Open Thread: Red Sox vs Yankees 3/7/05

Much as I prefer to see the Red Sox with a 3-1 record and the CFY going 0-3, I have to say that Spring Training records are meaningless.

These games exist mainly to (A) get the definite roster players into the, uh, swing of things, and (B) test out the handful of players who are vying for the few remaining spots.

As such, the outcome of individual games means little, when the managers are mainly looking to see how individual players are performing, not to win games.

And since the Yanks will have less than half of their key players in the game tonight, this means even less.

That said... Go Sox.

to see how Abe's doing.  Thrilled.

Other than that, I don't care.  I wouldn't care if Alvarez were pitching against the Pirates, honestly: the only way it matters that it's the Yankees tonight is that you KNOW Abe is gonna have to face at least a couple of good hitters.  That's all.  

How do you keep up so well with the Rays and the Sox? Are you in Red Sox country. Trot Nixon is the NC homeboy as he was a NC State football recruit as QB. He actually showed up for football practice while his agent was negotiating his first contract. Good negotiating tactic, maybee Stephen Drew should try that.

I don't think so.  I assume Alvarez was holding back a bit, this being his first start.  I watched Tom Glavine pitch the other day, and he topped out at 83 on the gun in that game.  Obviously, he wasn't pitching at 100%.  I'm thinking that's all it was with Alvarez, too.

Because I took special notice of Juan Cedeno's velocity while he was pitching.  He was consistently in the 91-92 mph range (which, for Cedeno, would also qualify as holding back).  So no, I don't think the gun was off.  I think they were both where they should be, assuming they weren't going all out.

Nice arm, Cedeno, but he worries me a little.  Besides that fastball, he's got NUTHIN.  He got two quick outs, but then put men on 1B & 2B and got ahead of the next batter.  I was waiting for him to sneak his changeup in there, or at least slip in the curveball.  Nope.  He stuck with the fastball, and he got burned for it.  Look, kid, you're gonna hafta throw a lot harder than that if you just wanna throw that fastball all day ...