All tied up!

Well tonight seemed strangely like the first night of real baseball - I don't know if it was the fact that night games kicked in, or that we have moved on from the hoopla of the first Sox / Yankees series of the year, but it just seemed like tonight was a proper baseball evening.

And the net result of it all is that every team in the AL East is tied with a 2-2 record - in intra-division play, the Sox won ugly, with Keith Foulke showing that no lead seems safe at this point, the Yankees lost ugly, and then in the match up of the Devil Rays and the A's, the East won out in extra innings.

Part of Neil and I's online debate last year was the discrepancy between our respective teams records against the Orioles - when they played us, the Orioles seemed to play tough and always gave us a hard game, while against the Yankees, the Orioles rolled over, let the Yanks tickle their tummy and generally forgot how to play fundamental baseball - there was a particular game last year at Camden Yards where (I think) Jack Cust broke for home on a play with the go ahead run, and fell, got up and fell again a yard short of home plate, allowing Posada to tag him out, that typified how the Orioles played the Yanks last year. If the Orioles could even go 7 - 12 against the Yanks this year (following a ridiculous 4-15 record in 2004, and 10-9 against the Sox), it may well be enough to tip the AL East in the Sox's favor.

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A comment on Rivera

Wow, 2 appearances into the season and Rivera needs to watch his back. I understand the reaction of the Yankee fans on Wednesday, it is difficult to stand and cheer your closer when he blows a game like that, but wouldn't dignified silence have been a better response?

Neil may not agree with me, but I think the response was a combination of two factors - the truly ridiculous expectations that surround the Yanks this year, and a new nervousness about Stadium fans due to the nature of the collapse in the ALCS next year - any reminders are not particularly well received.

Regardless, the Sox may have gained a slight edge on Rivera due to the number of times they have seen him in the last couple of years, but I can't imagine they are ever that happy to see him come in with a lead in the 9th - perhaps Neil and I should have had an over / under guess on Rivera's blown saves this year. Even with 2 in the first 3 (now 4) games, I am still thinking a reasonable offer for the season would be about 6?