Topic: Sox open Fenway today

[poomcgoo]

Fuck yeah.  I'm about to head down to Fenway for the Red Sox opening game in Boston.  I need to be drunk in time for the flyover.  I don't have a ticket, but really, you don't need one to have a fucking good time.  I want to see them catch their stride today, damn it.

[Ghandi]

The Sox are overrated this year. They won't even make the playoffs. The Braves are gonna win it all.

[scottws]

Geez that's today?  The Reds opening day was over a week ago.

[Ghandi]

Well generally if your first series of the year is away I think that your next series is your home opener. The Sox were just playing overseas so they got a late start.

[scottws]

Yeah, I guess I didn't think of that.  The Reds always open at home, being the first fully professional baseball team and all.  In fact, I think their opening day is like the opening of baseball season, if I'm not mistaken.

[Ghandi]

You are. The Nationals opened the season this year against the Braves. Well, technically the Sox did in Japan. But that doesn't really count.

[HxCeddie]

Sorry Ghandi, I don't see the Braves winning it this year. Give them another year or two, maybe, but not this year.

As for the Sox, they'll be fine once Ortiz snaps out of his horrible slump. At least Manny is on fire at the right time.

And they Sox will make the playoffs while the Yankees will miss out on the wild card. Fact!

[Ghandi]

Assuming our pitchers can stay healthy, we have the best starting pitching in baseball. Hudson, Smoltz and Glavine have a combined 1.25 (right around there, I don't know the exact - around 1.2) era this season. And it will get even better once Hampton gets off the DL. Plus we have an amazing offensive lineup. Our 2-3 combo with Yunel Escobar and Chipper Jones is one of the best in the game right now - both guys are hitting around .400.

The only reason that we have been losing so far is that our bullpen has been shaky, but it will shape up. We had one of the best bullpens in baseball last year.

I'm sure the Sox will make the playoffs, my earlier comment was just due to my hate of the Sox. But I'll root for them any day before the Yankees. I fucking hate the Yankees.

[scottws]

Assuming our pitchers can stay healthy, we have the best starting pitching in baseball. Hudson, Smoltz and Glavine have a combined 1.25 (right around there, I don't know the exact - around 1.2) era this season.

Geez, Smoltz and Glavine still play?  You guys must have the highest combined age for pitchers in baseball too.

The Reds finally got some decent pitching.  They still need some better relievers but on the whole, they are much improved from previous years.  Aaron Harang is the most underrated pitcher in baseball.  And that new Cueto guy is decent.

Sadly, the Reds had to trade away some pretty decent offensive players to get the pitching, and now it seems like they can't score more than a few runs even in tiny Great American Ballpark.

Ah well.  I'll fully admit that I'm a fairweather baseball fan.  Overall I bore easily of baseball.  But if the Reds are hot, I'll watch.

[Ghandi]

Yeah Harang is pretty good, I watched him pitch a game last week.

Smoltz is incredible for how old he is - 41 years old and his fastball is still incredible. He throws it at around 96-97, and has a nasty slider to boot.

Did you guys read about the Sox jersey that the construction worker buried in the concrete of the new Yankess stadium? He's a Sox fan and wanted to curse the Yankees. The Yankees found out and dug it out of the concrete. Absolute hilarity.

[scottws]

Yeah I don't know what's funnier:  the act of burying it, the act to dig up the new concrete for hours to get it out, or the fact that the Yankees are contemplating suing the guy.

It's too bad the guy blabbed about it.  It would be much funnier if like 40 years later he revealed his secret.