The Mind Gone Mad

No? Fuck!

I’ve had a lot of long drives to myself recently. You know the kind. It’s the middle of the night, no other cars, no other people. Just you, the moon, and whatever you’ve got playing on the stereo.

I have to be honest, that is one of my favorite things to do. To go for a drive in the middle of the night when not a soul is around. Some times I play slow music real low, other times I need a good blast of something fast and heavy. It’s a great way to clear your head. To really just put the world on pause for a few moments. That’s something we all need once in a while. Sure nothing changes when you get back, but it’s a momentary release. A nice piece of therapy for an otherwise stressful existence.

And what is stressing me out exactly? Several things of course, but the real wonderful icing on the cake has been my back. It’s been so bad lately that it’s starting to worry me. Even right now as I am typing this, I am in quite a bit of pain. It’s a lot of things that’s causing it. Just the fact that it’s a bad back, from work, and from the horribly stupid dinning room chair we have as a desk chair that I end up sitting in for hours whenever I play Lord of the Rings Online. Well no more. I’m going to from now on use my own desk chair whenever I sit at that computer. I can’t take it anymore.

I’m convinced that I’m going to need at least some kind of surgery by the time I’m 30. I don’t see it progressing well on it’s own. And I know I’m no doctor, nor have I stopped to get a professional opinion, but lets face it. When you start getting intense pain from bending over just because you sat in a chair for a couple hours cannot mean good things for your future. And the idea of such a surgery…well…it doesn’t leave pleasant thoughts. Which brings me back to the start of this entry in the first place: going for a joyride.

So here is my takeaway message for everyone: don’t allow life to bog you down. Take those needed moments to step away if only for a few minutes and balance yourself back out. And if that doesn’t work, fuck it, give me a call and I’ll say something random to attempts to cheer you up.

Enjoy!

The clock is ticking. How much longer is it going be?

Seconds turn to minutes. This is stupid, can’t you see?

Minutes turn to hours. From this madness will I ever be free?

Hours turn to days. Is it you or is it me?

Days turn to weeks. In my heart there is only glee.

Weeks turn to months. In your heart what will I see?

Months turn to…no. I refuse that next step. The clock is ticking. The choice is your’s now.

Football has ended, no one really gives a shit about basketball, and hockey-who?

It leaves only one thing left. Baseball!

Pitchers and catchers report in 9 days. Spring training will be getting underway. And another wonderful season in a beautiful game begins. So many things to look at and so little time. Baseball has a thing called the hot stove which is all the important things going on in the sport for each team. Well this is no different. Just my version of it. So here goes!

Johan Santana
If we’re gonna talk about baseball, me have to start with the biggest trade since in baseball since A-Rod got sent to New York.

This time another superstar finds his way to the Big Apple, but it’s not the Yankees, it’s the Mets. My reaction to that? Good. I didn’t want the Yankees to get Santana. They would of had to give up either Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy, or a combination of the three, plus high level minor leaguers. My response to that remained the same throughout the entire rumor process: no thank you.

So Mets ended up getting him. Good for them. They needed him badly. He makes them such a better team. He is the Ace they haven’t had since Pedro’s first season with the team and they didn’t even make the playoffs that year. This year, I’ll put money on it that they will.

Now if you are saying, “Santana still only pitches once every fifth day,” you are absolutely right. But that doesn’t mean he won’t have an affect on the team the other days. And I’m not even talking about his leadership and clubhouse presence. The mere fact that the guy is able to go at least 7 innings a game is huge to the team. Think about it. Last season they had a lot of young pitchers who many times would only go 5 or 6 innings. What is the significance? The bullpen. The more innings Santana pitches, the more of a break he gives the bullpen. Thus keeping them more fresh and ready for the days other pitchers can’t go as long and giving the team a better chance at winning those games as well.

So such a great pitcher has a ripple effect on the entire team. One I think is going to positively affect the Mets and lead them back in Nation League Dominance.

Repeat?
There has been a lot of talk about whether or not the Red Sox can repeat as World Champs. It hasn’t been done since the Yankees won three in a row 1998-2000. In fact, the defending World Series Champs each season since hasn’t even been able to get back into the World Series. But now the Red Sox win with a great pitching staff, a beautiful mix of young players and veterans, and now will be entering the new season with the very same mix. My opinion? There is a great chance of it happening.

Of course there is a catch. Even though the playoffs were exactly the same ‘98-’00 (with the 2 rounds before the World Series) it is unbelievably difficult for a team to face that gauntlet and do it twice in a row. Which is really what made that three in a row for the Yankees so special. Something I don’t feel we will see anytime soon if ever again.

So can the Red Sox repeat? You know what, so long as they have a healthy Beckett and Papelbon entering the playoffs, I’ll believe they can do anything. I know many other players are needed too, but those two guys are just insane and can do anything for their team.

Joba the Starter
The big question around the Yankees is can Joba Camberlain make it as a starter? Honest answer? DUH! If he can’t make it as a starter, I’ll eat my hat. Not really, but you know what I mean!

Joba is a great, great pitcher. I’ve seen just about every single pitch he made for the Yankees last season, I was at the game in Toronto when he made his major league debut, he is not a fireballer. He doesn’t just throw hard. He is a pitcher. What’s the difference? A pitcher knows how to mix it up, how to make the ball move, keep hitters off balance. Let me put it this way…Kyle Farnsworth is a thrower, Joba is a pitcher. Get it now? Big fucking difference.

All he really saw out of Joba was his fastball and his slider. Just two pitches. Why? Because he was a relief pitcher that mostly only went one inning. When you are in that situation and only face a few guys, you use your very best stuff. When you are a starter and are going to see the same guys 3 times a game, you need to mix it up otherwise they are going to figure you out and wear you down. I think Joba threw maybe 2 curve balls last season. I recall seeing one of them and it was nasty. He also has a changeup that he is working on. So he has 2 pitches that are amazing, one that should be just as amazing, and a fourth in the works. Add that to the fact that he is built like a bull, and the heart of a lion, he’s going to be great.

And let’s just say for a second that he isn’t. That he’s going to suck as a starter. Well…who cares? Put him back in the bullpen where we know he’s awesome and get over it. It’s a win-win.

That does it for me. If you are curious about other things in baseball (like if you’re my sister and I know you only get your info from me) just leave a comment and I’ll attack the topic.

Out!