Reining In That Enthusiasm

There's a chance I got a bit ahead of myself last night when, drunk on offense, I declared that short of Rios' slow start things were just this side of perfect in Jaysland. In fact there are several areas of concern, as we all know, starting with Rios, but encompassing Money Earnin', too, who's looking a tad slower in CF, and at times a tad befuddled at the plate. Add the misadventures of the closer, the loss of the most experienced non-Halladavian starter, and the great probability that this .727 clip won't last all season long (if it did they'd end up winning 117 games, which is a wonderful thing to contemplate), and you are left with the conclusion that our current high can't possibly last. But it's also worth remembering that strong seasons are very rarely built on the backs of weak Aprils; if the miraculous should happen and the Jays find themselves playing meaningful games in September, then having these games in their pocket might provide the crucial difference between contention and disappointment.


And then there's Seattle, who were picked by most to dwell in the nether-regions of the AL West again this season, but who have started off hot. The same caveat applies to them: they probably aren't as good as they look right now, but with Griffey back at Safeco, Ichiro healthy and breaking records, and the M's actually winning, there are a lot of reasons to pay attention. If'n I were a Seattlite (which has been a sort of a fantasy of mine, off and on for years, for a variety of reasons I won't bore you with here), I'd be at the park every night, I think. "A New Day," goes the team's new ad line, and aside from conjuring unfortunate memories of a lesser Paula Abdul single (pray God they don't play that song at the park as the hometowners charge out of the dugout), it just might be apt. Also, tonight's Ichiro bobblehead night, so there's that.

Finally, whichever part of my head or heart is responsible for schadenfreude went into overdrive yesterday afternoon when the Indians helped the Yankees open the new Yankee Stadium by handing them a 10-2 spanking. Delicious. Whatever goodwill I experienced last season has long since evaporated. Once again I truly do hate the Yankees.