Opinion

I analyze Gil Meche starts as much, maybe more than starts by Zack Greinke.  Gil Meche is my favorite Royal right now and let me tell you, whoever that was wearing his jersey yesterday was NOT Gil Meche.

Actually, it was Gil Meche, but not the Gil Meche we have known for the past two seasons.  It strikes me that Meche is simply out of sync: kind of like you get on a bad day on the golf course.  You know your swing is wrong, but you can't get it fixed. 

The Giants can't wait, they cannot go the distance with this team.

The San Francisco Giants offense is pathetic. The time has to be now to make a move for a offensive weapon. The move is long over due.

The San Francisco Giants rank dead last in major league baseball for offense.

Their batting average as a team is .250, their slugging percentage is .360, OPS is .669 and their OBP is .309.

With two months of the 2009 MLB Season into the record books, we are coming back to reality as we expected it to be this season.

The great starts of the Florida Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays caught the eye of the public earlier in the year, questioning if they can stay on top of their respective divisions.

The Marlins went cold for weeks after their hot start, while the Blue Jays suffered a losing streak that has brought them into third place in the AL East.

Speaking of the great East, how about them Rays?

Ryan Braun is quietly having a great season. In 43 games played, he is batting .325 with eight homers and 31 RBI. 

But, those aren't the numbers that impress me. Through Braun's first 300 games as a big leaguer, he has earned a reputation of a free swinger. In each of his first two seasons, he had over 110 strikeouts without drawing more than 42 walks in a season. 

Originally published 5/19/09 at www.jelletlambie.wordpress.com

Dontrelle Willis needed this.

He needed to step onto that mound at Comerica Park and feel the evening sun shine upon him, the clouds in retreat, the swirling winds at bay. He needed to kick his right leg high into the air and bring his left arm across his body in perfect plane as the baseball left his fingertips with a sizzle. He needed this, and so did we.

What happened?

Mere months after providing a final flourish to a World Series victory and capping off a fantastic year for himself, Phillies closer Brad Lidge is enduring a miserable 2009 thus far.

The Hall of Fame and baseball writers have become a touchy subject as of late for Bert Blyleven.

During a May 25th broadcast, Blyleven (a color commentator for the Minnesota Twins since 1996) and play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer got on the topic of baseball writers.

"It's a load of crap. Even at 58, I'd like to meet some of those writers on the field. Give them a bat. On second thought, don't give them a bat."

And, of course, the topic soon changed from baseball writers to Hall of Fame voting.

Oh, the drama!

I'm sure I was one of scores of Orioles fans absolutely convinced that Chris Tillman's shortened start the other night was a sign that he was on his way up to Baltimore to take Adam Eaton's spot in the rotation, especially after the O's came out and said his departure had nothing to do with an injury.

Boy, what a difference a day makes.

When John Smoltz came to Boston, my first thought "Another Schilling?"

Yes, at first I was wondering if John could be what Curt Schilling was in 2004, when he led the Sox into the World Series even though he was an aging veteran who had already had his glory years.

Well, I might be off. My heart started sinking a little when I saw he still wasn't ready in late May.

Its hard to believe that we paid 5.5 million dollars for John Smoltz, the 20 year veteran who spent his glory days with the 1990’s Atlanta Braves.