Wednesday, May 4, 2011

SweetSpot Roundup 5/4

In today's roundup, Frank McCourt seems less than trustworthy, Yovani Gallardo seems to have slipped, at least Raul Ibanez seems to be trying, and the SweetSpot Network seems to have grown by a couple blogs.


Disciples of Uecker (Brewers): Yovani Gallardo's Struggles
Is there something wrong with Yovani Gallardo?  Or is this just a blip?  Jack investigates.

Fungoes (Cardinals): The gap between Freese and his backups
Are the Cards in deep trouble with Freese on the DL for the next couple months?

View From the Bleachers (Cubs): Recommended Reading
Joe reviews three new books, two of which are even about baseball!

Dodger Thoughts: McCourt puts his word up against everyone else
"There's no doubt that some critics of McCourt have gotten carried away, exaggerating his mistakes, sometimes for effect, sometimes out of frustration. The exaggerations don't mean that the mistakes aren't there."

Bay City Ball (Giants): Giants Win Actual Game, Somehow Beat Mets 7-6
Chris Quick reacts to a win by the scuffling Giants.

Mets Today: Mejia-Bad Luck or Just Bad?
"After hearing the news of Jenrry Mejia’s elbow injury, many fans lamented about the “bad luck” of the Mets, and how they “can’t catch a break”. Is it really “luck”? Or are injuries such as this more indicative of something “bad” about the Mets? Or perhaps baseball in general?"

Nationals Baseball: So far, so bad. But then so good.
Harper urges you not to be swayed by the Nats decent start in to May.

Ducksnorts (Padres): Looking Back at April
Geoff's an excellent writer, and does good work over at BP.  In this article, he looks at what a difference a year makes.

Crashburn Alley (Phillies): Ibanez Trying to End Offensive Slump
Bill's got some awesome .gif action illustrating the struggles of the Phillies leftfielder.

Blake Street Bulletin (Rockies): The Colorado Rockies-Road Warriors
Part of a brand new cohort of SweetSpot blogs, a big welcome to the boys at BSB.  Here, they look into the Rockies uncharacteristic success on the road in 2011.

It's Pronounced "Lajaway" (Indians): Be kind to your vendor
And here's another brand new SweetSpot blog. Here, Susan gives us some lessons from her experiences as a vendor at Municipal Stadium.

Pro Ball NW (Mariners): Texas Rangers (16-13) vs. Seattle Mariners (13-16)
Taylor previews the three pitching matchups in this week's Rangers series.

Baseball Time in Arlington (Rangers): Of Bullpens And Jelly Beans
"Imagine I have a jar with 500 jelly beans in it. This particular jar of jelly beans has 200 delicious red jelly beans, 200 less tasty but still acceptable blue jelly beans, 60 spicy black licorice jelly beans, and 40 jelly beans that taste like a combination of earwax and belly-button lint. You get to pick one jelly bean out.  No, no peeking allowed.
Welcome to Ron Washington’s life."
The Ray Area: The Return
The red-hot Rays have their best player, Evan Longoria, coming back. You might think this is a good thing, but actually, it's a great thing.
Fire Brand of the AL (Red Sox): When Will A-Gone Live Up to His Name?
Adrian Gonzalez has been hitting, but not hitting 'em out. Charlie takes a look at why, and when we might expect that to turn around.
Royals Authority: I want Vin Scully to call the 2012 All-Star Game
Here's an idea I can definitely get behind; Nick spent the Royals' Monday off day thinking about the great Vin Scully, and about how he should be behind the mic when Kansas City hosts the midsummer classic next July.
The Daily Fungo (Tigers): Your Disjointed Tigers
Jim Leyland apparently doesn't believe in chemistry. Wade apparently does, and thinks the Tigers' "cliquey" clubhouse has been part of the problem so far in 2011.
Nick's Twins Blog: The First Step
"A dreadful start to the season has had just about everyone in the clubhouse on edge. Last night, Liriano and the Twins finally got to smile. Remembering how to do that could be the first step toward getting things turned around."
It's About the Money, Stupid (Yankees): Stop. The. Bunting!
"Joe Girardi loves the bunt. I’ve pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I’m going to have to live with that to some extent. And at least Girardi confines a good chunk of his ordered sacrifices to situations in which they’re arguably justifiable calls. Last night was not one of those nights."

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