A couple of quick hits as we enter the first weekend of the season:
*The Joba Chamberlain fist pumping controversy is about the dumbest thing I have seen in a while and goes to show why talk radio is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it gives fans a forum they would NEVER have and brings the barstool debate to the airwaves. On the other hand, most of these guys on the radio have IQs that, if rubbed together would still only make one. When you have the biggest sports talk radio show on the air in Mike and the Mad Dog talking about Joba pumping his fist and showing emotion for an entire afternoon, it tells you three things: the two guys (Mike and Chris) aren't exactly putting off their induction ceremony's to Mensa, there isn't enough ACTUAL news to talk about so guys need to make shit up to fill the never ending hours, and they usually do that by CREATING controversies rather than discussing them, and that all of these guys, from Mike and the Mad Dog to Mike and Mike on ESPN, to Michael Kay and his horrid career on the air, they all think they are somehow the stewards of the game, as if THEY have the right to decide what is and is not accepted anymore and what can and cannot be discussed. Joba pumped his fist and got excited for game 1 of the season and, you know what, if I could throw 100, drop the nastiest slider on the planet, get laid by gorgeous women at 23 years old, and have NYC eating out of my hand, yeah, I would be pumping my fist as well. What always makes me laugh is the idea that some freakishly fat talk show host (Mike), who can barely fit into his chair, or some borderline retarded OCD-racked weirdo (Mad Dog) would have the nerve to tell someone who can do things only a handful of people in the world can do how to react to that is astounding. Yeah, if I were Joba, I would listen to those two guys about how, exactly, to play this game, right? Because, let's face it, if there is anyone who would know, it would be two guys who would be picked last to play on their company softball team. Absolutely.
*So far I like what I have seen from Girardi a lot. First, he left The Donger (Wang) in there in game one in the seventh inning after going out and talking to him. That would have been an automatic yank out of the game under Torre, yet Girardi let Wang pitch out of any trouble. Hey, it could have back fired but it didn't and it was the right call. Second, he took Hughes out tonight. Smart move. Hughes had an easy 6th, but the game was tied and Hughes is gonna be on pitch and innings counts all year. Why not Yank the kid when he can't lose the game, he hasn't thrown an excessive amount of pitches, and he feels good about his performance? I am usually all for leaving pitchers in games, especially ones going along as smoothly as Franchise was tonight, but this just felt like the right move, didn't it?
*I have been impressed with the pen so far. Joba and Mo are just dominant and both look in mid season form already. But besides those two, I really like what I have seen from Bruney (tonight) and Olendorff (last night). Both are hard throwers, good arms, younger guys and guys that can either miss bats (Bruney) or get you to dig a hole in the dirt with grounders (Olendorff). I still have no confidence whatsoever in Farnsworth (waste) and Hawkins is the only guy to give up a run so far, but the rest of the pen seems like it has some real potential here. Again, it is only three games, but last year, once you were forced to the pen before the seventh, it spelled disaster. The last three games, aside from Hawkins, the pen has been perfect.
*All that running doesn't seem to have paid off all that much for the offense I'll tell yah. I think it might be the weather because NONE of these guys look on their game (and the Jays pitching is better than I thought. Their pitching can actually be great if they stay healthy this year). I think the place to watch closely is Giambi in the fifth hole and Cano in the sixth. Everyone else will come around but Giambi still has to prove to me that it is just about staying healthy. His bat seems slow and his power seems down to me. He might have to be moved out of that fifth hole and, perhaps, out of the everyday lineup if Duncan can hit. Then, there is Cano. He has all the talent but, is it me or does it seem that when he is put in a position to drive in runs, in other words positions in the order that demand RBI's, he struggles? I wonder if Cano doesn't like being in a run producing spot in the lineup. Hey, only three games, but we will see.
*I think Melky, on the other hand, could have a much better year than anyone was predicting. He seems to be playing really well right now, seems to have a much better idea at the plate, is drawing some walks, has gotten a few nice hits, and his defense has obviously been stellar. We always talk Hughes being the PIECE to that Santana deal but people forget Melky would have been a part of that trade as well, and we could be all thanking GOD at the end of the year that BOTH Hughes and Melky are wearing the pinstripes still.
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