C’mon, Start!
Ahhh... Opening Day at last! One of the hardest things is trying to write a column and have a cartoon that relates to what you’re writing. The two just have to sync. So of course I wrote about what problems the various teams were going to face this year, from Pedro Martinez’s broken arm, The Yankees’ pursuit of number 27 (seemingly always eluding them) as Jeter grabs for the crown, the Cubs’ continuing Curse of the Billy Goat with Pinella getting rear-ended (I really like the bent horn that results), and Daisuke Matsuza trying to get his Red Sox on but tearing right through them. Oh, and of course, Clemens’ rocket won’t start. One of the other changes that I started to make was that the inside of the character’s mouths are no longer black, but a pink hue like you see in anime.
Geoff the Ref
Monday, April 2, 2007
"Geoff the Ref"
Open Season
By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv
Now the games count. New York is now a baseball town again, not that it ever really wasn't. Nothing is better than the pageantry and anticipation of Opening Day. Mets fans got their fix last night with a 6-1 win over the reigning World Series Champion Cardinals, and the Yankees will have their time in the sun up in the Bronx today. While every fan and every team always looks for the ultimate prize at the end of October, we see a plethora of sights along the way. "It's not the destination, but the journey," someone said. Here's your chance to see my take on some of the stories you'll be hearing about all season, and respond with some thoughts of your own.
Amazin' Repeat
The Mets are no longer that "other New York team," vying for the scraps from the Yankees' table. While they have their own version of Murderer's Row (minus Cano), and can certainly power their way into the post-season, their rotation continues to be what many have concerns about. Pedro Martinez is out until at least the All-Star game, and possibly August with a rotator cuff injury and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez is getting more cortisone shots for a right hamstring, leaving Tom Glavine as the ace. If the Amazins can get to first place and hold it with the help of Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, and John Maine, they'll be in fine shape once they get to the post-season.
Yankees pursuit of No. 27
As the song says, there's a lot riding on this. The Yankees are built to capture the AL East again, but the playoffs are a whole different animal as we saw in 2006. If the Bombers fail to win the World Series again, or at the very least get into the Fall Classic, manager Joe Torre will be joining Bernie Williams in retirement, and Alex Rodriguez may exercise his opt-out clause and head to Chicago, which may or may not be a good thing.
Daisuke Matsuzaka
$103 million is no small amount to spend on an arm from across the Pacific. If he lives up to the hype, it's a boon to Beantown and he could win 15- 20 games. If not, well... you've got A-Rod in his bad year(s). The pluses are that he's got a variety of pitches, including a 96-mph fastball, a slider, changeup and that gyroball thing. But in Spring training he's issued a lot of walks, and shown wildness on occasion.
Rocketman
Roger Clemens will be coming back, but everyone's wondering if it will be with the Astros, Red Sox, or Yankees. Three Astros pitchers (RHP Jason Hirsh, RHP Russ Springer, and LHP Andy Pettitte) have all jumped ship, and without Clemens, they'll be the bottom-feeder this year. If the Rocket is serious about working for a contender, that leaves Boston and New York. Clemens will be back in pinstripes because of several factors. First, never underestimate the pull of his old friends Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Pettite, and Co. Second, if Clemens ever puts on a Red Sox uniform, New York fans will never forgive him. It's as simple as that.
Bonds surpassing Aaron
Expect some sort of daily countdown to appear wherever you happen to get your sporting news as Barry Bonds clobbers his way closer to Hank Aaron's record of 755 career home runs. As of right now, Bonds is 21 back, standing at 734 as the season begins. Some people aren't going to like it when Bonds does break the record because of the allegations surrounding him, but it will be celebrated in some way as he is one of three men who make up the 700-club.
For reference, see Billy Crystal's movie 61* about the pursuit of Babe Ruth's single-season home run record and how it affected both Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who owned the record until Mark McGwire broke it with 70 in 1998, and was himself surpassed by Bonds in 2001 with 73.
Final Whistle
Both New York teams exercised a lot of financial restraint this off-season, neither landing a huge, huge player. That leaves them with plenty of cash to spend during the regular season, up to the July trade deadline. Look for something big to transpire by July. Bonds hit 26 homers in 2006, expect him to break the record sometime by late August, early September. The Cardinals won't repeat as World Series champs. Even though the Cubs dropped a ton of cash this off-season, the Curse of the Billygoat will still be around. Both the Yanks and Mets will be in the postseason again, but as for a Subway Series? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, but here's hoping. Keep your fingers crossed.
Wanna argue with the Ref? Don't like the call? Go ahead and make your own!
