Friday, April 06, 2007
An overreaction
Early-season baseball is fun. You wind up with a lot of funny sample sizes and bizarre stats, as evidence by JR Radcliffe's post that gives out awards if the season ended today. Xavier Nady, eh?
However, while it's only been three games, as a Cubs fan, it's discouraging to see how Alfonso Soriano has performed so far. There's obviously tremendous scrutiny on him because of his ... sigh ... eight-year contract that totals $136 million. But so far, the Fonz has looked clueless at the dish. Part of the reason I was hopeful about his signing was the extra patience he showed last season when he set a career high in walks. This season, however, Soriano has swung early and often. He really looks like he's forcing things and not waiting for the right pitch to hit, which is what allowed him to have such a monster year in 2006.
It's early, of course. The performance isn't so much what bothers me, but the approach is worrisome. He's going to have to calm down and take a few pitches. And I suppose I probably should calm down and take a few deep breaths.
Also:
• I was watching Sportscenter this morning and they showed a highlight of Alex Rodriguez popping up with the bases loaded and the anchor said something to effect of "And his clutch struggles continue."
Can we please stop this? Last year, which was supposedly A-Rod's worst, saw him post the following splits:
Runners in scoring position: .302 AVG, .431 OBP, .508 SLG
RISP with 2 outs: .313 AVG, .495 OBP, .475 SLG
Bases loaded: .474 AVG, .500 OBP, .789 SLG
Looking at the numbers, he was actually at his worst with the bases empty. That doesn't sound very un-clutch now, does it?
• Further stupidity in sports journalism was Bill Simmons' running diary yesterday, specifically the two parts in which he ripped on JD Drew. He made it sound like Drew hasn't done anything so far this year, saying "yet another weak out from Drew."
So I checked into what Drew has done this year, thinking that he was off to a bad start in Boston.
Nope, Drew is hitting .400 with a .500 OBP. He's also got two doubles in just ten at-bats, so he's slugging a rosy .600.
What's the problem, Bill?
• The Office is back. And I'm hiring Dwight Schrute as my personal bodyguard.
"I am not a hero. I am a mere defender of the office. You know who’s a real hero? Hiro, from Heroes. That’s a hero. Also Bono."
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Yeah, with the exception of Peter Gammons, I have a hard time respecting what almost any baseball analyst says. You'd think, with all these stats, they'd be able to make informed statements about How Things Are, but I think all the numbers freak them out.
Amen to Peter Gammons. I give him extra respect because he's always learning, and most old sportswriters just get stuck in their ways.
Peter Gammons, he keeps on learning. Despite aneurysms.
I think we can all agree that Peter Gammons is at the top of the list. My personal favorite aspect of his coverage is his boyish excitement just to see a game. I've never seen a professional harbor the eagerness he does just to perform his job. His Hall of Fame speech is classic.
With that said, I also very much enjoy Tim Kurkjian. Anyone who can pull out Bip Roberts' career on base percentage without blinking is fine by me.
Kurkjian does a better job than most. He looks a little creepier than the ideal baseball analyst, but he does a pretty nice job.
Karl Ravech is pretty good as well, especially considering the dunderheads he's surrounded with on a nightly basis.
Wins equal Cy Youngs. I'm hungry!