Perhaps it's just the masochist in me talking, but I enjoy a freaky night like Wednesday. With rain delays both here and in Chicago, by the time Jorge Sosa threw the Mets' first pitch, I had the wife and kid in bed and the dishwasher running, and had settled daily business with my bookie (kidding, kidding).
Two encouraging late games for the locals, after Mike Mussina stunk it up in the Yankees' opener. I managed to stay up until the SNY crew signed off from its brief post-game show. Here were some random thoughts from the channel-flipping:
Jorge Sosa looks amazing so far, yet another testimony to the savvy of both Mets general manager Omar Minaya and pitching coach Rick Peterson. The Mets' second starter, Orlando Hernandez, has been on the disabled list for two weeks, and their original fifth starter, Mike Pelfrey, is back in the minor leagues, and the Mets have shaken off those developments like a minor cold. Very impressive.
Both broadcast teams were entertaining last night, and you don't need to be a genius to know why. Just as Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez were teammates on the 1986 Mets, so were Joe Girardi and Paul O'Neill on the 1996-99 Yankees. You could hear the high comfort level, especially when Girardi started cracking up over O'Neill's struggles to hit Jesse Orosco.
Aren't you amazed every time Kyle Farnsworth leaves a game with a Yankees lead intact? The guy projects zero confidence on the mound, despite his obviously great stuff. Somehow, Farnsworth has avoided a signature meltdown in his year and change with the Yankees. It'll be a minor miracle if such an incident never happens.
Didn't you know that Alfonso Soriano would strike out against Joe Smith in the eighth inning last night? As talented as Soriano is, there are times when he seems so lost at the plate _ especially against an unfamiliar pitcher _ that he has virtually no chance. Which is not a good trait for a $136 million player.
Day games today, so let's all catch up on our sleep tonight in anticipation of the exciting weekend.
Comments (2)
I couldn't agree with you more about the depth of the Mets pitching staff and how they have handled the injuries. It makes it easy to forget about Pedro and Sanchez. Lovin' the blog so far and I'm really not into blogs.
I'd love to see a booth of Girardi, O'Neil and Singleton. I think that could be the Yankees' best broadcast team.