These 1:00 Eastern starts really mess with my day. Being in Alberta, it is an 11:00 start. I like to get a workout in, but I’m not an early riser, so getting a GameThread together and working out before 11:00 is not going to happen. On the other hand, watching an 11:00 start-time game, doing a quick recap, and then getting the workout in is getting too late in the day. I know….I have such a rough life.
Of course, the 1:00 start isn’t going to mess with my day as much as tomorrow’s 8:00 am eastern start for the Gold Medal game. That is really going to mess with my day.
There is an additional wrinkle in the works at the moment. My son had a minor fender bender, but his car is on the IL. So he’s borrowing my car, which means my wife and I are sharing a car. But we both have our own things, so there is a fair bit of logistics to work out. She is out for the day, but she’s going to drop me where I workout. They have a pub, so I can watch the game and then go for my workout and hopefully she will be done around the time I’m finished my workout. First world problems.
Anyway, today’s lineup. A lot of the regulars are playing.
John Schneider said, “Spring training, please put no stock in the batting order. We’re just trying to get certain guys the number of at-bats and kind of get out of the game early.” And of course, every spring we get complaints about the batting orders, and every spring I say, ‘Save it for the season’. We’ll have enough to complain about when real baseball starts. Right now, just enjoy.
As always, I’m really looking forward to the first game, but then by the second week, I’ll be bored with fake baseball, and bored trying to pretend that the 2 at bats I see of some prospect, or near prospects, means something.
Here is a little semi-interesting bit:
In OOTP Baseball, last year’s version, I had Anthony Santander play first base all spring training, so he could play first when Vlad DHed. It was perfect. Of course, OOTP didn’t know that Anthony would be hurt most of the season.
Bill Mazeroski passed away yesterday. He was 89. He was best known for his Game Seven home run in the 1960 World Series, but for me, I knew him because of a preseason annual season preview magazine that came out before the start of each season, back before the internet. I don’t know if it is still published.
Mazeroski had a very nice 17-year career. In 2163 games, he hit .260/.299/.367 with 138 home runs, a 36.5 bWAR. He won 8 Gold Gloves, made 7 All-Star games and had MVP votes twice.
I’m going to post this early and then get to somewhere I can watch the game.
Go Jays Go.