Basball so far… Hey, it could be worse!!!
In one corner of the state, you have a team rounding into the shape we expected from opening day. In the other corner, you have a team that started as poorly as it has in years, and remains a bit lost. SO… it’s not shocking. Biggest surprises and disappointments so far….
Surprises
1. Cliff Lee. He could barely make the roster last year, now he’s arguably the dominant AL pitcher in 2008… huh? Well, he’s finally healthy.
2. Grady Sizemore—-we know he’s good… but lately he’s amazing. Among the great all-around players in baseball.
3. Dusty Baker—-Good man, good with players and fans. Leading a young pitching staff and in some cases, a no-name lineup, and getting decent results.
4. Jeff Keppinger—among those no-name players—-Kansas City gave up on him, and the Reds landed one those players who just produces. Hopefully he’ll heal quickly from his broken kneecap, which leads me to…
Disappointments
1. CC Sabathia—-horriffic start, like he forgot how to pitch. Now he’s finding his form, But we thought CC was past those ebbs and flows.
2. Ken “Grumpy” Jr.—-ok, admittedly, he’s not the nicest guy we know, but he can still hit. It’s just that he’s losing his long ball power. Trade to Seattle?
3. Travis Hafter—-what’s the deal? Hafner hasn’t hit a homerun since Mid-April! he’s been dropped in the lineup, and he’s lost confidence.
4. Fans. Attendance in both parks is lower than you’d expect, especially in Cincinnati. But in the Reds case, I don’t blame the fans—I blame a good 15 years poor performance. It’s a shame the best day Cincy baseball every year is opening day—-that means it’s all downhill from there!
At this point, the Tribe looks like the World Series contender we’d expected. Can the Reds rally? Actually, yes. The division’s just ok, so a couple strong weeks and the Reds are in the hunt.
