18
by steve_Archive
It is a little early for such thinking, but I agree with whoever said it first, that years are divided into two seasons, baseball and The Void.
So, into the Void, i think:
The Washington Nationals of the Nation's National League in Washington DC, our Nation's Capitol, were a joy to watch the first half of this year, and I like them. They need to improve, but they have several good young players. I think they will be a .500 ball club, but I wish better for them. They need a shortstop who can hit at least a little, but they will not be able to move Guzman.
The Mets, meh. I owe somebody a steak.
Cubs, who the fuck knows. They can't seem to keep their promising arms in good health, and the rest of the team, Derek Lee aside, is unremarkable. Yes, I think Nomar will be unremarkable, unless he can return to his natural position and start hitting again. Wait, Henry Blanco is remarkable. The Cube. El Cubito. Hank White.
The Cardinals really should attempt to keep Reggie Sanders, but he has been on so many teams there may be an un-publicised reason nobody wants to keep such a seemingly solid player for more than a couple seasons. I'm sad Larry Walker is hanging it up.
The White Sox were driven this year by an engagingly-deranged manager and the sort of everybody-contribute-today enthusiasm that bodes well for them, especially if they can improve (Porco Dio! Is possible to improve!) their rotation with McCarthy, and if hitters don't catch up to Jenks. Jenks seems like K-Rod to me, in that he blew everybody's mind late in the season, but may not be as lights-out once hitters can watch film of him and get more at-bats. I still think Konerko is over-rated, and Creede, despite his post-season heroics, is a hacker. Scotty Po's base-stealing should be reserved for stealing third, which he does much more successfully than second, and I would argue that being on third is a bigger reward-for-risk than being on second is. Going first-to-third on a single, that's the business.
Detroit has a couple of young guys (especially Granderson) who are going to make them a much tougher team this year, if they get their sea-legs under them.
I don't think the Devil Rays occasional flashes of brilliance this year should be discounted. They have three or four really good young players, and I would pay to see them play. Their pitching is up the spout, however.
The Padres, while the "best" of a bad lot this year, are nothing to write home about. Kahlil Greene is an incredible player, and Peavey is a horse, but that's all she wrote.
The Twins? You are not the team I loved some years ago, and I don't like you so much any more. You remind me of the Mets.
What would I like to see happen? I would like to see the Nationals get an owner who is willing to invest in the very long term, and re-build their minor league system, which was raided routinely in the last 10 years. I would like to see them develop over the next five years into a contender, and ultimately a champion. That's what I would like to see.
I would love to see a pickup and a three-way trade that puts The Cube, Doug Mientkiewicz and Kahlil Greene on the Mariners, that's what I would like to see. Sexson can DH. That would be a death-to-flying-things and death-to-ground-balls and death-to-base-stealers team, and it would be a worthwhile exeperiment.
I still have no Number One Favorite Team, but it would be the Mariners if this happens.
Last edited by
steve_Archive on Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
steve albini
Electrical Audio
sa at electrical dot com
Quicumque quattuor feles possidet insanus est.
