Me on the MLB, and the MLB on TV

Sidney Ponson lost against his former team on Friday, but that doesn't tell you much (it was the Yankees). Ponson has played for seven teams, including two of them twice. How is he only 32 years old?! With all the teams he's played for (seven in the last six years) and runs he's allowed, I would have thought he was at least 78 years old. He had some decent years early in his career (17-12 with the Giants in '03), but he's been awful of late--since 2004, his ERA is 5.65, and he hasn't won more than eight games in a season. But surely things will turn around for him now that he's on the Royals.

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From the "Uh-oh, my prediction is not looking so hot" category, Cole Hamels got lit up in his pushed-back season debut Friday. He went just 3.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and seven runs. He also got pounded for six extra-base hits in one inning. I wouldn't have though too much of it, but then Buster Olney enlightened me as only Buster Olney can: the staff aces of the last five World Champions have struggled in the season following their championship. Schilling was injury-riddled and bad in '05; Buehrle struggled in '06; Carpenter missed nearly all of '07; and Beckett wasn't himself last year.

Hamels, in leading the Phillies to Philadelphia's first major sports title in 25 years, pitched a ridiculous 262 innings in 2008. Elbow soreness delayed his first start of the season, and suckiness made that start a short one. I'm not going to bail on my NL East prediction just yet, but Hamels better buck this World Series champion ace trend right quick.

Throwing one away
What the f*** was Ryan Theriot thinking? Why did he throw home on the last play of Friday's game instead of trying to turn the double play?

This play, unfortunately, brought to light one of the Cubs' weaknesses--their defense in the middle infield. Mike Fontenot is just okay at second base, and Ryan Theriot is a defensive liability at short. His range factor was the lowest of any NL shortstop last season, and his arm is not strong enough to throw runners out from the hole. I can't really recall any "great plays" from Theriot last year.

This is certainly not to suggest that Theriot shouldn't be in the lineup; it's simply a statement of the fact that he is a weakness in the field. He's got two errors in the first four games (one of which led to a Brewers run in the first inning Friday), and he may have cost the Cubs a chance at a victory Friday with his inexplicable decision to throw the ball home instead of attempting to turn the double play.

On a separate note, Rich Harden looked very good against the Brewers. Some were saying that his fastball was clocking in at the mid to high 80s in spring training, but the gun was revealing lots of numbers starting with "9" on Friday. Harden joined Josh Beckett as just the second pitcher to strike out 10 batters in a game this season, and if he continues to pitch like that as our #4 starter, our rotation is going to be downright filthy.

Infomercial
For anyone out there who has the ability to purchase MLB Network--DO IT! For baseball fans, this new channel is like a life raft on the Titanic, or the "A" key on your keyboard--you need it!

You know how sometimes Baseball Tonight is on ESPN, and you get to catch some highlights just after they've happened, and the hosts provide information and analysis about baseball? Well, MLB Network airs their version of Baseball Tonight every Monday-Friday from 6 pm CST until the last game of the night is over. Sometimes they're even able to show live action of big at-bats or end-of-game situations. Admittedly, the analysis isn't as solid or polished as ESPN's, but the quantity overrides the quality, and I'm sure it will improve as time goes on.

Additionally, MLB Network will carry 26 Thursday night games throughout the season, plus the same number of Saturday night games. Saturday's Dodgers/Diamondbacks game is on, and next Thursday will feature two games, including the Indians vs. the Yankees.

MLB Network also airs great games from the past, classic World Series highlights, and other specials including in-depth tours of the stadiums and countdown shows of the best home runs, rookie seasons, etc. Most importantly, it's all in HD.