What Is the Sound of Schmidt Happening?

MUSIC +++ FILM +++ SPORT +++ PHOTO +++ LINK +++ POORLY REASONED POLITICAL OPINION AND STUPID JOKE

SPRT
One reason no Giants fan wants to see them trade Jason Schmidt: they know he's a great pitcher... who hasn't gotten his chance. Or at least, not his due -- remember him at less than full strength in the 2002 postseason, plugging in a win every five days, and willing them to their lone October 2003 victory, without his curveball, the day the Giants began turning into the old, shitty team you now see before you.

Is the problem that he's always be playing hurt, and it's starting to catch up to him? (If you want steroid fallout controversy, his year is probably similar to what a cheater, if pitchers really lead the pack in that, experiences going clean again.)

But Schmidt is a Schilling, they're very similar, in fact, a guy, when right, with number one stuff and a keen sense of how to shut you down. Anyone around here's seen a game where Schmidt's clearly scuffling, they're behind early, then somehow by the eighth he's throwing darts at 96 with eleven K's, up 5-2.

You've seen some awesome closers who picked up heat converting from the rotation. Exhibit A is Gagne (I'm willing to say, a good steroids bet,) not to mention your John Smoltz, and when Randy's done it, WOW. (If anyone has a copy of the 1995 ALDS between Seattle and the Yankees, I'll pay you good cash money.)

Schmidt could very well do the same thing -- again, if he's able to go. Which is funny, because Schmidt was an everyday horse in Pittsburgh, if not a particularly good one. Anyway, here's hoping the Giants were just off by a year or two when they thought they had a great young rotation.

Roger Clemens: what, the fuck.

The A's, though, look very much for real. And the Giants can keep losing through the year if I can squeeze seven wins out of the Niners.

MR

QWTOFDY
"Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler."
-Albert Einstein