Time to Panic?

Is it time to panic?  Not about the Mets losing 13-2 to the Pirates, necessarily, but rather the listlessness that has continued into this early season.  The Phillies continue to struggle, all indicators are that the Marlins can't continue at their blistering pace, the Braves are 0-9 in one run games and the Nats are a quadruple-A ball club.  And yet, and yet, the Mets have failed to gain any type of momentum in the month of April.  When there's pitching, the bats have fallen flat more often than not and vice versa.  Which, I should add, is a mark of a mediocre team.  Mediocre teams do not have payrolls within the top five of baseball, nor do they stay mediocre teams long.  Either something is done to raise them up from mediocrity, or those middling players drop off to such a degree that the team ends up in the second division.  

Meanwhile, the Yankees are playing even more poorly than the Mets, and yet I'm don't think I'm as happy as they should be.  It seems as if the Yankees (during the regular season at least) always find a way to make things happen.  Then again, maybe that is the magic of Joe Torre.  And without Brian Bruney ... what will the mighty Highlanders do?

Thoughts on Philly (and the awful thugs who live there)...

A while back I sat in the bleachers during a Yankees playoff game.  If memory serves me correctly, it was against the Angels and Randy Johnson got the daylights beat out of him.  I never thought anyone was capable of saying meaner things about another human being as I did that day.

And then, I sat in the 400-level in Philadelphia.

Beautiful ballpark.  Great sight lines.  Chase Utley is playing all-world right now.

But...

It is in inconceivable to me that whenever a Phillie hits a pop-up to the shortstop, everyone thinks it's a home run.

It's scary to think that grown men (and women) think that cursing at Mets' fans is the best cheering that Philadelphia fans can do.  

It's depressing to think that the only time a "Let's Go Phillies" chant started when the Mets were rallying was in response to a "Let's Go Mets" chant.  

More thoughts later on this...

Roadtripping...

Middle Relief hits the road next Sunday up I-95 for Mets/Phillies.

Sitting in nosebleed.  

Ideas for food at the ball park/good bars around the stadium appreciated.

Sunday Night Baseball

Currently watching the Red Sox meltdown in the 8th inning.  And if Francona brings Papelbon in for 6 outs I'll drive up to Boston myself and crush him....Francona goes to the mound and here comes....Javier Lopez...this could get ugly quickly.

Listening to Jon Miller and Joe Morgan is always a bittersweet experience.  There is hardly anyone better in the game than Miller when it comes to letting the game do most of the talking while providing context and description that only adds to the experience.  

"Double play! Beautiful! Dustin Pedrioia took it the only way it could've been done." 

Damon hits into a 4-4-3 double play. (Author breathing easily.)  That was classic Miller -- no frills, proper excitement.  This is a guy who realizes that the game is being broadcast on TV and that his audience is able to see what is happening.  Another great talent that Miller has is the set-up.  Too often a lost art, Miller's color commentary consistently places his partner in the position to offer cogent and timely observations...which brings me to "the other guy."

Quickly, however, Joe Morgan jumps into the action.  Certainly Morgan has been doing this a long time and has impeccable playing (read: HOF) credentials, yet I think his analysis lacks evenness and depth.  Too often, Morgan describes something that the audience can plainly see, thereby covering over more intelligent analysis that he also provides just a few seconds later.  

Earlier in the 8th, Miller and Morgan cut away to an in-game conversation with Peter Gammons (who is not only a HOFer but also will go straight to heaven if God is even slightly just) for a discussion about PEDs.  (Isn't it sad that PEDs are just as commonly discussed as RBIs and ERAs?)  But I digress: the conversation between the three is wrapped up and Morgan says (and I'm paraphrasing): PEDs weren't part of the game, there were players who made it part of the game because they were using them.  But there were plenty of players who didn't use them and make them part of the game.

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough on the keyboard to type his comments down verbatim, but I came away thinking: whhhhat?  This is Emmy quality reporting?  Not as bad as Charlie Steiner, but we don't need Joe Morgan speaking as if he gets paid by the word, thank you very much.

You're not going to find another Big Papi or Manny in the next few years...

more penetrating analysis from Joe! (Umm Joe, have you seen any Brewers or Phillies games?)

And while I'm thinking about....does ESPN realize that the entire country doesn't want to see the Phillies, Mets, Sox or Yankees every dang weekend?