does so by improving pitcher grip, giving the pitcher better control over spin. Rather than producing unexpected movements that are hard to control and defy the physics one expects of a clean ball, like scuffing the ball, it allows the pitcher to throw a pitch that does the expected thing but does it just a little better, and it should also reduce the incidence of accidental HBP. So long as the balls are regularly cycled out of play before they become significantly discolored there shouldn't be any safety issue. It's illegal and pitchers shouldn't do it for that reason, but there's no real need for it to be that way. I also don't know that I'd much mind the spitter being legal. Really, it's just a way for the Elwoods of baseball, pitchers with hands too small to throw a split-fingered fastball, to reduce backspin and produce something pretty similar to the split-fingered effect. Aside from being a bit icky it's not that big a deal. Scuffing the ball, however, can be dangerous and fool a batter who properly identifies spin and velocity into getting himself hurt.
Well it already looks like my Reds are gonna suck the big one this year. We are tied with the Cubs for last place. SURE it's early but I know this team and this town. At least the Cubs fans don't really care if they win or lose, they just like to enjoy the game with LOTS of beer. The Reds fans here EXPECT to win.
Maybe Cubs fans have the right idea. I understand the notion that the point is to go to the park on a nice afternoon and have a few beers, not to care about who wins and loses. I may not feel that way, but who can say its wrong to want a socially appropriate setting for drinking beer?
There are Cubs fans and then there are Wrigley Field fans. The latter are the stereotypical drunken post-college frat bros and sorority sluts, along with the almost equally stereotypical tourists from Iowa. The Cubs fans care about baseball but are often just as stupid, failing to understand that Theo Epstein is trying to build an organization that will sustain excellence over a long period of time, and getting mad because they're not overspending on the biggest name free agent every year.
That's really pretty much my view on baseball. The Redsox, unlike the Cubs, at least usually remain relevant through at least August, but ultimately, my enjoyment derives from the culture surrounding the game. [edit]Just want to be clear, that when I say that, it's from the perspective of the baseball fan, as defined quest (though I also fetishize Fenway Park). I follow all 30 teams on a certain level, pay attention to stats, think about situational strategy, it just doesn't kill the experience if my team loses.
See the Reds don't have a gloried stadium like Fenway or Wrigley field, In fact the NEW Reds stadium (The Great American Ballpark) or GABP for short, is quite uncomfortable. At least it is for me as I am a bigger person. The seats at GABP are like Airline seats. Beers are 10 bucks, and nobody watches the game anymore. Kids run up and down the aisle, people stand right in front of you. The whole thing sucked. PLUS all the games are on TV for free.
So looks like Pineda learned nothing after dodging the bullet last time he faced the Sox: Pineda likes him some pine tar. Dumbass!
How did he fail to learn from getting caught the first time? Watching the Rangers and Mariners right now. So far, just painful for the Rangers.
It's a bit strange to see the AL East as the worst division in major league baseball. The whole division looks craptastic so far this season.
Oy vey. Unless one team's starting or backup catcher is injured, making a surprise double header a distinct disadvantage, scheduling a next-day double header after a rain-out should be standard procedure when there's already a game scheduled for the next day.
I think the only reason Tampa Bay got a franchise was so that George Steinbrenner would be able to watch a few Yankees games each year without schlepping up to New York or elsewhere. Now that he's dead, what's the point?
Dare allow my battered and bruised, ye near dead, interest in baseball to be revived by the red-hot, first-place Blue Jays? Last year's season from hell seemed like the final blow, going all-in and facing playoff predictions, they utterly collapsed out of the gate like Jabba in a footrace. I WANT to enjoy the magic without the burden of cynicism but it's hard. They haven't been in first this late in 14 years (July 2000) and the did just sweep the best team in the league ... dare I believe again?
You should always believe. But the division is pretty tight, just stay ahead of the Yankees, that's all I ask of the Jays.
Also, this is pretty funny: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...z-becomes-playercoach-20140525,0,238974.story
http://espn.go.com/mlb/standings Jays lead ALE by 4 games. Significance? Until today that hadn't happened even sonce since 1993
I'm still holding out hope for the Redsox, but I'd be happy with the Jays or Orioles winning the division. To be honest, I'm getting a lot of enjoyment watching the stars of tomorrow show their stuff at Sox games. Bogarts is the real deal, can't wait to see him move to the number three slot in the batting order. And Bradley is also starting to hit, but his glove is pure magic. De La Rosa's start the other night was beauty. 98 mph fast ball and a killer change-up? What's not to like? There are so many ways to enjoy baseball, whether or not the team is in first, but I'm glad you're getting to enjoy the race, along with everything else @Nova.
speaking of enjoying the youth (always been one of my baseball fetishes) - I wish this was on youtube so I co8ld embed it directly: Eric Hosmer is impressed by Marcus Stroman http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...osmer-uses-one-word-to-marcus-stromans-slider
Well, Tanaka signed with the Yankees and he's the only thing keeping them from being truly awful. I'll count that as a good mix of optimism and reasonable expectations.