Blog post

March 31, 2010 [LINK / comment]

Desmond to be Nats' shortstop

The Washington Nationals have named Ian Desmond as their starting shortstop for the 2010 regular season. In the process, they demoted veteran Cristian Guzman to utility infielder. Desmond played in 21 games for the Nationals after being called up last September, batting .280 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs; his combined major-minor average was .321, which is not bad at all. See MLB.com. The promotion of Desmond is a bold move with potential risks, but as Washington Post columnist Thomas Boswell wrote, there is a big upside to the wager. He studied Desmond's minor league records, and concluded that his defensive performance will probably improve with experience.

Desmond proved to be such a reliable batter last September that it raised questions about whether the regular shortstop Guzman should be traded. Earning $8 million this year, however, it seems he is not very tradable, however. Like Rafael Furcal, now with the Dodgers and formerly with the Braves, Desmond has the potential to add a lot to his team, even if he does commit more errors in the short term than the average shortstop. We'll see soon enough.

Yankee Stadium: bleak

They are rapidly tearing down the exterior structure of Yankee Stadium, and not much will be left by Opening Day next week. Gate 2 could be gone already, despite the pleas to keep it intact as a historical landmark. So, I vented my anger at demolitionofyankeestadium.com:

If Detroit is any indication, I'd bet those city officials take a perverse delight in making Yankee fans and historical preservationists miserable. It's one of the common traits of petty government bureaucrats who hate their jobs and make up for it by cruelly flaunting their power whenever they get a chance.

Andrew Clem on 29th March 2010 @ 11:42pm

Fenway Park gets fixup

Fenway Park has undergone another phase of improvements, with repaired concrete and new seats (with cupholders!) in the portion of the grandstand near the left field corner that was built in 1933-1934. There are also new restrooms and new concession areas, as well as some aesthetic touch-ups. See ballparkdigest.com; hat tip to Mike Zurawski.

Thanks for your support

Thanks go out to Jack Courtney for sponsoring the U.S. Cellular Field page, home of the Chicago White Sox. If you'd like your name (and Web link, if any) associated with your favorite ballpark and team, all you've got to do is point and click below: