Can of Corn: Baseball Thermos

The Baltimore Orioles are leading the AL East, the Detroit Tigers are cellar dwellers in the AL Central and Johan Santana’s New York Mets are a game and a half out at 3-4 in the NL East. So what do we make of the early starts and struggles? Who will stay cold and who will stay hot? Let's check the temperature of baseball's thermos.

The Orioles are playing well but the chances of them being the only team above .500 in that division are about as good as Peter Angelos winning a World Series any time soon. Last week, I noted that O’s closer George Sherrill was a nice sell high candidate. Considering the injuries to Seattle’s J.J. Putz, and Atlanta’s Rafael Soriano, Trevor Hoffman and Eric Gagne’s shaky starts and the lack of opportunities for Billy Wagner and Todd Jones, I’d say there is a market for Sherrill.

As for the Tigers, they have plenty to worry about. Heading into the season with a shaky bullpen is never a good thing, but when you are getting little from what was supposed to be a juggernaut of an offense it takes eight games to notch a win. With few prospects left to trade, Detroit’s bullpen woes might resemble those of the White Sox last season when the Palehose’s ERA after the sixth inning was 5.55 (second worst in baseball to Tampa Bay). Unless the bats awake in a big way, Detroit will continue to play like kittens.

Much of New York’s sports talk radio spent yesterday talking Mets fans down from ledges. Despite the Mets early struggles this team is not merely built to win games, but to contend. There are things to worry about, most notably Jose Reyes’ .242 OBP over the first seven games, but the Mets should bounce back behind what appears to be a very solid pitching staff. Losing Pedro, who I felt was more of a #4 or #5 starter due to his lower projected innings, will not hurt this team as badly as many think. Running the trio of Santana, Perez and Maine out there each week will be just fine to compete in the NL.

The start of a season is always scrutinized and the same holds true in fantasy baseball where knee-jerk reactions occur daily. Corey Patterson currently leads all hitters in slugging with a .833 mark over 30 at-bats and we all know that won’t last. Magglio Ordonez, Mike Lowell and Troy Tulowitzki drove in a combined 358 runs last season but have combined for zero RBI to this point in 2008. So what’s the point? Be patient with your players’ slow starts and opportunistic when your league-mates decide to cut bait with players who had a bad week.

Chuggin' Along: From San Antonio to Augusta

Kansas wins the 2008 NCAA Men's National Basketball Championship and Bill Self(ish) wants “security.” I don’t blame him, I’d like some more job security as well, but is this really what it has come to in collegiate athletics? Seems so and not just in college basketball. What about the coach who wins three games with a team full of players who will actually graduate?

Maybe it’s the changing of the seasons or my love for food but when I first read the match up for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final my first thought was BBQ. If only the game was played in Carolina.

Great job by the Lady Vols who captured their second straight Women’s NCAA Basketball title. Pat Summit has now won eight championships. Not to diminish the feat, but when the best recruits in the nation are coming to you and knocking on your door each year, you should be winning championships.

Matt Stover’s call to remove Gene Upshaw as the President of the NFL Players Union in an email has been downplayed by Kevin Mawae, the new president of the union. What is it with kickers? Stover probably won’t even be around by the time the new CBA is negotiated.

And last but certainly not least, the train pulls into Georgia this week where everyone is green with envy at the 2008 Masters tournament. All eyes are on Tiger, but my dark-horse candidate to put on the green jacket is Jose Maria Olazabal and Scott Pianowski agrees.

As far as watching golf goes, this is one event even a casual sports fan should watch. If you are unfamiliar or just want to get reacquainted with Augusta National you can get information on each hole with a flyover here.

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