The week that was
Jim Rodriguez: Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training; a welcome distraction to what is going on in the “real” world
Jim Rodriguez
Feb 15, 2018, 6:27 am
Never forgetting a chance meeting with Tony Soprano. Gandolfini.com
While many think of the opening of camps around Arizona and Florida as the start of something new; I always take the time to remember an encounter with someone that had nothing to do with baseball. Someone who every spring makes me smile and remember that life is a gift that needs to be unwrapped every day. Especially in times like these.
I was in Sanibel Island, Florida about a half hour outside of Fort Myers. It was March of 2000. I had a day off covering Minnesota Twins camp and decided to lay out by the hotel pool and enjoy a nice cigar.
As I finished lighting my Montecristo #2, I noticed him. How could you not!
The Sopranos was relatively new to viewers. The show debuted in January of 1999, but I was already hooked. He had a t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. A towel wrapped around his neck and an unlit cigar in one hand.
Maybe it was the smoke from my cigar, but he quickly shuffled over to my area by the pool. There was an empty seat not quite next to me, but near enough to me.
As he approached, I found myself rehearsing what, if anything, I would say to my new favorite TV star! It was Tony Soprano! I read he was painfully shy and I certainly didn’t want to disrupt his quiet time in the sun.
Thankfully he spoke first: “Is this seat taken?” he said. “No… enjoy” I said.
He nodded and sat down. Now what? What was I going to say.. if anything? He then took off his shirt. and it hit me. A couple of big fellas sitting by the pool, both badly in need of as much sunscreen as humanly possible.
After he lit his cigar, I looked at him and said… “between you and me.. ain't nobody gonna get any sun today at this pool.” He laughed.. shook his head yes.. and reached out to shake my hand. “James” he said. “Jim” I said. Nothing more was said and at least for me.. that was plenty.
James Gandolfini left us far too soon. A heart attack struck him down in 2013. He was 51 years old. He’s a cautionary tale. Take better care of yourself. Mix in a salad. Lose some weight. But never stop enjoying life.
Even in times like these.
You can listen to my radio show, The Sports Bosses , weekdays at 10 a.m. ET on SB Nation Radio. Follow me on Twitter @mediarodriguez
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.