The MLB season opens the right way
Keri Hilson sang the National Anthem ... and didn't botch it.
It’s one of those rare nights where a lot of things can go wrong with the extra extras, but everything seemed to go right. Dre gave all the love he could to the Sox, Hilson nailed the national anthem after obliterating it weeks earlier and Tyler and Diamond kept “the nation” happy with renditions of “God Bless America” and Diamond’s own “Sweet Caroline.”
There were fireworks, a flyover, Pedro Martinez and general awesomeness only a baseball town could deliver.
Add to the fact that is was a pretty spectacular game in itself between arguably the best rivalry in sports (I’ve heard enough of that over the course of two months), and the stars were aligned, so to speak.
I’d give my two cents on the actual game, but I’ll save it for whenever the Globe starts asking me for it. (No, I’m not playing about that.)
One down, 161 to go.
What’s the best rotation in baseball?
Being a San Francisco Giants fan isn’t hard right now. It’s easy to fawn over Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and for the more criminally insane of us, Barry Zito. Plus, we’ve got the Panda Bear.
The rotation is deep, as has been noted many times over. Even with the exodus of certain prized, yet perennially injured members of the elite group. (Ahem, Noah Lowry.) Or the retirement of a future hall of famer (Randy Johnson).
But how does the Big Three stack up with the rest of the majors going into the 2010 season? One would argue that if you look outside the National League bubble, there’s only two teams that are easily more stacked in all of the right places.
The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees each have the ability to have six-man rotations this year (in fact, that’s what the Red Sox are doing), with prized prospects waiting in the wings. We’re talking aces at the No. 3 spot for each team (John Lackey and Andy Pettitte).
Their scraps are other teams’ sought after trade bait.
So which rotation is the best? If you’re wondering where I stand, you shouldn’t. I still think the Giants are the cream of the crop. And yes, the basis of my reasoning is the lousy run support the Big Three have received in years prior. I’d like to see how the Yankees or the Red Sox could do without an A-Rod or Big Papi in their lineup.
What do you think?
Flipping the channel to baseball
Been off the wagon for awhile now. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a full fledged column, or reason to know the next time I’ll pump one out. But I do know that in the next five days the Major League Baseball season will be opening, right here in Boston with the New York Yankees and Red Sox getting the party started. And that’s a good enough reason to put a smile on my face and fingers back on the keyboard.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the San Francisco Giants fare in the National League West with a revamped lineup (most notably with Aaron Rowand pushed back in the lineup and Randy Winn gone) and how much baseball differs in Boston. It’s a culture shift I’m looking forward to experiencing.
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MLB owners ask for salary cap
I’ve longed for the day when the Yankees won’t be able to spend more money on one player than the small market baseball teams spend on an entire roster. I’m a fan of the salary cap. Up until today, I never heard much demand for it. The Associated Press is reporting that some owners are in favor of it after the Yankees spent about a half-billion dollars on free agents during the country’s recession.
“I think there’s a lot of owners that would like to have that right now,” Oakland owner Lew Wolff said. “I think the parity is what we’re looking for, and the more ways you can get to parity the better. I think it’s pretty good now, but I think it could be better. It’s a very good question, because maybe this recession, depression, whatever we’re in may be a change for a lot more years.”
I agree with Wolff that there has, somehow, had good parity in recent years. But common sense says that when one team has the ability to spend $100 million more on their roster than another team, it’s not quite a level playing field. Shoot, give me $200 million and I’ll put together a playoff team while working out of my apartment. This is the right move, and I hope it’s put in place.
“I would ask, if it’s such a bad idea, what sport doesn’t have a salary cap other than us?” Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said.
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