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Here we go, folks. We open in Oakland. 4 games. Then a Mariners team at home that might be oversold? This could be a great opportunity to get off to a brilliant start.
Or, our entire season might have just been played out in one short moment this past Saturday night. Opportunity there to be taken. But, too impatient. Too bold. Too clumsy. Too late. Too humiliating.
Get a taste with some Leadoff-Links:
A Little Bit of Angels News
Last minute roster moves to make way for the regular season roster. Austin Adams and Kirby Yates DFA'd............
One guy who survived the roster roller coaster is Blake Parker. This week is nothing as far as Parker is concerned. He's the dude who's contract was busy doing the Waiver Wire Waltz there for a couple of months.............And it would have been amazing had Parker not made the pen. The dude updated history while in Tempe. He has 17 consecutive outs recorded by strikeout. That hasn't been seen in a regular season for 43 years..........
Here we go. Mike Trout shall be the safest of all safe social media stars.............
So we open up with Ricky Nolasco. May he rise to the occasion, and with his rise lift our season...........
And with Garrett Richards, may he rise again, only more slowly and carefully. We need him for years to come, not just weeks or months..........
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Everywhere In Baseball
The biggest global news in MLB must be the death of ling-time MLB scheduling guru Katy Feeney. Far less famous than a Bud Selig or a Rob Manfred, Feeney has had a much, much larger impact on your life and mine. Supposedly, it is a very hard thing to figure out an optimum MLB calendar. Supposedly, Feeney has been our master, all the way up to last October. The bias we suffer under is how clear it is when something is foul, as happens with shitty travel or some matchup between teams that finally comes far too late in a season. But most of the time we are happy with our calendars. I wonder, though, whether Feeney's passing might lead MLB to transform their scheduling process where they discover that it's not so hard, after all............
Baseball is a harsh mistress. Just over 4 years ago Melvin Upton, Jr. signed a Free Agent contract with the Braves for $75MM. His fall from the height of rather decent was swift, getting kicked to the Padres, then to the Blue Jays, and now to the curb..........But, hey, at least Melvin had a career, and millions. On the other end of he spectrum would be Tyler Cravy, a guy who has struggled to break out of the minor leagues and stick in The Show. He thought that, finally, he had made it. His spring was pretty damned good. But, lo, the Brewers told him he was headed back to AAA after all. Cravy was pretty forthcoming about his future working the lumber aisles of Home Depot...........So remember this Brock Stassi, baseball is your mistress and today she is lovely, But she is harsh. She comes for all players, eventually. To drive the point home, just look at this list of guys who, on this opening of the season, can't find a paycheck.............
Atlanta is christening their new stadium, and to celebrate a major artery, I-85, was badly damaged in a major fire (caused by a crack smoker, it turns out), causing potential catastrophic gridlock for home games all season..........
Baseball is, actually, on the rise. The game is being infested by young stars and newly flush with home run power...........
This will come as a shock to Mike Scioscia, but it is growing apparent to MLB that maybe a team might want to put your best hitter at the leadoff spot..........
Looks like the Rangers have a hot head messin' with their hot hopes. Keone Kela went barking at some regulars, and now finds himself on the way to AAA as a reward for attitude..............
The numbers for the WBC are now all in. And MLB Network crushed it............
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The Duffle Bag
Game one. If it doesn't go well, is it too early to panic? In Yankee land, yes?............Ok, this thing about MLB thinking they need to connect to a younger generation is just getting embarrassing..........Oh yeah. We need to start having fun with the interminable delays. The Nats have thrown down the gauntlet. I call for some Chambers Brothers. Or Pink Floyd..............Maybe Madison Bumgarner can get a gig onne his pitching days are over, as a hitting coach. Either that, or the balls are super juiced.............One day. One game, we already have a walk off, and we already have guys celebrating like they just won the pennant...........New turf in Tampa Bay, and everybody is happy that it kinda resembles real grass. Because how it looks on TV is the most important thing...........MLB logos, intentionally re-imagined in opponents colors. Personally, I don't see the Mariners as our main rival..........
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