AP Photo
If Mark Twain was a 21st century sportswriter, he'd say there are lies, damned lies and spring training stories.
As I head to Florida for my 20th spring training, here are the story lines, quotes, notions and phrases I've learned to avoid:
• "If we can stay healthy..."
Baseball teams don't stay "healthy," not with 25-man rosters navigating 162-game seasons. If a team begs for good health, what it is really saying is, "We don't have enough good players."
• "John Doe looks to be in great shape ..."
It's not a story if a professional athlete arrives in good shape. It's only a story if he doesn't.
Anyway, body fat is not a good indicator of success. Baseball is not a swimsuit competition. For every hyper-fit player who succeeds, there are...
It didn’t shatter any outfield lights, but Joey Votto delivered a walk-off grand slam Sunday that was straight out of “The Natural.”Votto made reference to the classic Robert Redford baseball movie shortly ... more »
No team gets an off-day in Week 7, so we have a heaping buffet of double-dip starters for you. You'd think that with a loaded slate like this nobody would have to think about using Josh Johnson, but things aren't that simple... more »
With every team playing a seven-game schedule in Fantasy Week 7 (May 14-20), there will be no shortage of two-start pitching options. That means that some pitchers, like Hiroki Kuroda, Trevor Cahill, Bud ... more »
You want to take something meaningful away from Andy Pettitte’s first time back on a major-league mound in a year and a half? Then you go right ahead. Go ahead and break down Pettitte’s 6⅓-inning, 94-pitch... more »
The decision, frankly, smacked a little of desperation. The kind of thing a struggling, 14-19 team would do to try to kick-start itself, or send itself a message. Calling all Angels, as it were -- here in only the second week of... more »
Email
Print
Share