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ALL SPORTS ARE GAMES! ALL GAMES ARE NOT SPORTS!
From backgammon to the 3,000 year old Royal Game of Ur., from Oriental kite contests to the universal tit-tat-toe and baseball, games have been, and are played throughout every culture and society known to man.
Where is the line drawn...
Fitness and Exercise For Children
Fitness and exercise are important. We all know that, and had
that lesson drummed into our heads in school. But, how much
attention do we pay to our children when it comes to fitness and
exercise? In our modern day, too many children spend...
Permissible Gambling
It's a fact that the legalization of some forms of gambling paved the way for the construction of gaming establishments catering for these services everywhere both public and private. While some argue that gambling forms part of social...
Real Baseball Players Hit With Wood
Real Players Hit With Wood Let me say this up front… I do not like aluminum bats . . . but I’ll win with them. Practice with wood . . . and you’ll win with aluminum. It’s really very simple. An aluminum bat swing can be mechanically flawed but...
Why Hitting a Small Ball Leads to Big Results in Baseball!
Why Hitting A Small Ball Leads to Big Results In all of sports hitting a round ball with a rounded bat is said to be toughest thing to do. It might be true, it might not, but I can tell you that the difference in Major League Baseball between $2...
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Schilling to the bullpen; it's a "good thing"
Perhaps Johnny Damon’s in a panic (Why are you guys still petrified of the Yankees??) with the news of Curt Schilling’s return to the Red Sox in a bullpen role. But, this latest move by Boston, in the wake of Keith Foulke’s injury and ineffectiveness (4 blown saves and a 6.23 ERA), makes perfect sense. Granted, the Yankee will put together a run at Boston after the All Star break, regardless if Schilling is in the bullpen, rotation, or rehab. But, this bullpen is what is keeping the Yankees in the race, and I give Francona props for wanting to do something about it.
It’s apparent that Schilling’s ankle is not strong enough to pitch 6 or 7 innings at this time (see his last outing for Pawtucket), but he can be very valuable coming out of the pen, and giving the team a strong inning or two. The gutsy Schilling actually began his career as a reliever, before becoming one of the premier Starting Pitchers in baseball in the past decade. John Smoltz is living proof you can make a successful transformation from staff ace to closer. It doesn’t hurt that Schilling is a well respected veteran, and could provide a calming influence over a not-so-calm state of affairs.
Now, back to Damon’s comments before Wednesday’s game at Texas. “I don't think he's ready to be our closer,I think Bronson (Arroyo) would be our best choice as a closer. That's if Mike Timlin's not it.”. Okay Johnny, if Arroyo heads down to the bullpen, who takes his place in the rotation? Certainly not Schilling, he’d have to remain on the sidelines. Unless Boston goes exclusively to a four man rotation, they have to insert Jeremi Gonzalez (or another mediocre hurler) back into the “spot starter” role. That would be my idea of “panic”. If Timlin takes over for Foulke
as team Fireman, then the entire bullpen will be forced to move up one spot. Like Rocket J Squirrel would say to Bullwinkle “Not again!! That trick never works!!!” Chances are, Theo Epstein will acquire an established middle reliever to help plug up the leaks in the bullpen boat.
Schilling, unlike too many of today’s players, is the true definition of at “team player”. If the mental picture of his bloody sock and decimated ankle last October in the ALCS doesn’t confirm that, I’m sorry for ya’. He has agreed to take on this role, which gets him back in the rotation without putting too much wear and tear on the ankle. In other words, Johnny, he’s doing this “for the team”. He will be a lot fresher than most starters when September rolls around, and if he’s healthy, more than likely he will be sharp (see Schilling’s past history).
Obviously, the Red Sox manager doesn’t see this as a reason for dissention. "This is not permanent," Francona said of Schilling closing. "Whether it's two weeks, two months, it's not two years. We don't know what's going to happen. Two weeks ago, we weren't having this conversation. We're trying to do the best we can. I don't think we have leeway to not win. Our job is to win. So we're going to do the best we can to win.” Exactly!! Francona is smart enough to realize that if it’s not working, he’ll pull the plug on the experiment and go to plan B. Then, maybe Johnny Damon can set the pitching rotation and won’t be in such a panic over a team they eliminated from the Playoffs in 2004
About the Author
John Onan (aka Ego74) is Sports Moderator at http://www.theopu.com and a regular Football Contributor at http://www.realfootball365.com
he can be reached at nay7201@mail.com
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