Can't wait for a buddy of mine to complain that Don Mattingly is a bad manager......he is not. I'm not going to argue with that thought. I want to see Donnie Baseball succeed at the manager level, but even the finest of coaches flounder when you have incompetent general managers. And that goes for all sports, not just baseball. I'm not a Dodgers fan (I don't dislike them, I'm just indifferent) but they should be one of baseball's premier franchises. No reason why they shouldn't be at least in the NL West hunt on a yearly basis (and they often are, but they aren't the NL West's answer to NY or Boston).
I'm going to go ahead and call this right now. The single worst decision that will be made this year is the Nationals continued refusal to honor the Expos' legacy and do nothing to honor Gary Carter this year. It's made all the worse knowing Davey Johnson is their manager this year. Amazing.
I don't any other division can quite be like the AL East. But I agree with your sentiment there.......one of the bright spots during the McCourt (yes, there are some) was the team's playoff appearances in '04, '06, '08 & '09. That was more appearances in the postseason in those 6 seasons than the period from 1989-2003 (only 2 postseason berths in that span: '95 & '96). And I completely agree, Amazing. First read about the Nationals shameful ignoring/lack of acknowledgment for Carter when I read the Uni Watch blog a couple of days ago.......was shocked to read it then, and I remain shocked about it.
And now the most interesting thing I've read today (the surprisingly large contingent of Pirate fans here will either find this incredibly depressing or surprisingly uplifting, I'm not sure): As part of their Opening Day preview, Newsday shows each franchise's historic record as divisional standings. The Pirates, despite 19 straight losing seasons, are still over .500 as a franchise. Amazing.
They were a bit of a fluke last year, flirting with .500 until nearly August. I don't see them doing that this year, and being their usual mediocre selves all season long.
Yep. I'm well aware of that fact. It's almost mind boggling, but they were great for stretches of time in the 20s, 30s, 60s, and 70s.
So, I live and work in the D.C. area. Everybody at work knows that I love the Cubs. They've been bugging me all day saying the Strasburg is going to throw a perfect game or no hitter.
Saw some of the Marlins/Cards game last night... and they really need to tone down those green walls at Marlins Park.
I've been a long time lurker of this thread from the old boards and now that we're getting a fresh start, might as actually start participating! Baseball is the only sport I really follow and when it's baseball season, life is great! I know I'll probably get some groans if I say I've been a lifelong Phillies fan, but there you have it. Anyway, looking forward to an amazing season!
The Phils/Pirates game has been great. Bedard and Halladay both pitched very well. Halladay is still going.
I have a feeling that's going to be the Indians' season in a nutshell: Enough good to give hope and promise. Enough choking and idiocy to leave us scratching our heads. Enough losing to make us cry.
'Twas a niiiiiiiiiiiiice win for the Bums yesterday: Kershaw allowed no runs in his 3 innings of work (left the game due to a stomach illness), Kemp hit a 2-run homer, Dee(eeeeeeeeeeeeeee) Gordon tripled, and the bullpen (save for a Cameron Maybin home run) held serve (a 5-3 win). Unfortunately, me, my dad & a friend watched this game in the bar at Friday's, which meant no volume on TV, and hence no Vin Scully. That won't be a problem tonight.
