Quickie

Some real quick nuggets:

• Should have blogged the game last night. Joba went 6 with 3 runs and 5 Ks, which was good, but he also had 4 BBs, which was not so good, not to mention a wild pitch that let a run score and a slider that slid all the way behind Youkilis’ thigh. All in all not a bad outing.
• Rivera pitched two strong innings for the win while Papelbon got walked off by rookie Brett Gardner. He’s really fast.
• Jose Molina has made several perfect throws to take guys out at second and third this past week or so. He has an impressive throw out rate, about 50/50 on bases stolen/guys thrown out.
• A-Rod tied the Mick for career home runs.
• Boston lost its sixth straight one run game.
• Joe Morgan was at the top of his moronic, self-loving game. Or maybe I mean he was at the bottom. Whatever; he was notably unbearable, even for him. He and Jon Miller continue to impress by messing up players’ names, confusing them with managers, etc.
• You know the irrepressible fear that I get whenever Kyle Farnsworth comes in with a lead smaller than 12 runs? I get the feeling that Red Sox fans are starting to feel the same way about Hideki Okajima (the guy who, if you listen to Miller and Morgan’s hyperboles, never ever looks at the plate before he pitches. We’re talking from when he walks out of the bullpen to when he leaves. Never looks. Yes, he jerks his head in a funny way. We get it.)
• Why is A-Rod’s divorce first page news on ESPN? I love ESPN but I’m starting to lose faith in them.
• I know I’m picking on the Red Sox a lot in this post when there are equally annoying or bad things about the Yankees. I’ll get to them later.
• Did you hear about the kid at Purdue who got in trouble for bringing a book to work about the Ku Klux Klan? Not just any book, but one about how the students of Notre Dame battled the Klan in the 1920s; not a book glorifying the Klan! Just by bringing the book to work he was accused of “harassing behavior” towards his black co-workers. He was ordered to not bring the book to work anymore or he might get fired. By the way, he was working for Purdue. An American university punishing a student worker for reading a book they carry in their own library!
• The latest GOP plan to “trap” Obama into a flip-flopper role is symptomatic of the disease that is the electoral season. Obama is clearly a flip-flopper; we all know it and he’s shameless about it. But guess what: they all are! Democrats, Republicans, anyone who wants to get elected is! They do it every cycle! Do we learn nothing! McCain’s camp is trying to trap Obama into either a) admitting that he is going to ignore the realities on the ground Iraq and stick to his 16 month plan no matter what, which will expose him as being someone who ignores facts and is unable to change, or b) changing his position on his withdrawal plan so he can be labeled a flip-flopper. Obama and his cronies must be spending time figuring out how to avoid this trap. I wish them luck. The McCain cronies must have spent a bunch of time figuring out how to lay the trap. Is this really what these people are spending all their time on? This is how we win elections in this country?
• Senators are expending so many resources, using so many people who are supposed to be smart on their campaign. Senators themselves are, theoretically, also smart. We could have all these people using their collective brain juices on solving the real problems this country is having as opposed to creating problems for their counterpart blowhards. As such, upon declaring their candidacy for the presidency, senators should be forced to resign their positions in Congress. This will not only allow their constituents to retain a representative who is actually serving them, but it will also make certain senators (and congressmen and governors, for that matter) think twice about opening campaigns that everyone knows are doomed from the beginning but are just for the publicity (see: Huckabee, Mike and Paul, Ron). They can run again later if they want but for the duration their constituents need people who are paying attention to them and not personal endeavors.

Tidbits

That’s Nasty: I love the pitching highlights segment on Baseball Tonight. It nearly perfected the show. “Web Gems” is terrific, “Touch ‘Em All” is fun to watch, and the newly incorporated (as of last year, I believe – I can’t really remember) “That’s Nasty” is a reel of the best pitches of the night. Last night one of the pitches they showed was a 61 MPH changeup from Mike “I’m Still Relevant” Mussina. Sixty-one! Then they had Joba throwing 98, followed by the killer slider. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the pitching (particularly the bullpen?!) has exceeded expectations; if only the offense were supporting them. The other day, Peter Abraham reported from the clubhouse that the pitchers are, understandably, growing impatient with the hitters and the lack of any sort of steady run support. (I feel misleading talking about the pitching without mentioning the downfall of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, although Kennedy had a superb Triple A outing and will get the start today against the Rays, so we’ll see about him.)

Speak of the Devil (Rays): Yesterday Buster Olney outlined the 12 great moves that the Rays have made over the past couple years that laid the foundation for this year’s success so far (lifted shamelessly and directly, word for word, from Olney’s blog on ESPN.com):

But in the last year, Rays general manager Andrew Friedman and the Tampa Bay baseball operations staff has pitched the front office version of a perfect game, in keeping with a long-range plan that was begun long before that. Virtually every transaction that the Rays have made, going back to last year's June draft, has worked out, and contributed to Tampa Bay's strong start and ascension, for the first time, into the ranks of contenders.

The Rays are 22-16 and have racked up five consecutive victories -- against the Blue Jays, Angels and Yankees -- and as we sit here today, on May 13, they are fielding arguably the best defense in the AL; the fifth-lowest bullpen ERA in the game, with a relief ERA that is three runs lower than last year -- three runs.

Perhaps most impressively, the Rays have escaped the thick pessimism in which the team had been embedded for the last decade, and Friedman's changes have been instrumental in making this happen, brick by brick.

Example No. 1: On July 28, 2007, the Devil Rays were 38-65. Tampa Bay shipped infielder Ty Wigginton to the Astros for Dan Wheeler, a solid veteran reliever -- and at the time, the expectation was that this would allow Friedman to trade then-closer Al Reyes. But Friedman hung onto Wheeler, signed him to a multi-year deal, to help build the kind of relief depth the Rays had never had; Tampa Bay had always seemed to rely on too many overmatched youngster in their bullpen.

No. 2: Delmon Young racked up 186 hits and 93 RBIs in his rookie season with Tampa Bay in 2007, and yet the Rays traded him in the winter in a deal for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett -- an extremely bold move, because Young was seen as a rising star, and because there had been so much early discussion about how Young is destined to be a Hall of Famer, with his spectacular eye-hand coordination and ability to hit the ball with the fat part of the bat.

But it is evident that in their internal evaluations of Young, the Rays also looked at other factors: Young's willingness and ability to make adjustments; his uncomfortable and sometimes stifling clubhouse presence, borne out by his threats to walk out at the end of the 2007 season; and the frustration he engendered in other teammates. "He just doesn't work very hard," said one Ray.

There has been little doubt about Young's talent, and even the possibility that he will go on and have a career of many hits and RBIs. But the Rays seem to have made a very sound judgment that he would not reach his full potential with them, a savvy decision that takes courage.

So Tampa Bay swapped Young for Garza, at a time when it is very difficult to get pitchers with electric arms, and Garza has done well.

The Rays also landed Bartlett to play shortstop, to give their infield the kind of stability it hasn't had in the past, and Bartlett has done nicely in this, rival advance scouts believe.

No. 3: The Rays convinced Troy Percival to come back and be their closer, but more importantly, to help change the culture of their clubhouse, and Percival has done excellent work in both roles.

No. 4: Tampa Bay dumped the talented Elijah Dukes, another high-ceiling talent with an oppressive clubhouse presence.

No. 5: J.P. Howell, who had floundered as a starter in the big leagues, was converted to relief and has thrived; I remember standing on the field in St. Petersburg in March and listening to Rays manager Joe Maddon talk about how intrigued he was by what he was seeing in Howell this spring.

No. 6: Edwin Jackson's results had been awful for most of his career, but rather than bury him -- which must have been tempting after another of his many brutal outings early in 2007 -- Tampa Bay has been patient with him, nurtured him, and lo and behold, he has made slow but steady progress. He has become an asset.

No. 7: The Rays targeted Akinori Iwamura as a free agent partly because they liked his athleticism and versatility, and this spring, as Evan Longoria has climbed to the big leagues, Iwamura has made a seamless transition to second base.

No. 8: After benefiting from the unexpected emergence of first baseman Carlos Pena in 2007, Tampa Bay signed him to a fair-and-balanced three-year, $24 million deal, holding the line in negotiations.

No. 9: The Rays talked to many free agents, fishing around before convincing Eric Hinske to sign an $800,000 deal, and Hinske has fit them perfectly: as a left-handed hitter, as an experienced veteran, as a patient hitter who has helped the Rays develop the kind of patient water-torture lineup that is pervasive among the better AL offenses.

No. 10: The Rays signed Cliff Floyd for his ability to hit and for his positive influence, and now that he's back from the disabled list, he's adding hits along with his experience.

No. 11: They signed James Shields and Longoria -- foundation pieces -- to long-term deals, and now Crawford has made it clear he wants to stay, too.

And No. 12: The Rays have never once deviated from their overriding blueprint of drafting and acquiring and developing young pitching talent. Within two years, the best of that group -- Wade Davis and Jake McGee, who are in Double-A, and former No. 1 pick David Price -- will join the likes of Shields and Scott Kazmir in the big leagues.

"They've obviously done an excellent job at evaluating their own talent," said a rival executive. "And they haven't panicked, haven't rushed. They've stuck to their plan, and it's working."

Yankees Ticket Prices: Getting crazy. Arkansas Megan and I are going to be in New York this weekend, and I was scoping out tickets to the Yankees-Mets game. I know it’s the Mets so the prices are going to be inflated more than usual, and I’ve ready many an article about the super over-inflation this year because of the Last Season, but I hadn’t actually looked for tickets until now. Not sure if we’re going to make it.

It's a Facebook World

I was at first only going to link this article because it mentions Mason in the introduction, but there is more to be said.

I didn’t know that our generation has a new name. I’ve heard us referred to as Generation Y, Generation M, Generation Einstein, the Google Generation, (Tom Friendman’s label) Generation Q…according to this article, we are Millennials. For the record, that’s the worst name of the lot.

The article, while not claiming explicitly that a membership in an Obama Facebook group translates into an Obama vote, begins to suggest such a notion. I’m a member of a Facebook group that is collectively excited for a zombie apocalypse; another that claims that Natalie Portman is my girlfriend. Facebook groups are not meant to be taken seriously; sorry, not even political ones. Also, joining a Facebook group is a lot different than going to a polling place or, worse, painstakingly filling out an absentee ballot, god forbid! The media playing up the presence of Facebook is fine, but let’s not get unrealistic here. If that’s possible.

Overall the article paints a pretty picture of the current coming-of-age generation and projects a sunny future for our level of political involvement. It’s a nice idea, but they use statistics that I’m afraid, as usual, are little more than extrapolations of small sample sizes. Basically, the message is bordering on making me hopeful, which worries me.

It also paints most of “us” as being liberal even though it makes a politically correct point of saying that we are unable to be typecast, as a generation. As a friend recently related to me: he was liberal too, once; and then he grew up.

Speaking of political correctness, I hope that that is a fad that our generation casts by the wayside. I hope our generation has a sense of humor when we grow up: that will solve or at least clear the path to solve many problems, in the political realm and the media, and, in turn, their effects on one another, which at the moment are largely detrimental. And that’s something I think we can all agree upon, regardless of political personal views.

Good news: In a few months, SportsCenter will go live in the mornings. This is good news because I watch the 6 and 7 am editions and, often, the 11 pm or midnight ones as well and I’d like to not see repeats in the mornings.

Tasty: Watch LeBron James eat NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett for lunch at the end of this clip.

Unfair

At the moment, Mike Greenberg is on both ESPN on Sportscenter and on ESPN2 on Mike & Mike in the Morning. This is unfair to me, a loyal ESPN viewer, and is bordering on cruel and unusual. Is ESPN running out of people? The weak contestants on "Dream Job" could do better than Greenberg. At least Golic isn't on. If he were hosting Sportscenter for any other reason than every other host was in the hospital, I would never watch Sportscenter again. Or at least I would write a very strongly worded letter.

A few good links...

A few good links...

John McCain hammers out a key economic speech, while Barack Obama feels mighty put out by the media.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Carter does everything but make out with a terrorist.

In other news, my usual forty minute commute to work today turned into a hour and forty minute ordeal despite the absence of any major accident on the 295N corridor. Gotta love drivnig in VA/DC/MD. This makes for a very cranky blogger.

The Red Sox were on ESPN again last night. This time viewers were treated to the fool that is Steve Philips, as well as a come-from-behind Red Sox victory that needs to remind the American League and the world, that until someone beats the Sox in October, you can take the moniker of "best team in baseball" from their cold, dead hands.

Coming later today, a Mets' fan vents about things that worry him in the new season.

Concurrence

I guess I better learn to move quickly here as Jersey Matt effectively stole a couple of my main posting points for today: the game last night and the ineptitude of Joe Morgan therein. Thus I will merely acknowledge them and move on.

Wait, I can’t. Last year I would have been happy taking a “what he said” mentality about this, but I have to intervene here. Jon Miller, ordinarily reliable as both an entertaining voice and as a saving grace to Joe Morgan’s blathering, is this season losing his mind enough that it’s noticeable. Last night he reported that the Yankees won the 2004 World Series. Not to be outdone by his boothmate’s insight to PED usage (see story), Miller told us about a player giving “a self-confidence talk to…himself” (paraphrasing due to lack of notes, but barely). He referred to Jose Molina as “Posada”…and as “Varitek”! Excusable offenses for an old guy, sure, but not when it becomes distracting. I will have to take down a full report next time of all the flubs by this dynamic duo. A running diary, perhaps.

A topic to touch upon at a later time is the McCarver-esque fawning over absolutely every player. This is a plague among announcers in all sports but I’ll harp on baseball since it’s in season. Every good player is just spectacular, every play extraordinary either for its flashiness or for its fundamental soundness. I understand that these players have exceptional skill. In this argument I’m usually on the side that’s fighting for the players; to be a below average player in the majors, there is a very good chance (there are exceptions) that that player is still very very good compared to a normal person (i.e. me, or 98% of all guys playing pro ball in any minor league, which is a lot of guys.) That being said, there is no need to go over the top with this.

I find it interesting that it is becoming more and more common for the networks to share with us a player’s slugging percentage when I’m pretty sure most viewers have no idea what that is. I dare say they should explain, but then you’d have them explaining it every game, and it will turn into a John Madden-like “I really think this team is just trying to score more runs that the other team” explanations. Not sure who is to blame for this dilemma…I’ll blame the networks.

That reminds me of another good quote from last night, and I’m not even sure who said it. I think it was Miller. Again, I didn’t write it down at the time, but I repeated it out loud when I heard it, which makes me pretty sure now of my memory’s accuracy: “The Red Sox have won two World Series since the Yankees have won one. That’s a streak the Yankees would like to stop.” That is nearly word for word, I promise you.

Quickly, although this deserves more attention later, let me agree again with JM. My baseball heart truly goes out to fans of any teams who are not the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Phillies, and to some extent Braves and Cubs (because of TBS and WGN). The overexposure of and oversaturation with these teams must be sickening to the rest of the league’s fans.

Reminded randomly again of an announcer musing from last night. This one, though, was intentionally funny and much appreciated. By Jon Miller, after the (I think) 4^th inning: “After 49...hundred…pitches, the inning is finally over!”

More later on yesterday’s Caps game and the internal debate it inspired.