Afternoon Baseball

It is the best day of the year, even with Carl Pavano pitching at 1 p.m. Pavano, by the way, was listed as one of this season's bust predictions by Bill Simmons. Oh, when he tries to write too much at once.
If Pavano even makes it onto the mound, he's less of a bust than he was last year. So, I can't agree. I do very much hope he's right on Howie Kendrick being a breakout star, because he's my fantasy league 2B at the moment.

Some milestones to consider as the year starts:
For the Yankees, it's 30 years since the 1977 championship (the first under Steinbrenner) and 80 years since the legendary 1927 team. Mike Mussina needs 11 wins for 250 and Andy Pettitte needs 14 for 200. Johnny Damon is fast closing in on 2,000 hits, being 58 shy, and Alex Rodriguez has a chance for 500 home runs, needing 36.

In the general baseball world:
Tom Glavine's Opening Day win last night gives the 41-year-old 291. Of course, had he stayed with the Braves, he'd probably have 300 already.

Randy Johnson needs 20 for 300, while Greg Maddux needs 17, a mark he hasn't reached in six years, for 350. Roger Clemens, should he lift the shroud of mystery, needs two for that milestone. John Smoltz needs seven for 200 to go with his 154 saves and 11 consecutive years with an ERA under 3.50.

Craig Biggio is 19 home runs shy of 300 and 70 hits short of 3,000. He's already got 637 doubles (9th all time) and 410 stolen bases, which is quite the all-around productive from a diminutive second baseman.

In an interesting watch, Moises Alou, who can still hit, will try to keep his lifetime average above .300 (.3010 right now), while Barry Bonds and Julio Franco are each at .2988, hoping to raise the bar. Yes, I know what else Bonds is chasing -- 159 hits for 3,000 and 70 RBI for 2,000.

Frank Thomas, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez have legitimate shots at 500 home runs. Gary Sheffield would need a career year of 45 to do so. Sammy Sosa, of course, is playing for the love of 600 home runs.

Lots to look forward to, obviously.

Labels: Baseball