Baseball

For those of us who have been wondering what the story is with Mike Pelfrey, it looks like we finally have an answer, and it is not the one I was pretty excited to see.

According to ESPN’s Peter Gammons, Pelfrey has been pitching with tendonitis, and that has limited his effectiveness on the mound. Now, what would be our options here? Let’s explore.

First we need to know more about this injury. Pelfrey needs to be honest and discuss if he is pitching with pain, and if he is, he needs to rest up the arm to get it back to 100 percent.

Mark Fidrych put the Joy in Baseball

Baseball fans all over the country, including myself, immediately fell in love with "The Bird" in 1976. He was playful and goofy, without any hint of pretension. Fidrych put the fun in baseball; he was a big kid in a kid's game. One of the game's genuine characters, he simply captured our imaginations.

On the heels of Fred Lynn, Fidrych almost pulled off his own awards double-play; he was named Rookie of the Year and finished second to Jim Palmer in the Cy Young balloting.

I would have written this article earlier if I had not heard the sad news. Sad news everyone. The legendary, Hall of Fame broadcaster, Harry Kalas; THE voice of the Phillies has passed away.

Mr. Kalas was found unconscious in the broadcasting booth prior to the beginning of the Washington Nationals- Philadelphia Phillies game this afternoon, April 13. It seems fitting for some reason that Mr. Kalas would “go” in the booth. It just seems fitting.

Here are some players whose nice starts could continue.

Grant Balfour, RP, Tampa Bay Rays

Four reasons Balfour can get saves this year:

1)  Balfour’s 2008 season: 58 innings, 82 strikeouts, 1.54 ERA, 0.89 WHIP.  

These are two links I have found recently having to do with the Rays that I enjoy. Even if you're not a Rays' fan, but like baseball, you'll at least find them worth reading.

Much is being made about the New York Yankees’ terrible start to the season, specifically the epic fail of their top two pitchers in their opening series against the Baltimore Orioles.

I get that the Yankees are the flagship franchise of Major League Baseball, so their struggles become instant ammunition for angry white journalists to fire off in prematurely-damning columns.

But is this really a question of the overpaid Yankees being that terrible, or the Baltimore Orioles being a much-improved club?

The other day, we gave necessary props to the Opening Day festivities at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.  After all, they had professional ballplayers entering the ceremonies through the bleachers and no one got zinged in the melon by an item labeled “Duracell.”