New Faces, Other Minds
So, the Nomar thing.
I'm not gonna take the time to go over my feelings about it, considering I already did a few weeks ago, when I thought he and Randy "Souless Gangly Mercenary" Johnson would change places. Suffice it to say that I'm over it. Pretty much.
Meanwhile, holy crap! We've got new guys, and we're using them! Trade deadline pickups are always fun--if they work out.
My impressions of the new guys so far:
Dave Roberts: The easiest to spell out of the bunch. The guy's only 32, but he's got that "old man" look to him-sleepy eyes, beard and hair tinged with a little bit of gray. I didn't like his 0-fer, but I did like that he made the pitcher work for every out, most notably in the first inning when he led off with a seven pitch at-bat. His defense is solid so far-he was positioned so well on a Carl Crawford single that, had it been someone slower than the speedy Crawford, might have turned into a first base putout from right field. As soon as he starts hitting, we might even see him steal a base or thirty.
Orlando Cabrera: Ever since that home run in his first at bat, he's only managed a walk. However, he's been all over the infield, getting to balls that the current incarnation of you-know-who wouldn't even think about fielding. His throws to first are low, but they're consistently low, which just means whoever's playing first makes a small adjustment, and there's no problem. I wish he'd stop popping up twice a game, but it's a small sample size, and he hasn't played in Fenway yet. I'm not worried.
Doug Mienkianahudjfh: Yeah, I could look up how to spell his name, but this is much easier, and, frankly, a lot funnier. He's been nothing but excellent so far, playing great defense and hitting the ball all over the place. It's out of the question to expect too many home runs from him, but Fenway could give him some much needed Green Monster love, and when Dio comes back, our home run power is more than covered.
So far, more or less good. Let's hope it holds up.
As an aside, I finally saw Mark Bellhorn change his facial expression--yes, he can smile, and I believe I saw a chuckle in there as well. I get the impression that, when he's actually playing, his deadpan look (although I would argue that there's some fierceness in it. He always looks pleasantly pissed off.) is a result of his absolute concentration, especially at the plate. His approach to hitting seems based on an almost scientific understanding of his limitations, and how he can overcome them by recognizing the pitches he can successfully put in play and ignoring most everything else. He strikes out a lot because of this, but really, is a strikeout worth more than a popup? A double play? This is the reason why he's second on this team in RS, and tied for third in RBIs. It's a blow to this team that he's hurt, but I'm glad he gets to relax a little bit.
I'm not gonna take the time to go over my feelings about it, considering I already did a few weeks ago, when I thought he and Randy "Souless Gangly Mercenary" Johnson would change places. Suffice it to say that I'm over it. Pretty much.
Meanwhile, holy crap! We've got new guys, and we're using them! Trade deadline pickups are always fun--if they work out.
My impressions of the new guys so far:
Dave Roberts: The easiest to spell out of the bunch. The guy's only 32, but he's got that "old man" look to him-sleepy eyes, beard and hair tinged with a little bit of gray. I didn't like his 0-fer, but I did like that he made the pitcher work for every out, most notably in the first inning when he led off with a seven pitch at-bat. His defense is solid so far-he was positioned so well on a Carl Crawford single that, had it been someone slower than the speedy Crawford, might have turned into a first base putout from right field. As soon as he starts hitting, we might even see him steal a base or thirty.
Orlando Cabrera: Ever since that home run in his first at bat, he's only managed a walk. However, he's been all over the infield, getting to balls that the current incarnation of you-know-who wouldn't even think about fielding. His throws to first are low, but they're consistently low, which just means whoever's playing first makes a small adjustment, and there's no problem. I wish he'd stop popping up twice a game, but it's a small sample size, and he hasn't played in Fenway yet. I'm not worried.
Doug Mienkianahudjfh: Yeah, I could look up how to spell his name, but this is much easier, and, frankly, a lot funnier. He's been nothing but excellent so far, playing great defense and hitting the ball all over the place. It's out of the question to expect too many home runs from him, but Fenway could give him some much needed Green Monster love, and when Dio comes back, our home run power is more than covered.
So far, more or less good. Let's hope it holds up.
As an aside, I finally saw Mark Bellhorn change his facial expression--yes, he can smile, and I believe I saw a chuckle in there as well. I get the impression that, when he's actually playing, his deadpan look (although I would argue that there's some fierceness in it. He always looks pleasantly pissed off.) is a result of his absolute concentration, especially at the plate. His approach to hitting seems based on an almost scientific understanding of his limitations, and how he can overcome them by recognizing the pitches he can successfully put in play and ignoring most everything else. He strikes out a lot because of this, but really, is a strikeout worth more than a popup? A double play? This is the reason why he's second on this team in RS, and tied for third in RBIs. It's a blow to this team that he's hurt, but I'm glad he gets to relax a little bit.
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