Thoughts from the TV (mine)

I’ve been able to see more baseball on TV during the last couple of days. That’s primarily because I’ve been working at home what seems like 24/7 – or 25/8, as Samantha would put it.

Anyway, over the top of my laptop screen yesterday I saw parts of the Mariners-White Sox first game and of the Astros-Reds, Athletics-Rangers and Cubs-Diamondbacks games. And today so far there has been another Mariners-White Sox day game.

My top-of-the-head observations included these:

1. Where has Mariners RHP Chris Jakubauskas been all these years? He lost 2-1 but allowed just two baserunners in seven innings.

2. Setting the Athletics-Rangers game apart were injuries to Oakland 2B Mark Ellis (left calf), 3B Nomar Garciaparra (right calf), LHP Brett Anderson (blister on his index finger) and RHP Santiago Casilla (right calf). Ellis and Garciaparra went on the disabled list today. The biggest injury, though, might have been the rib injury that could send Texas CF Josh Hamilton to the DL. If he does, I’d expect Hamilton to be a corner outfielder when he returns. Marlon Byrd and David Murphy then would move their position battle from left field to center. My projections for Hamilton this year were lower – or more conservative, as I like to call it – than most because I feared his injury history could come back to bite him. We’ll see.

3. The Astros still aren’t very good, though LHP Wandy Rodriguez seems to be pitching consistently well. Aside from him and RHP Roy Oswalt, Houston’s pitching is a joke. The lineup has a couple of bright lights and a few dim bulbs.

4. The Cubs proved they can score against anybody at any time, but at other times they can’t put a run together.

5. Forgot to mention that at some point during yesterday’s festivities, I switched over to “Baseball Tonight,” which usually is one of the best programs on television. Last night, the small part I could barely stand watching was one of the worst.things I’ve seen on TV. Why do Peter Gammons and ESPN still feel they have to protect Barry Bonds? It’s not like ESPN still has to promote that self-serving “reality” show that was an insult even to the crappy reality-show genre. Anyway, Gammons and whoever else was on the score were going on and on about how insightful Bonds was being while doing color commentary on some Giants broadcast. His insights about Manny Ramirez were along the line of “You can see in his eyes how focused he is.” Gammons went on to say that Bonds and Ramirez were two of the most intelligent players he had dealt with. That could be; I don’t know. But I do know that Bonds is a schmuck and an alleged lying cheat.

6. Today I saw another Mariners-White Sox game, which served to remind me that I should try to sign Jermaine Dye is some of my leagues where he was a free agent. I did that in two leagues, and through my search also found Grady Sizemore available in another league and signed him.