Article:Baseball 2009: Early Impressions

Maybe it's too soon to make overarching judgements about the 2009 baseball season, but we all have our early impressions.


 * Is the offense better around the league or the pitching worse?
 * Break up the Marlins?
 * Balls are flying out of Yankee Stadium.
 * The Red Sox pitching may not be nearly as good as we thought.
 * Fortunately, the Yankee pitching may not be as good either.
 * Maybe Zack Greinke (ERA 0.00 after three games) IS the real deal.
 * You knew Tim Lincecum wasn't going to keep getting lit up forever.
 * Lou Groza's five field goals and a Browns touchdown were too much for the Yankees.
 * Kansas City. First place.
 * Does Gary Sheffield's 500th homer (25th guy to do it) get a steroid asterisk?
 * Some think Bob Watson still acts in the Yankees' interest.
 * The New Look Giants have a record like the 2008 Giants.
 * Manny continues to hit (and field) like Godzilla.
 * Anybody wondering whether the balls are juiced?
 * Johan Santana sure looks good. Should that surprise us?
 * Are the Orioles trying to keep Matt Wieters from reaching free agency earlier by keeping him down on the farm?
 * Speaking of catchers...Joe Mauer...get well soon.
 * Ryan Ludwick is on a 180 plus RBI pace (yeah, it's early)
 * Is Tampa crazy for keeping David Price at Durham?
 * The best team in the AL East (by run differential) by a lot...is Toronto.
 * Think that Roy Haladay has anything to do with that?
 * The worst team by run differential? The Yankees. Okay, so an 18 run defeat yesterday caused that.
 * Major league attendance figures? Eyeballing 'em...they're down. The median 2008 attendance was 31K and change. So far, it's 29K and change.