We’re certainly in the doldrums of the offseason, aren’t we? No awards to be given out, no big signings seem to be on the horizon, the WBC is, to me at least, boring, and the Hall of Fame has said its piece. We’re basically adrift, hoping the stores hold up until we make landfall in Florida and Arizona. Personally, I’m going crazy. The manatees look like mermaids. I’m eating sawdust. I’m catching scurvy. Day after day, day after day, we stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.
And stuck we shall remain until the trade winds kick us into spring training. Until then, at least we have good baseball writing. Such as this stuff, today at THT:
Chris Jaffe lists 50 great potential closer songs. And it’s a great list. Strangely absent: “Cherish” by The Association.
Evan Brunell analyzes the latest transactions. They say that catchers take the biggest beatings in the game, but given that teams bagged Brad Ausmus, Henry Blanco and Greg Zaun last week, those beatings can’t be too bad because if they were, none of these old men would be able to walk let alone strap on the tools of ignorance each day. By the way, I wish one of those guys had spent some time in Seattle so I could whip out my second Ancient Mariner reference of the post, but alas, it was not to be.
David Gassko has a preview of The Hardball Times 2009 Season Preview. So I guess that makes this a preview of a preview of a preview.
Finally, over at Fantasy Focus, Victor Wang runs down some players you may find in the bargain bin, and Derek Carty assesses the best BABIP estimators. For those of you who aren’t sabermetrically inclined, BABIP is a complicated statistic that determines which bargain bin player is the best, so in a sense, Derek has mooted Victor’s work. Guys, we really need to start talking about these things beforehand.
What imagery Craig!!! The winter of our discontent followed by a spring of new hope.
If we had known about this last Monday, you could have given the Inaugarel Poem
Ugh, I hate this time of year. So bored. Wake me at the end of March.
Actually though, I am looking forward to the WBC, which should be more entertaining than seeing a no-name Mets CF play the last 6 innings of a game in Clearwater, while Carlos Beltran is playing cribbage in the clubhouse. To continue your sea-going metaphor: Any port in a storm (or empty void of nothingness, I guess).
http://www.the-common-man.com
Surprised The Who’s “Who are you” was not on the list. My sleeper and unconventional choice is the intro to Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”.
I missed the first WBC because I was on a beach holiday. I did see some hi lites and found the interpreters running on to the field with the managers to translate during the arguments a very funny spectacle. ( Does profanity translate well? )
I’ll watch at least some ( definitely the Cdn games ), as TCM wrote, it’s gotta be better than spring training.