MID-SEASON JITTERS
Ok, I'm getting nervous about the big picture. That is, the entire 2005 season. Let's face it. We follow baseball for many reasons, but we follow seasons for only two: division championships and World Series rings.
This is the time of the year when I start expanding my game-by-game, team-by-team knowledge. It gets a bit overwhelming by September, but it's also great fun. For example, last night, I watched the Yankees/Orioles game because I can no longer ignore how damned good Baltimore is (and my baby sister loves them). I studied the White Sox closely during their recent interleague contest with the Cubs. I have to pay closer attention to the talents of the Mets, Braves, Marlins, and Phillies since they all nag at the heels of the Nationals. It's time to start watching Cardinals and Red Sox games (although I'm so familiar with their superpowers from 2004 I don't know what new things I'll learn), while keeping an eye on Minnesota and Cleveland.
With 75 games played, we're nearing the season's halfway point. It's no time to write anyone off, or to get too gloaty about my favorite teams' successes.
CUBS
The damnable and magical thing about the Cubs is that quite literally anything could happen between now and the end of the season. Will Nomar return? Will Woods and Prior survive their comebacks and play until the end? Will Neifi finally perform consistently for an entire season? There are just so many factors in play in Chicago, I couldn't begin to soothsage.
Let's face it—with Derek and Aramis busting loose behind the cover of Zambrano, Prior, and Wood, the Cubs could take on anyone. Jeromy Burnitz, Jerry Hairston, Michael Barrett, and Todd Walker are in relatively fine form, with room for improvement.
NATIONALS
The Nationals have proved one thing. You have to pay attention to their strategic brilliance. They lack power...that's their greatest weakness. They've more than made up for this with smashing starter, relieving, and closing pitching, plus terrific defense in the field. But pitching and defense will not edge them past powerhouses like the Cardinals, Red Sox, Orioles, or Angels. They have to play a whole heap of big ball to compete with those teams. I can see the Nationals and Braves duking it out for the division title, and possibly taking it. That, in itself, would satisfy me for this season. With added batting power, they could even hold up admirably in an LCS against the Padres. Whether they can withstand the Cardinals is to be seen. I don't think they're close to that caliber. Yet.
In their only contest so far, the Cubs had to commit 6 pitchers in a single game to win one out of three against Washington. I think these two teams have much more in common than their division positions (mis)lead us to believe. Think about it. There is no equivalent of the Cardinals in the NL east. Pound for pound, the Nationals and Cubs play similar baseball. If I were to be utterly honest about it, the Nationals are a wildcard team with no one sitting on their heads (a la Cardinals/Cubs). But maybe that's just me starting to lower my expectations. Did I mention jitters?
GIANTS
It's highly unlikely the Giants will do anything special this year. Barry Bonds isn't coming back until next season. If he comes back before that, it will be just to make up for the spring training he missed. Armando Benitez might return and wipe out the bullpen's torpor, but he can't be fully effective while torpor-makers like Kirk Reuter infect the rotation.
The team is in complete disarray, working tomorrow's stars (Linden, Ellison, Niekro) so hard they might give up baseball for accounting. We've lost Marquis Grissom, may he retire in blissful peace with his three-thousand children. Felipe Alou is caught with nothing to manage. His son is doing so well that the team would do well to trade him for two people with half his talent to fill out the roster's bald spots.
AND THEN THERE'S THAT TRADING THING
I'll feel much more authoritative once the July trading season has passed. That always reveals some pretty damned surprising things.
Until then, I'll just pay close attention and play little fantasy leagues in my own head and hope that something fascinating comes to a head between now and October.
God, I love baseball.
This is the time of the year when I start expanding my game-by-game, team-by-team knowledge. It gets a bit overwhelming by September, but it's also great fun. For example, last night, I watched the Yankees/Orioles game because I can no longer ignore how damned good Baltimore is (and my baby sister loves them). I studied the White Sox closely during their recent interleague contest with the Cubs. I have to pay closer attention to the talents of the Mets, Braves, Marlins, and Phillies since they all nag at the heels of the Nationals. It's time to start watching Cardinals and Red Sox games (although I'm so familiar with their superpowers from 2004 I don't know what new things I'll learn), while keeping an eye on Minnesota and Cleveland.
With 75 games played, we're nearing the season's halfway point. It's no time to write anyone off, or to get too gloaty about my favorite teams' successes.
CUBS
The damnable and magical thing about the Cubs is that quite literally anything could happen between now and the end of the season. Will Nomar return? Will Woods and Prior survive their comebacks and play until the end? Will Neifi finally perform consistently for an entire season? There are just so many factors in play in Chicago, I couldn't begin to soothsage.
Let's face it—with Derek and Aramis busting loose behind the cover of Zambrano, Prior, and Wood, the Cubs could take on anyone. Jeromy Burnitz, Jerry Hairston, Michael Barrett, and Todd Walker are in relatively fine form, with room for improvement.
NATIONALS
The Nationals have proved one thing. You have to pay attention to their strategic brilliance. They lack power...that's their greatest weakness. They've more than made up for this with smashing starter, relieving, and closing pitching, plus terrific defense in the field. But pitching and defense will not edge them past powerhouses like the Cardinals, Red Sox, Orioles, or Angels. They have to play a whole heap of big ball to compete with those teams. I can see the Nationals and Braves duking it out for the division title, and possibly taking it. That, in itself, would satisfy me for this season. With added batting power, they could even hold up admirably in an LCS against the Padres. Whether they can withstand the Cardinals is to be seen. I don't think they're close to that caliber. Yet.
In their only contest so far, the Cubs had to commit 6 pitchers in a single game to win one out of three against Washington. I think these two teams have much more in common than their division positions (mis)lead us to believe. Think about it. There is no equivalent of the Cardinals in the NL east. Pound for pound, the Nationals and Cubs play similar baseball. If I were to be utterly honest about it, the Nationals are a wildcard team with no one sitting on their heads (a la Cardinals/Cubs). But maybe that's just me starting to lower my expectations. Did I mention jitters?
GIANTS
It's highly unlikely the Giants will do anything special this year. Barry Bonds isn't coming back until next season. If he comes back before that, it will be just to make up for the spring training he missed. Armando Benitez might return and wipe out the bullpen's torpor, but he can't be fully effective while torpor-makers like Kirk Reuter infect the rotation.
The team is in complete disarray, working tomorrow's stars (Linden, Ellison, Niekro) so hard they might give up baseball for accounting. We've lost Marquis Grissom, may he retire in blissful peace with his three-thousand children. Felipe Alou is caught with nothing to manage. His son is doing so well that the team would do well to trade him for two people with half his talent to fill out the roster's bald spots.
AND THEN THERE'S THAT TRADING THING
I'll feel much more authoritative once the July trading season has passed. That always reveals some pretty damned surprising things.
Until then, I'll just pay close attention and play little fantasy leagues in my own head and hope that something fascinating comes to a head between now and October.
God, I love baseball.
posted by Andrew at
11:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home