"We interrupt this broadcast..."

...to inform you that I'm off to London for a few days, so there won't be much happening on here until Monday of next week, by which time the season will be well and truly under way and meaningful baseball (and, hopefully, meaningful posts on the blog...) will be back on a daily basis.

Poor old Tom

Thomas Boswell clearly got out of the wrong side of bed yesterday...

1 down, 161 to go

It doesn't happen every day, but the Devil Rays are currently in first place in the AL East, after their 8-3 victory over the Yankees.

A-Rod probably summed up the Yankees' postgame feelings best:

"Hopefully, it's 5 a.m. and not many people were watching"...

The early birds

The 17-hour flight doesn't seem to have affected the Devil Rays too badly - they're leading the Yankees 8-3 in the top of the 8th. Toby Hall and ex-Yankee Tino Martinez are having a great morning - they have three hits apiece and 5 RBIs between them.

The voice of reason

Jayson Stark says that the Yankees / Devil Rays series in Japan is not a good idea, since it puts these teams at a disadvantage with regard to the other 28 Major League clubs.

I don't fully agree with him, because if you're going to make a concerted effort to increase baseball's international appeal, you are, at some point, going to have to take it into some new and not necessarily user-friendly time-zones (e.g. Japan). Not only that, but you're going to have to serve up something appetizing for the fans there - exhibition games are fine, but they're like the McDonald's of the baseball world - they taste great and fill you up for a little while, but at the end of the day, it's still fast-food and not very satisfying.

Having MLB players go out to Japan (or elsewhere) to play games which actually mean something is good for the game, because it shows international fans what 'real' games are like (because let's face it, exhibition games are seldom managed or played in the same way as regular season games). Major League Baseball is also showing an inherent sense of respect towards those same international fans by giving them 'the real deal', and not some sort of glorified fantasy baseball game.

Oh yeah, and there's one more reason why it's a good thing: it's a good thing because it means that I can actually sit in my office and follow Opening Day on my PC whilst 'working', rather than having to stay up until some ungodly hour of the morning. I'd quite like to keep the job I have, so I won't be listening or watching the game - I'll just have the Gameday log open on MLB.com, but who cares? Baseball is back!

So, without further ado, please allow me to say those two magic words we've been waiting for since October:

"Play ball!" :-)

Showtime!

There's not much new in the article, but it's just great to read MLB.com's rundown of Opening Day / Week. Living, as I do, on the other side of the Atlantic, I enjoyed reading this:

"for many fans back in the States it will mean getting up early to see a 5:05 a.m. ET start both days"...

Aaaaaaah - that's music to my ears. For once, the time difference works out great for me - 5:05 a.m. ET is 11:05 a.m. here in France - so I'll get to follow the game without having to stay up until the wee small hours of the morning.

If only life were always that simple.

When I find myself in times of trouble...

...I find comfort in going to check out the Countdown to Opening Day 2004 on MLB.com.

Right now it stands at 3 days, 19 hours and 50 minutes - ain't life just great??!!

Defensive gems

ESPN.com is currently running a series on the greatest defensive plays of all time. As anyone who has read my stuff on here will know, I'm a sucker for great defence (or defense, if you prefer), and even though this series is made up of written accounts of the plays, it's still well worth a look. Some of the plays are plays that I have seen on tape (LoDuca's slide into the dugout, for example) whilst others are plays I've heard about because they're part of baseball legend (Buck Martinez making two outs on a play despite having a broken leg [Note to self: stop complaining about sprained ankle and get back out on the ballfield...]). It really doesn't matter that there is no video footage to go with the descriptions - even in your mind's eye these are incredible plays.

Sit back, close your eyes and enjoy.

Great blog

I'd been to the Baseball Widow blog before - notably for the Eye Candies posts - but I'd never taken the time to sit down and read the rest of what Candi has to say. It's good stuff - if you haven't already done so, go over there and check it out.

Keeping the faith

Nobody in their right mind would be prepared to put money on the Detroit Tigers winning the World Series (or even their division) this year, but it's nonetheless nice to see that the ballculb's offseason signings - notably that of Pudge Rodriguez - have revitalised the Tigers' ticket sales. Since the club has not had a winning season since 1993 and hasn't played in the postseason since 1987, it's nice to see the people of Detroit showing a little hope and faith. There isn't likely to be a dramatic turnaround, but Detroit has once again got people interested in coming to the ballpark. It doesn't matter what team we're talking about, whether it's the Boston Red Sox or the Chatanooga Lookouts, there is something that holds true at all levels of the game: people coming to the ballpark is a good thing, period.

Boston voodoo

Red Sox fans were probably starting to erect shrines to Brian Daubach last night, as Daubach's slide into third-base in last night's game against the Yankees deflected a ball thrown by Hideki Matsui in left-field right into A-Rod's face, forcing A-Rod to leave the game. It turns out that A-Rod has 'merely' a bruised left cheekbone, and is listed as day-to-day, so the Yankee machine continues to roll on towards Opening Day.

Whilst on the subject of A-Rod, MLB.com has a Q&A session with the Yankee third baseman. Those who wish to read something into his very Yankee-like, extremely neutral and uncontroversial toeing of the party line (MLB.com: "You have said many times that you are a great fan of the game. Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall of Fame?" A-Rod: "I think it's a very tough decision for whomever has to make it. I think it's in the hands of the right people, so I hope they evaluate all of the facts and make the right choice for the game.") might be amused to see that his favourite (non-baseball) movie of all time is Wall Street, which, as you know, contains the following quote by Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas):

"The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works."

No comment.

Big in Japan

When I heard that the Yankees were going to be playing the season opener against the Devil Rays in Japan, I didn't think much of it, beyond a simple "good idea - great for baseball". However, Tyler Kepner points out just how complicated the trip (with its 17-hour flight and associated jet-lag problems) is going to be for the Yankees generally, and for Yankee trainer Gene Monahan specifically.

The Yankees are trying to prepare for and prevent the dehydration and muscle cramps that a 17-hour flight can produce. They are sending three massage therapists on the trip, and Monahan will spend the flight buzzing through the cabin, reminding players to drink at least 16 ounces of water or sports drink every hour.

"I'll be going around telling them the correct times to eat and how to take on fluids," Monahan said. "We're pushing fluids on this trip."

I have visions of a kind of school field trip for sports multimillionaires', with Monahan as the stressed-out teacher running around yelling "Alex hasn't drunk his fluids!", "Jorge - time to eat!", "Joe - time to turn off the DVD player off!". My guess is that Monahan will need a couple of days' rest himself when the team gets back to New York.

Covering the bases

I haven't had much time to blog recently, but I've been trying to keep up with what's going on in the world of baseball. Before the arrival of the weblog concept, this would have meant trawling through a bunch of newspaper and sports websites, but the advent of weblogs (and the number of high-quality baseball blogs out there is quite amazing) means that I can often visit certain sites and be sure that I will have not only the latest news but also links to a whole bunch of baseball-related articles and opinions.

Baseball Musings and Bronx Banter are two of the 'one-stop shop' blogs that I go to regularly, as I know that there'll always be something of interest on there. The one drawback is that once I've visited these blogs, I sometimes feel that there's not a lot left to say or link to on here - it feels like being a Sunday softball player suddenly called up to catch Randy Johnson - you've just gotta hope that you can hold on to the ball.

Mo' Mo

Yankee fans can sleep a little easier tonight, safe in the knowledge that Mariano Rivera has signed a two-year contract extension, which will virtually guarantee that he finishes his career in New York.

Yankee GM Brian Cashman says that "[Rivera is] in my opinion, the best reliever in the history of baseball". You may or may not agree with this statement, but the fact is that Rivera is one of those guys you would want to have on the mound when the game is on the line. There's no such thing as a closer who never loses (Game 7 of the 2001 World Series proved that Rivera isn't invincible), but Rivera is one of those guys who comes close, and you have to admit that you'd rather have him out there than Armando Benitez or Jose Mesa...

Miguel and me

It's not often that I have something in common with a major league ballplayer, but yesterday I did - the Orioles' Miguel Tejada had to leave the field yesterday with a leg injury, and so did I...

However, unlike Tejada, who said "I'm fine - it hurt for about ten seconds and went away", mine still hurts like a b*tch. I sprained my ankle at second base and now have trouble just walking, let alone running around a baseball field. The other un-Tejada-like problem I have is that we're not in spring training over here, but right on the eve of the actual season itself - our games begin in a week's time, and at the rate things are going, I might miss the first couple of games. If that sounds like no big deal, then I should point out that we only play 14 games this season, so it's like a major leaguer having to sit out 25 games. As you can imagine, I'm not a happy chappy.

The one advantage I can see is that I won't have to train in the freezing cold over the next couple of weeks, but I hope it doesn't go on any longer than that, or I'll have to take up something less strenuous, like pétanque...

Fantasy baseball

What's great about Spring Training is that teams want to give their pitchers work, regardless of the situation, the opponent or the conditions, so sometimes you get to see Mariano Rivera come into the game in the 3rd inning, as he did on Sunday against the Red Sox, and sometimes, as the poor Cincinnati hitters will testify, you get the impression that you're up against a fantasy baseball team. Yesterday, Pedro Martinez started the game for the Red Sox against the Reds and pitched two innings, and then he was relieved by Curt Schilling, who pitched a further 2 2/3 innings. Still, at the end of the day, it didn't seem to do the Reds too much harm, as they won the game 3-2.

The Hand of Fate

Being a superstar with a multi-million dollar contract does not necessarily mean that you won't be sidelined for a significant length of time with what might look - to us mere mortals - like an inconsequential injury. Kaz Matsui - who played his first game for the Mets yesterday - got the ball rolling, so to speak, with a split finger a couple of weeks ago. Then came the Phillies' Jim Thome, who fractured his middle finger during a workout on Friday in Clearwater and will be out for at least three weeks, and now the latest casualty is the Yankees' Gary Sheffield, who is now out indefinitely with a jammed thumb.

The Yankees are now going to be without Bernie Williams in center field and Gary Sheffield in right field for a significant period of time - the best-case scenarios for both players will see them both back in time for the start of the regular season, but nothing seems certain as yet. Joe Torre, who is on the verge of signing a two-year contract extension (and whose importance to the Yankees - says Buster Olney - can't be overstated), is going to have to start doing some creative managing to fill the holes in the outfield.

The Insider

Yesterday I gave my impression of what Spring Training looks like, filtered through a computer screen and 4,000+ miles of ocean. Paul from the SS Mariner is one of the lucky souls who is actually there seeing it first-hand. He's managed to escape the Pacific Northwest for a few days and is enjoying some quality downtime in Arizona.

In amongst all the 'we're not really analysing this' analysis from around the Spring Training camps, it's nice to see someone just enjoying the sun and re-connecting with baseball - not the scores, just the game itself:

The particulars of the game are of little if any interest - Piniero got rocked, giving up 7 runs in the first inning, before Aaron Looper came in and settled down the M's, who rallied for two to narrow the lead to just the 12 runs in the 7th, for a final of Padres 15 Mariners 2 - but what was of interest was everything surrounding the game.
[...]
So, long story short, I'd love to give you a rundown of who impressed and who didn't, but I turned into an excited 9 year old today so I can't. All I can give you is the idea that you have to go to spring training at least once in your life.

That's the beauty of Spring Training - it allows the 'excited 9 year old' in all of us to express him-/herself freely...

Spring Training? What Spring Traing??

Maybe it's the fact that I'm 4,000 miles away that meant I didn't quite pick up on the intensity of yesterday's Yankees / Red Sox game in Fort Myers. ESPN's Jayson Stark points out that tickets were changing hands for $500, that there were $6 commemorative pins being sold and that 268 members of the media signed in at the press gate.

This is no longer just baseball, folks, this is Yankees / Red Sox, brought to you live from the fourth dimension by the YES Network.

Welcome to the big leagues

With all due respect to the Montreal Expos, Javier Vazquez probably feels that he's finally playing for a big-league ballclub. MLB.com reports that Vazquez pitched for the Yankees yesterday at Legends Field, where there was an attendance of 10,209 fans, which was a higher attendance than all but five of Vazquez's starts in Olympic Stadium in Montreal last year...

Free gift?

I've stopped by the office to catch up on some personal e-mailing and maybe post on the blog. As I checked out MLB.com, I saw that there were some Spring Training games being broadcast on MLB.TV, and I thought I'd try to take a peek - for some strange reason I seem to still have access to the games, so here am I sat in the Paris suburbs on a Sunday evening in March, catching some virtual rays in Florida and watching - who else? - the Yankees play the Red Sox in Fort Myers.

The Red Sox are hitting Jose Contreras all over the place (it's 3-0 Red Sox in the bottom of the first), but as it's only March 7, I'm not gonna read too much into that. However, watching the game reminds me just how much I've missed that crack of the bat over the past few months, and I can say that today, for me, baseball is officially back.

The Second Coming

Johnny Damon might be the guy with the Messianic beard, but Schilling's arrival in New England is starting to look like the Second Coming for die-hard Red Sox fans. Ed Cossette over at Bambino's Curse has a great post on Schilling - this is the guy Red Sox Nation seems to have been waiting for all this time.

High and inside

Curt Schilling is throwing at his own guys during batting practice... Boy, oh, boy - if this is what he does in Spring Training when one of his teammates makes a remark about a home run from 18 months ago, I can't wait to see what happens when he pitches against the Yankees in the Bronx.

Kevin Millar is having a great offseason - after a very public statement over the winter that he would rather play with Alex Rodriguez than Nomar Garciaparra, he's now got his own teammates throwing at him just to remind him who's in charge out there. I suggest that he considers the advice my Dad used to give me: "Engage brain before opening mouth"...

The haves and have-nots

A nice little tongue-in-cheek reminder from ESPN's Jayson Stark that the Yankees and the Red Sox are not the only teams playing in the AL East.

It's one of the things that I've always found interesting in Major League baseball, the way the divisions are structured and the schedules put together. I grew up watching soccer in the UK, and the size (or rather, the relative lack of size) of the territory means that there is no need to organise the divisions geographically - there are four divisions of professional soccer teams, and teams are promoted and relegated according to their end-of-season standings. Within the division, though, things are very simple: teams play each other twice a season - once at home and once away - and that's it. Obviously, the season extends to only forty games or so, so scheduling is much easier, but that also means that there is less inherent imbalance in each division. Sure, there are teams which have little chance of winning the division or at least securing one of the promotion spots, but given the shorter season and the fact that they play the best two or three teams only twice, then they probably have a better chance, in theory, of doing well than, say, the Blue Jays, who play the Yankees and Red Sox 19 times over the course of a season.

I guess there are those will will argue that the shorter season makes things more of a crapshoot, just as those best-of-five playoff series sometimes throw up huge upsets, but it's less the length of the season that I'm concerned about than the fact that the Devil Rays, for example, will always be stuck in the AL East, fighting it out with the Yankees and the Red Sox (and the Orioles and the Blue Jays). Even if they were a good team (and it looks like Toronto and Baltimore could be just that this year), they're still realistically looking at second place at best, and a shot at the Wild Card. I don't have any magic solution to even up this imbalance - I don't suppose there is one, except for putting all the teams back into one single division, but that might just create other scheduling worries - players would be worn out by mid-May with all the travelling.

Back to the division itself - the thing that the AL East seems to teach best is patience and humility. Patience is something that Devil Rays' manager Lou Piniella needs to have - he has to take a long-term view of his ballclub's situation, because they're not going to win the division anytime soon:

"What am I going to say? I've gotta be optimistic," he winks. "But I like our ball club. I really do. This is night and day a better club than last year."

Blue Jays' GM J.P. Ricciardi prefers the humility route, but that's probably because his team really does have a chance in the AL East. As the past two World Series have shown, the underdog card is sometimes a good one to play:

"I wouldn't call any of our moves blockbusters. We're more like the little chihuahua that keeps coming at your ankles."

A-Rod and Curt Schilling had better watch where they put their feet...

You heard the one...

...about the Japanese shorstop and the Dominican second baseman?

I came across this article on the Mets' dazzling new infield combination last week, but didn't have time to post it.

Matsui injured a finger whilst going through his infield drills with Reyes on Sunday, but he's expected to be back in business by next weekend. I dunno how the Mets shape up as a team, and my enthusiasm may well just be my annual Spring Training baseball hormone imbalance getting the better of me, but I'm looking forward to seeing these guys play.

When you're smiling...

The real Spring Training (not mine) is well under way, which means that things begin in earnest in a little over three weeks, so I don't really need another reason to look forward to the 2004 baseball season, but if I did, the D-Train would be a good place to start. Dontrelle Willis talks to SI.com's John Donovan about his offseason and his thoughts on his rookie season.

You can almost see the smile on his face when you read what he has to say:

There was a lot of growing up for me. Actually, my family was very proud of how I was handling all that stuff. But I didn't see what they were seeing, from the outside. I was just like, 'Dude, I'm having fun. I'm playing in a major-league uniform.' Even when I was struggling, I was like, 'Hey, I'm the worst major-league baseball player.' OK? And when I was doing well, it was like, 'Hey, I'm pretty good.'

The Baseball Desert has just adopted a new slogan for the 2004 season: "Dude, I'm having fun"...

Spring is in the air

I'm back into my own Spring Training programme as far as the blog goes. Things have been hectic recently, so there's been little time for me to blog on all the stuff that's been going on, but the next three weeks will allow me to get back into good blogging shape and be ready for the regular season.

I guess time has shown that this is a bit of a seasonal blog - I've realised over the offseason that I will never have the time nor energy to produce the constant stream of quality material produced by the blogs mentioned over on the right, but I will continue to chip in with my point of view on stuff that I find interesting. There won't be a lot of stats or in-depth analysis, but there will be, once again, a lot of this particular English guy's inexplicable obsession with the summer game.