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March 06, 2007
Trouble in the Pen
Off to a bad Start
I would like to start off by agreeing with Justin. Spring training is about evaluating talent and preparing for the regular season, but I am disturbed about how the Sox are playing right now. If this is any sign of how they are going to play this season, they might as well throw in the towel now. So far, the Sox are 2-6 and have been outscored 43 to 35 (if you throw out the 13-2 game against the Cubs the margin becomes 41 to 23. I am in for a long summer if improvement doesn't come fast.
I would also like to comment on Bryan's entry about the proposed DirecTV deal. It is absurd that the FCC would even consider allowing this deal. With this deal, gone would be the days of Wednesday and Sunday Night Baseball (both key match-ups shown on ESPN). Baseball would lose some of their fan base because some areas around the US don't have a favorite team and with no "market," no games would be shown. Fans would also lose interest around the league because it would be harder for them to keep up on team from other cities around the country.
With that off my back, I can finally get to the problem that seems to be plaguing the Sox: PITCHING. The Sox pitching staff boasts a pitiful 7.53 ERA this pre-season. You expect hitting to come along slowly in Spring Training because of the long lay-off, but pitching? Pitchers and catchers report a full week before the rest of the team to get the kinks out before the scrimmage games even start.
One bright spot to shine this Spring had been the development of young guns pitchers Gavin Floyd and Charlie Haeger. Manager Ozzie Guillen is very impressed and says both are expected to make the roster with one taking the 5th spot in the rotation and the other being a late reliever coming from the bullpen.
Hopefully the Sox can overcome these early jitters and rebound to have a successful Spring.
Posted by adamcole at March 6, 2007 07:11 PM