Major League Baseball National League East Preview

Being born in 1957, I missed that era when Boston was a two team baseball town. Back in my dads days the Boston Braves were a National League entrant and Braves field where BU is now, with it’s not-hole gang was how he as a boy, learned to appreciate the finer points of the game. He then passed down to me the story’s about seeing every great ballplayer from Wally Berger to Babe Ruth who finish his career there. He also went to Fenway Park all the time to see the Sox and the American League. He  took the subway to Kenmore Sq, the same way I did in the 60’s and 70’s when it was ok to be an adolescent alone in the big city, pre crime spree gang infested time. One time so the story goes, the bullpen catcher for the St Louis Browns tossed his old worn mitt to my dad who was hanging on the rail watching his heroes warm up.  He used that round pre modern web mit to catch me on the front lawn and I still have it as my most cherished possession. My only real early exposure to the National League was on Saturday afternoons in the summer time in the mid 60’s when NBC broadcast the game of the week. Dropped off at my grandmothers house when my parents went to work, I spent the mornings tossing a dilapidated hardball against the stone wall foundation of her three decker in imaginary sequences of various lineups formed from my knowledge of Major Leaguers garnered from baseball cards, radio broadcasts, my dads recollections, and of course those Saturday afternoon games. I was Earl Wilson, Dave Moorehead or  Jerry Stephenson then, putting the K on Kaline and breaking Killebrews bat with a fastball up and in.  When I was 7 I could throw pretty good and I already knew how to work a guy in and out, make him chase it when you got ahead. I was a pee wee league ace  and that wall with it’s uneven surface tearing the covers off the ball, sending  it ricocheting all over that little plot of an urban back yard was my oasis, the focus of my ambition, the way I was going to get to the Major Leagues. I wonder if 43 years later the strike zone that I outlined in red paint is still there. As I recall  sometimes there was a double header on, hopefully the Red Sox on the road in the first game, with the second game broadcast from the west coast. My favorite team then beside the Red Sox was the Dodgers, with Koufax, Drysdale and Maury Wills. I remember the game that Roseboro hit Marichal throwing it back to the mound triggering the infamous bat incident. The ball supposedly ticked Roseboro  in the ear and obviously ticked him off as he then proceeded to club Roseboro on the noggin. Boy did the Giants hate the Dodgers or what..Yup, those were the days when I took my grandmothers dime to the drugstore for an ice cream but I always bought 2 packs of baseball cards instead and I actually chewed that stale cardboard bubble gum. I want to know where are my cards now?  Who has my Yaz, my Oliva, my Rose, my Carlton, my Robinson boys, even my Mantle (probably worth a grand!)..are they in plastic, in a book on someones shelf or did someone elses mother toss that shoebox of junk out.  Enough nostalgia you say? What does it have to do with today? Well the fact is that the anticipation of the season is the same for me. The grass is still green, the mound is still 60 ft 6 inches from home plate and little boys still throw the ball against the wall striking out their heroes in imaginary games. So without further ado, here is my rundown of the National League East in the order of how they will finish 162 games later. And for good tickets to all games don’t forget to go to National Ticket Agency, your wholesale ticket broker, not a ticket scalping joker!

The Mets broke the bank and signed the best lefthanded starter of our time. Johan Santana has Koufaxian numbers and if Pedro Martinez can start 25- 30 games your looking at 35-40 wins between them right there. Of course Santana did slip a notch last year and Martinez doesn’t get it up there like he used to but the whole rest of this team is pretty solid . Reyes and Wright are a dynamic All Star duo on the left side and every other position seems solid as is the staff. Note Delgado just today felt pain in his hip and the Achilles heel for this team will be injuries , that said look for them to win 92-96 games and take this division. Mets tickets.

The Phillies will challenge and that’s good news for the long suffering Philadelphia fandom. If they get some breaks maybe they’ll take take the cake. Jimmy Rollins is just the sweetest all around shortstop and Ryan Howard now that Bonds is gone is the biggest slugger in the game, an I don’t want to hear any Big Papi crap, Howards the man. Hammels is a top lefty and if Lidge performs like he has in the past we can overlook the fact that outside of Utley, Rollins, and Howard this team has a bunch of good but not great talent. Phillies tickets.

The Atlanta Braves can never , ever be discounted or counted out. For the last 25 years they have produced ballplayer after ballplayer in a never ending tribute to good scouting and a fine farm system. They mastered the art of integrating kids and veterens and it resulted in some 14 straight divisional titles going back to 1991-2005. This years club has Shmoltz , Hudson, and the ageless Tommy Glavine and if Hampton can hit the high 90’s again pitching is a strong suit. Teixeira , McCann, Francoeur are all top young players so keep your eye on the Braves, they just might slip in there. Braves tickets.

The Washington Nationals are worth watching. Thet are not going to win the pennant but they have a damn good ballclub and lots of good young talent. That equals fun and that equals dangerous. If you don’t take them serious they will hurt you.  LaDuca behind the plate is a winner, who cares about the Mitchel report crap, me I care about basehits. Newly aquired Lasting Milledge and Elijah Dukes are two of the finest young athletes in the sport. Zimmerman is already a great third baseman and the meat hook Dimiti Young is a stick at first. They don’t have allot of pitching so they will finish 4th but give this group another year or two and a couple of free agent signings and it will be interesting. I liken them to Tampa Bay, a talented  upstart in a loaded division. Nationals tickets.

The Florida Marlins are treading water and waiting for their stadium to be built in 2011 before committing to paying for talent. Hopefully for their fans, who don’t bother to show up now, they will keep Hanley Ramirez a super star talent at short. Generally they just develop talent , trade them before they have to pay them and stockpile young minor league talent. Twice it worked out in World Championships so go figure you Cubs and Phillies fans, maybe they know something..Scott Olsen is a fine lefty, Uggla has allot of power for a second baseman. They lost Cabrera though so it could be hard to watch..For Hard to get Marlins tickets.(jus kidding).

Next up the National League Central.

BOSTON SPORTS LOOK : Kudos to the Bruinswho I have ripped for 10 years running, as not giving a crap as long as the owner sold enough beer to turn a profit. They actually are playing superior hockey to date, getting great goaltending from Tim Thomas and Zdino Chara may be the best defenseman in hockey! To be topped only by the Celtics who weathered the loss of Kevin Garnett, made it through the dreaded treacherous west coast road trip and now are back to their winning ways. Rajon Rondo just keeps getting better and better every game and if I say that in 3 weeks from now again he’s an All Star point guard. Their bench with the addition of PJ Brown is the best in basketball period, exclamation point! And folks just chill on the Pats. The Patriots know what they are doing, let these guys walk. If someone wants to over pay them  ie Stallworth, Samual etc. let them. In fact that’s why new free agents want to sign with them. Winning is good for your future paycheck! And the Pats have the depth, the money to retool. I would love to see Ty Law come back and I would love to see them trade down on the pick and get a LB and another DB. Ok I am off to see some college baseball on a scouting mission to FAU. Other stops this week include PBCC and a maybe Park Vista HS. South Florida is loaded with talent and oh ya it’s 78 degrees and sunny today . Cheers.

Baseball’s Spring Training Means, Play Ball!

As I said in yesterdays blog, the baseball season is now upon us. Full sqaud workouts have begun in Florida where the Grapefruit League hosts 18 teams and in Arizona where the Cactus League hosts the other 12 ball-clubs. Generally speaking spring training is open to the public to watch the early workouts before the games begin and even then sometimes you can check out the minor league-rs at the secondary fields and that can be quite entertaining and free. Put it this way, they’re pros. It’s not like watching a high school or college club workout. All these guys have ability and the potential to advance to the Major Leagues or they wouldn’t have been signed in the first place. So pull up a beach chair and watch the drills, take note of the studs and maybe cop an autograph or two and who knows you may have a future stars signature and you can say I told you I knew. And as a bonus generally speaking in the spring the atmosphere is light and casual and your able to easily shoot the breeze with these guys and that’s always fun and in fact can be done even on the main field with the big league ballplayers , even the superstars, before and after their games and workouts.

Once the exhibition season starts you’ll need to buy tickets to watch the games. The first couple of weeks the games are dominated by mostly a mix of rookies and minor league-rs vying for a roster spot or showcasing their skills for a late season call up or a higher placement on the minor league rung. As spring training progresses the core players , the regulars start to play more innings, pitchers that were at first working out the kinks now start to throw harder and use all of their pitching arsonal. Obtaining tickets to 90% of the pre season games should be no problem and mostly any seat in these small stadiums is a good one and for the most part you can easily move around and see from different vantage points even up to the front rows. I particularly am partial to sitting behind the plate where you will often see the scouts with their radar guns and stop watches, charting pitches, observing swings etc. If you look like you belong and stride confidently to an open seat often you should be safe and able to stay. I have even engaged in conversations with scouts at a fairly high level like damn that catcher takes along time to release the ball, he aint gonna make it huh or that’s his curve ball wow mine is better than that haha …Now why you may need Joe Ticket and National Ticket Agency in the spring is if you want to see one either the Yankees or the Red Sox, clearly the two teams with the most loyal and aggressive fan base. The Yankees and the Red Sox not only sell out at their home fields, Legends Field in Tampa and City Of Palms Field in Fort Meyers, but they are mostly sold out at every other ballpark in Florida too. Allot of folks from up north take their vacations in Florida during spring training so these games and tickets are a big deal. I myself waited online for hours only to be able to get standing room only seats in Jupiter for the Red Sox / Marlins game on March 3rd.But the weather is so pleasant that SRO isnt too bad at all and having a couple of 6.50 beers with the faithful legions all asking each other hey where you from?  Worcester oh ya I’m from Swampscott bla bla….it’s wicked pissa fun. Also good tickets are hard to find for the Mets in Port St Lucie at Tradition Field.  I’ll list the links to tickets for those 3 clubs here now and tomorrow when I give a full capsule preview of the American League I will have a link to tickets for those teams as well both preseason and regular season..Can’t say I have ever been to Arizona so I really cannot comment on the state of spring training there, vis a vis tickets, but a quick search at NTA’s website reveals that plenty of tickets seem to be available for most games. I would doubt you would have to go to a secondary source..but if you did, call me

Just another note: It looks like the Dodgers long standing tenure in Vero Beach is coming to an end this season. It’s likely that either the Indians or the Orioles will be moving up there next season and somehow it just won’t be the same. Dodgertown is what they call it and that stadium Holman Field is a throwback to the days when baseball and life was a lot simpler and less stressful and such things as steroids and HGH didn’t exist. Not that they didn’t have their issues with drinking and carousing etc Anyways if you can fit it in check out Dodgertown, where the players sit on a long bench without a dugout much like your local high school team.

For tickets to the New York Yankees click here – Yankee Tickets

For tickets to the Boston Red Sox click here – Red Sox Tickets

For tickets to the New York Mets click here -  Mets Tickets

Super Bowl Post – Mortem that is …Ouch, Pat’s get spanked!

I wasn’t quite sure what to title this post. Post mortem maybe? All I can say is that now you see why they actually have to go onto the field and play the game. You can’t be crowned the King or called the Champ based on what you did yesterday or what you did 18 straight games prior to the only game that really matters. The Super Bowl. All the clippings, headlines and record setting performances accumulated over the course of this past season didn’t and don’t mean a damn thing. The Super Bowl was won fair and square by the better team yesterday. My dear friends , The New York Football Giants earned their rings by outplaying, out hustling and out coaching the New England Patriots. Rather than break down each and every play I will just say simply that the Patriots were flat. In fact I noticed that Tom Brady over the last few weeks has been a little down. Maybe his ankle was bothering him , maybe his personal life is carrying over onto the field. I am not sure but he just didn’t play well, didn’t slide and glide in the pocket. Well of course the Giants defense especialy the line was terrific and put alot of pressure on Brady, maybe that was it. I don’t think that the Patriots were outwardly cocky but it seems that they were a bit over confident. And as a followup to last weeks post I might add that Eli Manning sure looked good. Some quarterbacks have more talent perhaps but football is in his bloodlines and he has developed into a real leader. Did you notice Payton up in the booth..hmm I wonder if he was suggesting some plays….Football is such an emotionally charged physical game and the Giants took it to the Patriots and made the big plays. Congratulations. And congratulations are in order also to the Patriots too, remember there are 32 teams and they were better than 30 of them and mark my words they will be back next year as good as ever, fully loaded as usual , and highly likely to be  back in the Super Bowl.

I also want to point out something here that noone that I am aware of has mentioned. The Giants and the Patriots played an exhibition game this year and if my memory is correct they usually run a dual camp for a week or so which gives the players a little taste of someone other than going against a teammate in practice. They also played a whale of a game to end the regular season and my conclusion is the Giants were not intimidated at all by the Patriots , that they in fact new that they were as good athletically, as well coached and prepared as could be and in fact were quite confident that they could compete and win this game. Plaxico was right!  Kudos to Tom Coughlin for finally “getting it”. Everyone learns over time and makes adjustments to their style of coaching based on the particular personnel on your team. He has a reputation for being a stickler for details and a disciplinarian. This year he seemed to be more in tune and in harmony of the inner needs of his players and how to motivate them. He displayed flexibility and showed his human side and the players responded. I have nothing but good things to say about Belichik too, he is an all-time great coach and the Patriots had an awesome season but Coughlin won the big game yesterday and he’s now the man.

So Boston you still have the Celtics leading the NBA, the Bruins on the verge of making the NHL playoffs and of course the

countdown to spring training

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Here we go, on to the Super Bowl: Patriots vs Giants

  Well I was wrong. Eli Manning is better than I  thought, way better in fact. He displayed poise and threw the ball like it was just another ho hum winters day, though the reality was that it was hellishly cold if I may allow myself that literary mismatch. The Giants, affectionately known as the G men, thanks Chris Berman, opened up at 14 point underdogs but since common sense has prevailed and Tom Brady was seen with das boot the line is now an almost as ridiculous 12 points. This is the Super Bowl folks…It’s going to be a close game. These are the two best teams left standing. Granted on a dry field in warm weather the Patriots may revert back to the dominance offensively that they had displayed for most of the season. Randy Moss ought to line up 3 steps back to get a running start and avoid getting chucked at the line. (That’s my tip to Mr Bill , you saw it here first.) I just feel that the Giants are on a roll have alot of confidence with their late season streak. Hey they almost shoulda coulda beat the Patriots in the regular season finale. Of course they didn’t and the Pats are underfeated. And let’s face it the Pats are better. Better personel on both sides of the ball overall and they have that X factor , that been there before, done that before factor. They also have the Bradychick factor. No not that chick wise guy, but Belichick. The killer B’s. Two certain Hall of Famers at the two spots you need it most. So why don’t I predict that Patriots to beat the spread,  butter em up and wipe them out. Because in football you never know. There is no sure thing. The ball bounces funny sometimes. a pass gets tipped at the line. The quarterback goes down. A guy coughs it up. And oh ya these Giants are tough. Tom Coughlin demands that. You might not like him as a player but you respect him as a coach and you play 110 % or you are out on your ars. Most of the better coaches are like that. In fact that’s how Belichick can get a guy that has a spotty past to play hard, (well that and some choice words from the veterans like Bruschi in the locker room..) Parcels is like that too. You give him lip and he may give you like a few hours to pack your stuff or maybe not even. I could it break it all down for you Maroney stepping it up the last few games, looking like a little Corey Dillon putting his head down and sticking his shoulder pads in a cornerbacks gut for the extra 2 yards. Rodney Harrison just smelling out the plays etc As well Hobbs and Cobbs shaky on the corner, the line bending a little too much. And on the Giants side the reemergence of Plaxico Burresss as an absolute stud, Jacobs pounding it up the middle and Bradshaw almost making everyone forget about Tiki what’s his name, and obviously Manning coming of age etc I could go on and on and on and on    OK OK enough already I know that your over media hyped and saturated allready and you wish the game was this Sunday , me too! MY PREDICTION  drum roll Ringo…..Patriots win 33-23!

Tickets for the Super Bowl are going for record prices. The fans from the frigid northeast are shelling out outrageous prices to bask in the desert sun and soak up the essense of Americana. The Super Bowl has taken on a mythical status as the event of the year in the USA.  Average price is $4500. The cheapest seats are $3200 for upper end zone. Good sideline seats are in the $10,000 range.  A ticket broker can make a years salary on this one game alone. Of course my friends at National Ticket Agency are humble and understanding. They understand the average mans plight. They will be watching at Bru’s room in Boynton Beach. Big screen , lot’s of beer and wings..see ya all there and take care , drive safe..

And for goodness sakes bring on the baseball season..Spring training countdown as of this second  courtesy of the Boston Globe 21 days : 10 hrs : 12 mins : 11 secs

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