Monday, April 16, 2007

Red Sox 7, Angels 2

Filed under my "One time until I die" list is attending a Red Sox game on Patriots Day, then rushing from Fenway to catch the last of the Boston Marathon.

But that's not why I note today's game.

Josh Beckett is 3-0. Dice-K should be 2-0, save for the best-pitched game of the year by Felix Hernandez. If Curt Schilling figures it out . . . if the Sox have Beckett, Dice-K and Schilling in the rotatin, with Papelbon to close . . .

. . . if JD Drew stays healthy enough to bat behind Papi and Manny . . .

Oh, crap.

Look. The Hell. Out.

This with Moose and (knock me over with a feather) Pavano headed to the DL.

And Pettitte (and really, what are his chances of pitching so much as 200 innings this season?) not due to pitch until Friday.

Look, I know the Yankees are famously ginger with their pitchers, on the theory that since they'll be close in September anyway, why not sit someone who's not right?

I've not felt this since 1995, when the Yanks saved their season by acquiring David Cone for the September run. Not when they started 11-19 in 2005. Not when Jeter separated his shoulder on Opening Day, 2003. I didn't think what I think now.

This season could be trouble.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think it's time we addressed something I like to call "The Yankee Effect". It's my belief that Yankee pinstripes give the Bronx Bombers the illusion of being better than they really are and a lot younger too. A former Diamondback in pinstripes is still a former Diamondback (Brian Bruney, Randy Johnson, Mike Myers, Karim Garcia).

For years we've heard how good the Yanks are, especially their prospects. But are they really? we know about Robinson Cano but Melky Cabrera? Sounds like a fancy name for Ricky Ledee to me. The announcers buy into it and so do Yankee fans.

Let's face it. Yankee prospects used to be great, but the well has dried up as fast as this years bullpen is getting worn out. The next generation of minor leaguers looks okay. One of the young arms might even be made of pure gold. Only time will tell, and that time is coming fast.

I think the lofty expectations should be lowered, a lot. The Yankees are very good, but so are a handful of other teams. It's going to come down to bullpens and depth. Which AL team has the talent, health and money(money = depth) to outlast the other? It's all about the last three innings with the Yanks.

The next week or so will show us what these Yanks are really made of. How good will the Bombers' patchwork pitching staff be? And while they're busy mending the pitching staff, they might want to think about patching up their error prone gloves.

So just dial it down a notch or two Yankee fans. The guys in pinstripes are just as good as a handful of other teams.

I only wish the San Diego Padres could be just "that" good.

-Blue