We have played one tenth of the Major League Baseball season. What we just watched, we'll just do that nine more times, and the season will be over before you even realized,
Some say that September wins are more important than April wins, and that may be true, a baseball team can really change complexions over the course of a season, but September wins will surely have a lot less pressure applied to them if you can get more wins in April. Teams that get off to a hot start have a much easier path to the post season than teams that start slow and have to play catch-up all season. Sometimes it works in the favor of the team with the slow start, but if you don't get up off the mat soon enough, you can be cooked by mid June.
One team that I recall getting off to a slow start and getting their act together was the 2005 Houston Astros. If you remember, that team made it to the World Series against the White Sox that year. A lot was made of their 15-30 start to the season, and I always since then check the standings at the 45 game mark, and see who is around that record at that time. I look at that team and think, if the Astros could do it, anyone can. So just because a team gets off to a slow start, doesn't mean their season is necessarily cooked.
The Tigers last year had a slow start, and were trying to catch the White Sox all year, and they did. That was a good team that was underachieving early. The 2005 Astros were a decent team, as well, a team that, if I remember correctly, had been in the playoffs the season prior. They were expected to be good and started slow. That's the difference between them and, lets say for example, the 2013 Houston Astros. What a mess. But it's not a surprise that the Astros are terrible, everyone knew they were going to be at the start of the season. So the fact that they're bringing up the rear in the standings in the American League is no surprise at all. Don't expect a miracle run out of these guys.
I tend to focus on the terrible teams in baseball because I feel bad for that teams fans. I'm also very grateful that that team has never been my team. I have this sick fascination with poor baseball teams, because it doesn't take much to be really bad. Every team is pretty good. Every baseball team since baseball has had a season that we record and recognize has won at least 40 games in a season. And there is always fans in the stands. It just amazes me that there were any fans in the stands at all for the 2003 Detroit Tigers season. Why would you waste your time? It's just fascinating.
So 16 games (or so) into the 2013 season, we're starting to see who is good and who is not. It's never for sure at this stage, but you can start to see it. The Braves and Nationals are for real. The Cubs and Marlins are really, really bad. That's easy. We all knew that going into this. But it's the American League that I find really intriguing. The AL east standings look like 2007. The West looks like...well, not what I was exactly thinking, and the Central looks really mixed up. I thought the Red Sox were going to be bad this year? And I didn't think the Yankees had much of anything? How are they the tops of the East?For the record, I wasn't drinking the Blue Jays kool-aid. I just figured basically switch the Sox and the O's and you'd have what I expected. But who gives a shit what I expect? That's why they play the games. It's early, and the difference between the last place Jays and first place Sox is only six games. Same thing with the last place Indians and first place Royals, which is only 2.5 games. There's still a lot of shaking out to do. It's still too early to really say for sure who's who in the AL, but it surely feels like a different year over there. Too bad I don't watch American League games.
More on that subject....very soon!
Go Baseball!
P.S. I've seen two instances of paper planes being flown onto the field in Toronto this season. What's up with that?
Some say that September wins are more important than April wins, and that may be true, a baseball team can really change complexions over the course of a season, but September wins will surely have a lot less pressure applied to them if you can get more wins in April. Teams that get off to a hot start have a much easier path to the post season than teams that start slow and have to play catch-up all season. Sometimes it works in the favor of the team with the slow start, but if you don't get up off the mat soon enough, you can be cooked by mid June.
One team that I recall getting off to a slow start and getting their act together was the 2005 Houston Astros. If you remember, that team made it to the World Series against the White Sox that year. A lot was made of their 15-30 start to the season, and I always since then check the standings at the 45 game mark, and see who is around that record at that time. I look at that team and think, if the Astros could do it, anyone can. So just because a team gets off to a slow start, doesn't mean their season is necessarily cooked.
The Tigers last year had a slow start, and were trying to catch the White Sox all year, and they did. That was a good team that was underachieving early. The 2005 Astros were a decent team, as well, a team that, if I remember correctly, had been in the playoffs the season prior. They were expected to be good and started slow. That's the difference between them and, lets say for example, the 2013 Houston Astros. What a mess. But it's not a surprise that the Astros are terrible, everyone knew they were going to be at the start of the season. So the fact that they're bringing up the rear in the standings in the American League is no surprise at all. Don't expect a miracle run out of these guys.
I tend to focus on the terrible teams in baseball because I feel bad for that teams fans. I'm also very grateful that that team has never been my team. I have this sick fascination with poor baseball teams, because it doesn't take much to be really bad. Every team is pretty good. Every baseball team since baseball has had a season that we record and recognize has won at least 40 games in a season. And there is always fans in the stands. It just amazes me that there were any fans in the stands at all for the 2003 Detroit Tigers season. Why would you waste your time? It's just fascinating.
So 16 games (or so) into the 2013 season, we're starting to see who is good and who is not. It's never for sure at this stage, but you can start to see it. The Braves and Nationals are for real. The Cubs and Marlins are really, really bad. That's easy. We all knew that going into this. But it's the American League that I find really intriguing. The AL east standings look like 2007. The West looks like...well, not what I was exactly thinking, and the Central looks really mixed up. I thought the Red Sox were going to be bad this year? And I didn't think the Yankees had much of anything? How are they the tops of the East?For the record, I wasn't drinking the Blue Jays kool-aid. I just figured basically switch the Sox and the O's and you'd have what I expected. But who gives a shit what I expect? That's why they play the games. It's early, and the difference between the last place Jays and first place Sox is only six games. Same thing with the last place Indians and first place Royals, which is only 2.5 games. There's still a lot of shaking out to do. It's still too early to really say for sure who's who in the AL, but it surely feels like a different year over there. Too bad I don't watch American League games.
More on that subject....very soon!
Go Baseball!
P.S. I've seen two instances of paper planes being flown onto the field in Toronto this season. What's up with that?
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