Six Games: Six Thoughts

A few things rattling around in my head thus far into the season…

1. The schedule makers were real teases this season. A whole winter of anticipation for that first game. Then, the game was pushed back a day. (OK, not the schedule maker’s fault) Then, after three quick games, out to the west coast for a week where the games are deep into the night. So, it’s still like the Sox aren’t playing. Only once has a game been played at a 7:10 start time like usual. It’s just a very choppy way to start a season. It’ll get better in the coming weeks.

2. No. I’m not worried. Frankly, I’d rather be 2-4 against Tampa and LA than the 3-3 the Yankees started with against Baltimore and KC. I’ve always said, the goal going into the season should be to win every series at home, and go 500 on the road. They’re only one game off each of those paces after facing exclusively 2008 playoff teams. The Yanks, on the other hand have been playing bottom dwellers. They’re supposed to use those games to make up for the games against the good teams.

3. The bullpen has been a little shakier than I’d like to see. You’d think that at least a couple of them would come out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Even Pap looked human the other night. Again, not at the worried stage. I’d just prefer a better effort.

4. I like the new road uniforms. While I don’t like tinkering with the uniforms as much as the bush league organization in Tampa Bay, a few changes are a nice way to keep things fresh. Otherwise, you end up stuck in the past like the Yankees. I liked the change to the red lettering when they made it because it included the Red Sox font. It made it a little different. So, keeping the font is a nice way to go back to the blues. I also like the cleanliness the whole “red at home, blue on the road” idea.

5. I don’t like the alternate road uniforms. I’m generally not a fan of different color jerseys and pants. It’s the same reason I prefer a full suit to a sports coat. For some reason, it just looks like they’re wearing the wrong pants. Now, I’m not suggesting that they go full blue pants and jersey (or full red for the home alternates). But, It just looks like a spring training game when they have the mismatched uniform. I also hope that the “alternate” is really “special.” If they want to bring out the blues and reds for holidays or special events, that’s fine. I can go for the gold trim on ring ceremony day, or green uniforms on Red Auerbach day. If they pull them out for a random Tuesday night game, it just smells of a marketing ploy…which, of course, it is.

6. Last year, Jason Varitek had 13 home runs for the season. This year, he’s on pace for 54.