And what have I been seeing? I'm seeing A-Rod kick easy double-play balls. I'm seeing Nick Swisher hit two long home runs. I'm seeing E------ L----- firing perfection at the Phillies through four innings. I'm seeing Joe Randa hit a game-winning home run and a grand slam in consecutive games. I'm seeing Randa's Reds about to go 3-0 (and the Mets drop to 0-3 in the process). I'm seeing Zack Greinke get hit by a line drive and being forced out of the game early. Ok, that least one isn't so good.
How does MLB.tv compare with Extra Innings? It doesn't. The reception is often choppy, you need a broadband connection, and, if you plan to watch from work, you need a job that is like mine: dull and with plenty of gaps in between assignments. That is to say, most of the time. But over 2,300 games for $80? It's worth it for me, since I don't get home until well after seven p.m. now. For you easterners, that means I miss all the early games. Hence, no need for Extra Innings.
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Anybody with ESPN.com insider access, or even anybody who visits the site, probably noticed this headline, from an ESPN.com writer's "Web log": "Something's wrong with DePodesta's Dodgers." I'm not one to pile on Buster Olney, the writer of the headline above, but this is outrageous. And I'm not particularly a fan of the Dodgers this season, either, but for the love of Ford, it had been one game. One gets the impression that Olney had been waiting all winter for the Dodgers to lose on opening day. And Derek Lowe getting the loss? You can hear Olney's cackling in the Yukon.
This is not to say that some of Olney's points aren't well-taken. J.D. Drew and Lowe are risky investments, Jose Valentin is a down-grade from Adrian Beltre, and Jeff Kent is in the decline phase of his career. I'm not a believe in Hee Seop Choi, either. On the other hand, I'm certainly willing to wait longer than, say, oh, I don't know, the FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON before I declare that "There's something wrong with DePodesta's Dodgers."
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Still, sometimes trends can be indicative and worrisome even after one or two games. Bob Wickman allowing two ninth-inning home runs -- both to right-handed hitters -- and blowing a save against the White Sox no doubt had Cleveland fans muttering, "It is 2005, right?" A crummy bullpen flattened the Indians last season more than any other factor, and they made no real effort to upgrade it in the off-season, opting instead for Wickman to lead, essentially, the same collection that let them down a year ago. There are some decent arms in the 'pen -- David Riske, Matt Miller, Arthur Rhodes, Rafael Betancourt, and the Phoenix-like Bob Howry -- but it remains to be seen if, as a group, they can be effective, or if, as an individual, one of them can seize the eighth- and ninth-inning jobs and be somewhat reliable. Because clearly, it's asking far too much to be "reliable."
