Nothing too exciting

I'm very bored of Spring Training. I'm ready for the season to start. Only six days until Opening Day at Texas. This offseason feels like it has been so long compared to the 2004-2005 offseason, which was pretty much a five-month celebration.

My dad is going to New Zealand some time soon to do God knows what, but he says he's using the money he's earning for speaking there to buy us a new HDTV and the Extra Innings package. It looks like I'll be spending quite a many evenings at my parents' house, instead of listening to the games on the internet. I welcome the thought of getting to see Jerry Remy on NESN every night.

I read a column today that broke my heart.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview06/columns/story?columnist=caple_jim&id=2385486



(Sorry I still haven't figured out the whole HTML thing, just humor me and copy and paste).

It's Jim Caple's take on the Cubbies' chances this year. I hope to God the Chicago Cubs win the World Series this year, even if it comes at the expense of the Red Sox. Reading Russ Hibler's story of following the Cubs for 80 years was heart-breaking. It reminds me Sox fans pre-2004. Diehards like Hibler deserve to celebrate a World Series win before they kick the bucket.

Arroyo + Vinatieri gone

Let's start out with Adam Vinatieri. I think, deep down, I knew that the Patriots weren't going to be able to re-sign Adam. It sucks. This offseason has been abysmal for the Pats. I'm sick of that In Belichick/Pioli we trust bullshit-- I want some real moves, and I want them now. We're sitting around while other NFL teams are getting better. We just let the best kicker in the history of the NFL walk away to a team that is becoming our biggest rival (Colts). Losing Vinatieri sucks, and yes, I am a little bitter that he picked to sign with one of the NFL teams that I hate the most. AV never gave off that mercenary vibe that Johnny Damon, a Boras client, always did. So losing him is sort of a suckerpunch. Some guys are talking about replacing him with Olindo Mare, which scares the living crap out of me. I think that Adam is irreplaceable right now, but hopefully the Patriots have a plan for the future.

Right now, the team is sitting at 20 million dollars under the salary cap, with nobody to spend it on (unless you believe that Ray Lewis to the Pats rumor). I don't understand why this team didn't franchise Adam when they had the chance. I don't understand how they are letting all of the superstars who won us three Super Bowls in four years just walk away.

Still, Adam is an "indoor" kicker. He's always had more success indoors. Statistics don't lie-- he's never missed a PAT indoors (97.9% outdoors). In his career, he's only hit 7 of 16 from 50+ outdoors. He's made 94.4% of all of his indoor FGs. Compare that with only 80.4% outdoors (Mike Vanderjagt has nearly identical indoor/outdoor FG % made). Adam is in his waning years, but he will thrive in the RCA Dome. It's unfortunate that he will never win a Super Bowl with Manning QBing that team though.

They sky is not falling. Life will go on. I can't understand what the Patriots were thinking, but I've got to think that because we are indeed the Patriots, they have a plan.

_____________________________________

In other news, Bronson Arroyo was traded yesterday. Dealing Bronson was inevitable, and here's why. I cursed him. A month ago, I saw Bronson play a concert at Po' Boys, and I got his autograph and what not. You see, everytime I get a Sox player's autograph, they are traded within the year. Sometimes it only takes a week before they're gone. In 1998, I got Jim Leyrtiz' autograph at a Tampa Bay-Sox game, only to see him traded to San Diego the very next day. I cursed John "Way Back" Wasdin and Brian Daubach. A month after I got both of their autographs, they were traded. My biggest curse was Nomar Garciaparra. A year after I got his autograph for the second time, he was traded to the Cubs. There are several more, but I can't think of them right now. The bottom line is that it is my fault that Bronson was traded.

I think I like this deal. I'm pretty sure I do. My heart feels bad for Bronson. He took a hometown discount to stay in Boston. He loved the city, loved the fans, loved the music scene, loved working with Theo. He had some quotes that were pretty depressing today in the paper:

"Theo [Epstein] called me, as soon as I saw his name come up on my [cell phone] I figured he traded me. Yeah, definitely surprising. I always knew it was a possibility just because I'm a young guy who's got a pretty low salary, but I still didn't think he'd trade me, either.”

"“I said all along I'd rather pitch out of the pen here than start somewhere else. I still feel that way right now. But it's good knowing that I'll get 33-35 starts and not have to worry about being left out of the rotation. Still doesn't change the fact that I want to play in this uniform.”

On what was it about Boston and the team that made him want to sign that contract:

"Just, you know, going to Fenway Park 81 times a year, man. There's an excitement in that place I'm not going to get anywhere in the National League except maybe Wrigley. So that was the No. 1 thing. And then, just the group of guys we've had that a lot of 'em still here, pitching to Varitek. I felt like Boston was my second home and I hadn’t felt that way about any other place I've ever played. So, you know, stuff kind of being uprooted. You feel like you're being ripped out of your home. That's the way the game is.”

I'm glad that Arroyo appreciates that that that is the business of pro sports. I genuinely feel bad for the kid, but we've got enough pitching for two teams right now, and he was expendable. He came here after being designated for assignment, and now he has a 3-year contract and a World Series ring.

I welcome Wily Mo Peña into Boston with open arms. He's a guy who could replace Trot or Manny in a few years if he ever learns a thing or two about plate discipline. He's got major power, and he's probably now our best power prospect in the Sox organization. He hit 19 home runs in only 311 ABs last year. He's only 24, which means we can still mold him into the hitter that most organizations believe he has the potential to be. You also have to think that having two other Dominicans, Manny and David, can only help the kid mature into a great hitter. Next year, he can be Trot's platoon man. His career OPS against LHP is .881, which shows amazing production. Peña's got a good arm, but is sub-par defensively, which could be ugly in Fenway's huge right field. ESPN's scouting report says that Peña has the potential to hit 40 homers, which is exciting if it pans out.

Here's Baseball Primer's take on Wily Mo:

"Pena's pathetic OBP is tolerable if he continues to maintain a slugging percentage near .500 or higher. Against RHP last year, he only batted .234/.282/.468, which still is excellent power against them, but a sub-.300 OBP is concerning. He probably doesn't want to become part of a platoon at the age of 24, but given the lack of depth by the Reds, he doesn't need to worry about that.

He's a liability in the OF except for his arm, which means his power at the plate is all that he has right now. If he can maintain it, he should receive more respect from pitchers, and his walk rate might increase if he can accept keeping his bat on his shoulder when he doesn't have a good pitch to hit."

Some Sox fans I know are being incredibly critical of this move. On paper, Wily Mo seems like a one-dimensional hitter. And there's that, "You can never have too much pitching" cliché. Yes, I'd rather Clement have been traded instead of Arroyo, but you have to take what you can get. This should work out well for the Red Sox, but I'm only cautiously optimistic that Peña will ever be a great hitter.

We'll miss you, Bronson. Anytime "one of the 25" leave Boston, you have to feel a little sad.

some Boston-related ramblings and Spring Training

Continuing over from the Willie McGinest entry, I thought the statement that he released through his agent on Friday just epitomized his class. He said:

"I would like to thank the New England fans, players, media and organization for all of their support during my time with the Patriots. The last 12 years of my life have been nothing short of spectacular, and there will always be a special place in my heart for the Patriots. That being said, I am extremely excited about starting a new chapter of my life in Cleveland. To all of you in the New England area who have laughed, cried and celebrated with me and the Patriots over the past 12 years, thank you. I will always cherish those memories, and I will miss you."

Perhaps Johnny "Judas" Damon could take a few pointers on how you leave Boston with dignity and class. All Johnny did was run his mouth and pour salt in our wounds for a month before he decided to take out an ad in The Globe thanking us. Too little, too late, Johnny. I wish I could be at Fenway when the Yankees first come to town, so I could stand up and boo that man. Guys like Dave Roberts, Derek Lowe, Bill Mueller and even Pedro Martinez will never have to buy another meal in the city of Boston again. It's not too difficult to leave Boston on good terms with the fans-- especially if you've helped win us a World Series for the first time in 86 years. Unfortunately, Johnny managed to completely tarnish his reputation here by not even thanking Boston fans at his NYY signing press conference.

At the Blue Jays-Sox Spring Training game yesterday, this guy walks by with a shirt that says "JOHNNY SUCKS" and "TRAITOR 18" on the back. He got a standing ovation from Sox fans. I'm sure he bought it from those same vendors who hawk t-shirts like "Posada is a little bitch" and "Jeter sucks A-Rod" to fans outside Fenway Park.

The game was quite fun though. If anything, it's nice to be surrounded by obnoxious New Englanders who don't pronounce their Rs and think "wicked" is an adverb to describe anything. And by obnoxious, I mean completely charming. I wore my "Real Women Don't Date Yankee Fans" tank top and got quite a few thumbs-ups and smiles. One Yankee fan stopped me and said, "Aw, isn't that a shame?" The same guy was drilled by a foul ball in the stands a few innings later... proof that God does indeed hate the Yankees.

The game was wicked hot. Most of the snowbirds couldn't last the whole game because the sun was just beating down on us. As acclimated Floridians, we toughed it out though, with the sunburns to prove it. We saw Santa Fe High School's own Lenny DiNardo pitch 3 scoreless innings (39 pitches). Lenny needs to have a good year because he's one of only two LOOGYs that we have. (That's Lefty One Out GuY if you aren't savy with baseball abbreviations). DiNardo picked up the win, allowing only two hits, while striking out two.

The Sox, and I use the term loosely because most of these guys won't make the Major League roster, got to Blue Jays' starter AJ Burnett early. I don't have an inning-by-inning recap, but they scored 2 in the first on a collection of hits by Adam "O Canada" Stern, Willie Harris and JT Snow (who by the way, wears the coolest number in baseball, 84, in honor of his dad).

Snow and Stern had awesome games, although Snow's ended early when he was ejected by the home plate umpire for arguing balls and strikes. He wouldn't stop yapping after his K, and when he went to take the field to play 1B the next inning, the umpire ejected him. You really have to try hard to get ejected in a Spring Training game, but Snow managed the feat.

Seeing Enrique Wilson was pretty f-ing funny. I will always equate Enrique Wilson with the infamous night with Manny Ramirez at the Ritz Carlton. Manny was "too sick to play," yet someone in the media found out that he had been out drinking with Wilson, a Yankee at the time, the night before. I don't expect Enrique Wilson to make the team, as we already have 2 capable third basemen in Lowell and Youkilus. Wilson had a homer off Scott Schoeneweis in the 4th inning, as did Adam Stern. Stern finished a triple short of the cycle. He's having a hell of a Spring Training, if you count how he played with the Canadians in the WBC. Good for Adam. He'll compete with Dustan Mohr for the fourth outfielder (Trot Nixon contingency plan) spot.

The pitchers we saw for the Sox weren't spectacular. Dave Riske, who we obtained in the Coco Crisp deal from the Indians, was terrible. He only managed 1.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, 4 ER and walking two. He's having a pitiful Spring Training.

We also saw Rudy Seanez, the well-traveled setup man who the Sox signed this offseason. Seanez pitched one perfect inning, striking out one Blue Jay.

Other than that, the game was fairly uneventful. AJ Burnett did leave in the top of the second with an apparent injury. I read later that it was an elbow problem. An MRI today showed no significant damage though. Regardless, he pitched like garbage in the first inning against the Sox, and I hope that continues on through the 2006 season. Color me crazy, but I think the Blue Jays made a big mistake in giving him a $55 million, five-year deal.

Pictures from the game are on my dad's digital camera. If they turned out good, I'll add them later. So if you're one of about three people who read this blog, come back and look for an update sometime soon.

In football news...

I know that this was supposed to be a baseball blog, but there isn't much exciting going on in baseball except every Red Sox pitcher sucking some serious ass in Spring Training.

The Patriots lost Willie McGinest today, and I'm really bummed. Willie Mac was a Patriot for 12 seasons. We non-bandwagon Patriot fans, who have been following his career since he was drafted, are feeling this loss pretty hard. Christ, I remember writing a poem about how ferocious a linebacker #55 was in the seventh grade. He and Tedy anchored the defenses that won us three Super Bowls.

Willie will be reunited with big Ted Washington, and of course the one and only Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. I can't say I disagree with the Patriots not matching the salary that the Browns are offering-- I think it's $12 million over three years, plus $6 million dollars in bonuses and guarantees. The Browns have the money to spend, few upcoming, young free agents to deal with, and most importantly-- the need for a guy like Willie behind the scenes. You really can't knock Cleveland, Willie or the Patriots for this deal happening.

From the perspective of a fan, I truly hoped the Patriots could have helped Willie retire in New England, though. As cliché as it sounds, he always played with his heart and soul, and he never pulled any of that Terrell Owens holding-out bullshit. His presence will be missed in the locker room more than anywhere, in my opinion.

The Patriots also lost David Givens to the Titans, for money he is well worth to them and not to us. He'll be missed too, but not as much as 55.

Now all we need to do is work on re-signing ADAM VINATIERI (a MUST-DO), and extending Richard Seymour and Deion Branch. I swear on my life, I will start questioning my loyalty to this team for the first time in years if we let Adam Vinatieri slip away.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled baseball blog. I'm off to Spring Training on Saturday to see the Minor League Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays. It should be good fun. Also, the Gators open their SEC series against Arkansas this weekend at the Mac. Come out and support your Gator baseball team as they defend their SEC title.

World Baseball Classic

George and I had a great time in Orlando last night watching the Dominicans stay unbeaten at the World Baseball Classic. They defeated Australia 6-4.

We really just went for the atmosphere and to hang out with a bunch of crazy Hispanic people for a few hours, so the fact that we got some autographs and saw a decent game was just bonus.

To tell you the truth, it was hard to pay attention to the game with all of the screaming, dancing, drum-beating Dominicans being so rowdy from long before the first pitch was thrown, until well after we left. Those people have WAY too much energy. I was telling George that it reminded me a lot of a European soccer game. Except here, I don't think any of the fans really cared much about the outcome, as the Dominicans had already clinched a spot in the second round of the WBC. Of course, we all went nuts when Pujols, Ortiz and Tejada batted though.

The Dominican fans were awesome-- this old lady who I guess is a grounds keeper was running around waving a Dominican flag, and everyone out on the lawn would start chanting "LA VIEJA LA VIEJA" which roughly translates to "GO OLD WOMAN!" They would pick out random gringas and teach them how to salsa and merengue between innings. I swear, those Dominicanos know how to have a good time. And they are incredibly baseball-knowlegeable. I'm bad with recognizing faces, so before the game a lot of them let George and I know who various players were.

I'm jumping around a bit... but before the game we were fortunate enough to get Moises Alou to sign for us. We had given up trying to get autographs on the Dominican side of the field, because it was just a mad house. At one point, Ortiz came over to talk with a woman he knew, and I nearly got trampled. I didn't even get to take a picture because I think a bunch of random Dominicans were trying to kill me. So we left and went over by the Australian dugout. Some cute Aussie pitcher gave me a baseball, which was nice of him. I loved George's line-- "You're a girl, you could get anything you want from him." George got a baseball as well. We saw Ronnie Belliard getting interviewed by the Spanish media about 5 feet away from us, which was pretty cool. He wouldn't sign though... jackass. Then Moises came over and signed autographs for about 20 minutes. He litteraly signed for EVERY single kid who wanted his signature. George and I got both balls signed, plus the Dominican flag, which he was happy to sign for two American kids. I'm hopefully going to fill up that flag with signatures in the upcoming future, as I have tickets to a ton of Red Sox games this year in Tampa Bay/Fenway.

At one point before the game George got bored, and we saw a guy wearing jersey no. 51 signing back over by the Dominican dugout. He asked me who it was, and for some reason I blanked out and thought Bernie Williams was Dominican and not Puerto Rican. So he ran off to get the autograph of "Bernie Williams," who really ended up being a coach. In between all of that mess, we ended up meeting and getting the signature of JUAN MARICHAL, probably the greatest Giants pitcher of all time. That was SO awesome. He signed my baseball right on the sweet spot: "Juan Marichal HOF '83." He was a really nice guy too. What a great experience. Unfortunately we didn't have the camera with us when we ran into Marichal. But just picture an old, decrepit-looking Spanish man, and that's him. I went home and had my dad tell me all about Marichal's career. He told me how he was one of the most fun pitchers to watch, because he was just so dominant and got everyone out. Plus he had that awesome high leg-kick delivery. I guess I would compare his dominance to the Pedro Martinez, cerca '99-'02. I looked up his stats at some site. I had no idea Marichal played a season for the Red Sox. He was washed-up by then, but that was my new fact that I learned today.

After the game commenced, nothing terribly exciting happened... except of course for dancing and singing with all the crazy Dominicans. I tried to take pictures, but once it got dark, my camera didn't cooperate well. My zoom feature doesn't cooperate in the dark for some reason. So I am going to post a ton of pictures (with comments) so that you can see what the atmosphere was like.

I really hope this WBC idea works, because we had such an awesome time. I'd love to go back next time the event is held. It was a great way to kick off Spring Break...

These pictures aren't in any particular order.



Here's Moises Alou signing. He was a really nice fellow:


Best.Sign.Ever. See, even his own countrymen hate him.



The poor man who took this picture spoke no English. So George didn't know when to smile. Way to ruin a great picture of me, Jorge.



This was before the game, when they brought out the flags for each country represented in our Pool.



And all of the players lined up during the flag ceremony:



A shot of the fans in the lawn on the third base side, where we were sitting. They were incredible.



Another fan shot. This time you can see them all playing the drums. MLB had to have made a fortune off of merchandise sales. Everyone there had purchased Dominican jerseys or t-shirts.



The flag's backwards, but I think this will be my new facebook picture:



Aquí se habla béisbol:



If my camera weren't so shitty, you'd be seeing a great picture of Ortiz swinging here:



Ortiz fielding during BP. I love Papi!



Deep down, David Ortiz has a Gold Glove-winning first baseman inside of him.



My two favorite baseball players, David Ortiz and Albert Pujols, during BP. Again, sorry for the crappy photo quality.



Ronnie Belliard, Indians 3B, being interviewed by guys from ESPN Deportes, I think.



Migui Tejada.

O Canada

The World Baseball Classic is heating up...

...and I may just be the only one in the world who cares. It's been fun, to say the least.

I enjoyed watching the United States get their asses handed to them by Canada today. While the score was close in the end, Canada almost mercy-ruled the U.S. in the early innings.

My boy Adam Stern had a hell of a game-- 2 amazing outfield catches, a double shy of the cycle, an inside the park homerun, 4 RBI. Give the Canadian a roster spot! He also went 2-3 in Canada's first game.

Jason Varitek had a grand slam in America's losing effort. I'm sure all Red Sox fans out there were thinking the same thing as me: Why the hell can't you do that with the bases loaded in REAL games, Tek? As of right now, Varitek has something like the lowest batting average in baseball with the bases loaded with a required number of plate appearances. He only has ONE career grand slam, and that was last season. Before that, he led the majors in most career bases loaded plate appearances without a home run (grand slam). Regardless, his homer was a bomb. Ernie Whitt, the Canadian manager, brought in a lefty to turn 'Tek around and have him hit righty. Apparently, he didn't get the scouting report. Everyone else in America knew what was going to happen. (Or maybe it was just me?)

Given the typical idiocy of ESPN announcers, whoever called the grand slam said, "Red Sox fans out there won't be surprised to see that." Uhhh, how about a stat check on Tek's career grand slams, ESPN? I was also absolutely shocked that yesterday, Harold Reynolds said David Ortiz's Dominican Republican home run was the "greatest home run of his career." Apparently neither Game 4 nor Game 7 of the ALCS-- games that actually counted--crossed his mind.

After Tek's grand slam, your updated Boston Red Sox in the World Baseball Classic statistics are an ungodly:

.750/.786/2.667 = 3.452 OPS
7 runs, 12 RBI in 14 PA

Not bad.

So here's where we stand in the United States' pool:

The U.S. will NOT make the second round if Mexico beats Canada 1-0 tomorrow. If Mexico is to beat Canada (which they could because Esteban Loaiza will likely pitch), the US, Canada and Mexico would be tied at 2-1 records, and 1-1 against each other. That is the first tiebreaker. The second tiebreaker is runs allowed. The U.S. has allowed a total of 8 runs total to the two other teams. Mexico allowed 2 to the U.S.; Canada 6 so far. So if Mexico beats Canada 1-0, 2-0, or 2-1, it would go:

Mexico 2
Canada 7
U.S. 8

...and our darling American team would be eliminated. The U.S. can also be eliminated if South Africa puts up a substantial number of runs on us. But that is all just really confusing, and I'm a journalism major, not a mathematician.

As much as I would like the cocky, Yankee-filled U.S. team to be eliminated in the first round, it wouldn't be good for the future of this World Baseball Classic. As the finals are in San Diego, revenue would plummet because fewer spectators would go, and the TV ratings would probably drop with the Americans out. We may never see another WBC if the United States can't advance out of their pool.

But from the perspective of a Dominican fan, I am enjoying this classic quite a bit. I'm going to the game Friday in my David Ortiz-supporting attire. Yo seré la fanática con la bandera dominicana, gritando con mucho fuerte por mi Papi y Albert Pujols. ¡Qué viva la República Dominicana!

Why does this gringita have a Dominican flag? For occasions like this. It should be great fun.

In other news, I just finished my article on sabermetrics. It's good, I think. I'll post it when I get some feedback from my professor. I think I probably did twice as much work as other people had to do, because my entire article is expert testimony on sabermetrics. Instead of just looking up statistics to verify a trend, I had to really dig deep to find people who knew anything about the topic. I should get extra credit for that.

Bonds

The straw that broke the camel's back has just emerged in the Barry Bonds-steroids saga. Sports Illustrated has released an excerpt from a new book, Game of Shadows by two SF Chronicle reporters, that has hardcore evidence that Bonds repeatedly used steroids, beginning in 1998.

I'm sure Barry will vehemently deny everything that these authors allege. But at this point, these are no longer allegations. I am left with NO doubt in my mind that Barry Bonds cheated the game of baseball. Barry's steroid use can no longer be called speculation by any reasonable standard.

I am outraged as a fan that he continues to attack the media, claiming racism and a personal vendetta against him. This man used steroids, and it's about time that Selig did something about it. I can't believe Barry had the indecency to do a press conference with his son sitting next to him, attacking the media and saying how we (the media) really got what we wanted.

So what do we do?

Let's wipe out his records. His 73 home runs in a season is now a worthless record. Letting him pass Ruth (714) and eventually Aaron (755) is a disgrace to the pure hitters in baseball who never had the advantage of PEDs.

These allegations had better not be just another "PR" hit to Bonds' reputation. I want real action. I want Selig and Major League Baseball to come out and condemn Bonds. I want him to be forced into retirement. I want him to never play another game of baseball in his career.

I am deeply saddened by the hits that my beloved game continues to take, due to assclowns like Barry Bonds. Today is a very dark and sad day for the game of baseball.

Spring Training commences

I've been getting behind with updating this thing. I'm working on a lot of stuff for classes. Anyway, my Sox have dropped their first 2 Spring Training games. I really couldn't care less. I think Spring Training is meaningless. It's just a way for young guys to prove they belong on the team, for fans to get acquainted with new faces, and the new faces on the team to get acquainted with each other.

Spring Training for the Sox began on Thursday night. We lost to the Twins 6-3. We had a scary moment in the first when SP Jonathan Papelbon took a line drive off his foot. It was bleeding, Curt Schilling style. He stayed in the game, and Tony Graffanino bailed him out with a sweet DP ball. Pap finished with a line of: 1.2 , 4 , 2 , 2 , 1, 1 and left the game having thrown 37 pitches. Papelbon said in a WEEI interview after the game that he thought at first his ankle was shattered, and he would miss 3-6 months. Luckily, it appears the injury is nowhere near that serious.
Coco Crisp ended up 3-3, a homer shy of the cycle. I'm really expecting BIG things from him this year. I think he's going to be a solid replacement for Damon and then some. You watch, Red Sox Nation. Coco Crisp is going to pleasantly surprise you-- and I'm never wrong.
David Murphy, Theo Epstein's first draft pick, if I'm not mistaken (too lazy to look it up), finished with 4 strikeouts. If he's trying to earn a spot on the team, it's not working.


Today, we dropped a game to the Pirates 7-6. This one was on NESN, and it pains me that I couldn't watch it. Edgar Martinez took the loss. It looks like mostly scrubs started the game. Nice to see Loretta go 2-2 though. Alejandro Machado had 2 ribbies on a hit. Arroyo started the game, going only 1.2 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 5 hits. Not so hot, Bronson-- maybe he played a show last night? The only other pitcher of any significance who threw was Craig Hansen, who walked two, K'd 1 and gave up no ERs.

So, if you're keeping score at home, we've started spring training 0-2. It could be worse-- we could be the Yankees, who are 0-3. Like I said, ST is pointless.

In other news, Manny actually showed up last week. That was awfully nice of him to take time out of his busy schedule to report to Spring Training. I wonder what the hell he was thinking, or if he was thinking at all, for that matter. I'm not sure much goes on upstairs in the head of Manuel Ramirez.

I'm starting to regret buying these Dominican WBC tickets. It seems like the Dominicans lost their entire team in the span of a week- Manny, Pedro, Vlad Guerrero and Aramis Ramirez all dropped out last week. At least we're still going to see Papi and Albert Pujols, which will hopefully make the 2-hour drive to Orlando worthwhile.

And I think this story is pretty crazy-- the Yankees actually put up a sign in Spring Training to apologize to their fans that all of their superstars are gone competing in the World Baseball Classic. I don't know how to do link things in this blog, but there is the story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/worldclassic2006/news/story?id=2354461

What a ridiculous, Yankee-like thing to do. These players are off representing their respective countries, and the Yankees are whining and bitching about it. Probably because they think less fans are going to buy tickets to Spring Training if Jeter and co. aren't around. The fact that my two favorite Sox players, Tek and Papi, won't be in Spring Training isn't stopping me from going to 2 games over Spring Break. I wish George Steinbrenner would just hurry up and die. (Yes, it's my blog, and I can say things like that).

I'd continue rambling about baseball, but I want to watch the Duke-UNC game. It's the only rivalry in sports that comes close to New York-Boston.