Tell me your most pleasant surprise thus far in 2009 for the following:
- Red Sox Player
- Non-Red Sox Player
- Team other than the Red Sox
I'll start us off.
For the Sox I'm pleasantly surprised with the play of Hideki Okajima. After such an amazing 2007 we saw Oki go down a notch in 2008, but now he's made 23 appearances with 22 innings pitched and has only given up 6 ER for a 2.45 ERA. Very similar to his 2007 numbers. If the Sox are going to go deep this year he's got to be the man in the 7th/8th.
Non-Red Sox player is easy for me, Zack Greinke in Kansas City. SICK. I mean 8-1 with a 1.10 ERA...we haven't seen something like this since Pedro days.
As for the team I'm pleasantly surprised to see, maybe it's the heat but I have to go with Texas at this point. I know the Angels have been struck by bad luck and horrible tragedy, and the AL West is weak in general, but the Rangers have still won 30 games, best in the AL. Give them their due, even if all the Rangers fans I talked with this past weekend told me that there was a better chance of three days of rain than that team keeping up the pace ;)
Bonus if you can name the ex-Patriot in the picture above...the eyes certainly give it away.
Posts
7 comments:
Reche Caldwell. What do I win?
Still thinking about your other three questions ...
Alright, here goes...
Red Sox player: I'll go with Jason Bay. Sure, he finished strong last year, but that could have been an anomaly. This season he's been the man, taking over as Mr. Clutch, HR & RBI while Papi disappeared. That would have been enough pressure to wilt other players, but not JB.
Non-Red Sox player: Yep Greinke is my top pick too. So much so that I checked to see when he becomes a free agent (2010, but looks like he might be traded earlier if the Royals can't ink something in 2009).
Team: I'll take Milwaukee. Nice to see a team so committed to everything beer (and brats) atop the division again. Really, what's not to love about Wisconsin?
Bonus: I think that's Jabbar Gaffney in the photo, but can't be sure. Whoever it is, those eyes just haunt me.
Most pleasant surprise in a Red Sox player: Bay. Went from good role player to monster without missing a beat.
Non-Sox player: So as not to jump on the Greinke train, I'll say Juan Pierre.
Non-Sox team: First, I'll note that you could have just said "team" -- there was no risk I'd list the Sox, because they're about where I thought they'd be. Which team do I pick? . . . Dodgers. They look to run away with the division even though Manny will sit for 1/3 of it. Who knew?
Bryan is the big winner for identifying "Big Eyes Rene". You win the admiration of all who read this blog now and in the future.
I like this team too... 1864 Wabash Bashers.
http://bit.ly/fjHZr
Definitely Reche Caldwell - that guy had the biggest bug eyes ever!
Biggest sox surprise - Nick Green
Biggest non-sox surprise - Coco Crisp
Other team? Texas Rangers of course.
I just mostly remember those big eyes after he dropped two key passes in the AFC Championship Game against the Colts. I thought he was going to cry.
Post a Comment