Thursday March 1, 2007

Warning: Marlin Josh Johnson will already miss time with a nerve problem in his elbow, now there is word that Taylor Tankersley, the pre-season favorite as closer, will be shut down for two weeks with shoulder inflammation and might start the season on the DL. White Sox XXL closer (sorry, XL, he lost some weight) left Wednesday’s game against Colorado with shoulder tightness. Keep your eye on Mike MacDougal in case the problem turns out to be serious.
Twin’s starter Matt Garza pitched well against the Red Sox, with two shutout innings. He had a rocky start last season, but I still believe he will be good. In the same game, on the other team, Curt Schilling threw 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes and looked sharp enough for an old guy.
From the Funny, But Not Surprising department, Mets starter Oliver Perez hit a photographer with a warm-up pitch before Wednesday’s game. What happened here? The guy was absolutely sick in 2004 with the Pirates, but since then he has not been able to do much of anything (besides walking batters) 90% of the time.
In the NFL, Lions gave up Dre’ Bly to the Broncos for Tatum Bell, a tackle and a draft pick. This helps both teams, as the Lions needed someone to fill the hole (Brian Calhoun anybody?) while Kevin Jones recovers from his foot injury and the Broncos needed a corner to replace the departed purveyor of the fro-hawk, Darrent Williams.
I just got back from watching the Cougars fall to the Bruins, so it is a bit of a sad time right now. The Cougs were a bit uncharacteristic, handing over 10 turnovers in the first half alone. Derrick Low didn’t do much all night, and nobody stepped into the void. The positive note was again Aron Baynes, as he looked much more confident in the post. Coach Bennet also continued the trend of heavy use of the bench. With the Cougars down six late in the game, Daven Harmeling wasn’t even in the game. That’s it for today, tomorrow, Erik will regale you with his thoughts and ramblings.