Boston brings up Opie Kalish and Pottsie Hall -- whatever -- and they excel in the spotlight. Every team in baseball sends up a no-name pitcher, and our lineup melts like Crisco. Young players play their hearts out against us.
And us? Confronted by adversity, we trade for limping, stitched-together burlap bags full of animal bedding, whose contracts were finagled in the winter of 2004.
Last year, we found renewal and wonderment in the eyes of Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena. Neither will grace an all-star team, but they boosted us, they gave us life. Brett Gardner turned games around. (WHY WHY WHY, WITH RAG-ARM VICTOR MARTINEZ BEHIND THE PLATE DIDN'T HE RUN WILD?) Don't forget Dave Robertson. In the 2009 post-season, we fielded a blend of veterans and rookies, careers rising and declining.
This year... everybody... one year older.
Remember Colin Curtis? Yeesh. He delivered some nice hits. Gone.
Remember Ivan Nova? Pitched well. So long!
Last night in Scranton, Jeez Montero went 3/4 with his 13th HR. He's now batting .282. Through May, he was in Mendozaville. Two weeks ago, he looked destined to get a shot at September DH. Now? He must pass the Great Wall of LugNuts: Austin Kearns, Big Puma, Jorgie and the entire 1996 cast of "Friends." The ship's too bloated to take on anybody new.
Nope. Instead of trying any young arms, we're tweaking Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre, whose careers peaked back when Ruben and Clay Aiken were battling for American Idol. What is their ceiling these days? And if either were pitching at Scranton, would they dominate? Because some guys down there are pitching well. As they will all year.
Other teams, confronted by adversity, turn to youth.
We run out and buy Old Joe Camel.
Yeah, sure, sometimes you find a Jerry Hairston Jr. or Luis Sojo.
But will our post-season roster feature any wide-eyed rookies?
And will we win without some?
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ReplyDeleteWhat about Jason Hirsh. IL pitcher of the week?
ReplyDelete