Rough weekend for both the Yankees and the Mets and their fans. Combined, the two series felt like the start of a movie sequel when the nemesis reasserts himself.
Still, it is so early, but it's no stretch to say that neither the Red Sox, who swept the Yankees at Fenway Park, nor the Braves, who took two of three from the Mets at Shea Stadium, will be the pushovers they turned out to be last year. The Red Sox, having been shredded by the Yankees in last year's Boston Massacre II, rebuilt their team the old-fashioned way, and free agents Daisuke Matsuzaka and J.D. Drew have been big hits so far. I think the Sox will win the AL East, thanks to a deeper lineup and starting rotation and the crucial decision to shift Jonathan Papelbon back to closer.
I'm not as certain about the Braves' future, but their impressive start reminds us not to underestimate the braintrust of general manager John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox. Remember, starting in 2003, they weren't really the NL East favorites, but they still won three more division titles before last year's flameout. Schuerholz is a Hall of Fame executive whose good-trade-to-bad-trade ration is overwhelming. Cox, while a bit cranky if you ask him about certain subjects, establishes a culture of winning in the clubhouse. The two men have rebuilt the Braves' bullpen, which was so awful last year.
Now, as we move forward, let's please not obsess entirely over the divisional races. Always keep in mind the wild card, a perfectly acceptable way to get into October. I think the Yankees, whose starting rotation will improve considerably with the returns of Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina and the likely (at this point) signing of Roger Clemens, will get the AL wild card. I think the NL will be so compressed that the Mets will be in the hunt for both the NL East and the extra spot, although I did pick them to finish out of the playoffs.
Comments (5)
Ken...Shawn Green's misplay in the seventh inning turned the whole game around...I know it's a second guess, but any thoughts as to why Willie didn't have Endy Chavez in for defense ?
I think the seventh inning is a little early for a defense replacement, Poppy. Eighth is more traditional.
The Mets just can't seem to beat the Braves. However, the Mets should have a better record against the rest of the NL to win the East. Hopefully they won't have to match up with Atlanta in the playoffs because they will lose.
It wasn't too long ago that it was unheard of for the starting pitcher to just be expected to pitch 5 innings Ken.
We almost took all three games from the Red Sox. Our starting pitching is broken. I know it, Cashman's Yankees knows it, and the Red Sox knows it. It will be fixed and we will still be in the hunt. Oh, here is an exclusive, close up look at Dice-K's GYROBALL:
http://www.theweeklydonut.org/index.php/2007/04/23/daisuke-matsuzakas-gryoball/