Monday, April 30, 2007

Baseball: Providence, Torre, and the Sox

Advocates of maintaining a baseball field in Providence's Armory District -- the historic base of baseball in Providence -- plan to agitate this evening at 6:30, at the park-turned-dog walk. Good luck to them. I like dogs, but Rhode Island's capital needs more ball fields, not less.

N4N is quite pumped for the formal start of his softball season tonight. Collyer Field needs better maintenance, but at least it's not being turned into a dog park.

Meanwhile, like any self-respecting Sox fan, I have a palpable dislike for the Yankees. This does not mean, however, failure to recognize the talents and qualities of my arch-rival. It's hard not to respect as worthy an opponent as Mo Rivera, one of the greater closers in the game, for example, or a classy guy like Joe Torre.

It's not Torre's fault that the New Yorkers have been exposed, at least for now, as a very unbalanced squad, but I believe his days with the Yankees are numbered. Whether a change will do anything to help the Bombers' sorry pitching is a whole other question.

The Sox, meanwhile, have been a revelation in April, thanks largely to how moving Papelbon back to the 'pen put a few other things in place. The team might not equal the run production of the 2003-2004 squads, but between solid-to-excellent starters, a good bench, and outstanding starting pitching and relievers, this team, barring injuries, has the stuff to go all the way. As N4N predicted would be the case, Josh Beckett is enjoying what could be his best year yet.

Can someone explain the deal, though, with Matsuzaka and his repeated trouble in the fourth inning?

baseball | Red Sox

4/30/2007 3:43:21 PM by Not For Nothing | Comments [2] |
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Monday, April 30, 2007 4:05:29 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

What we need to do is agitate to have the city work with the commnity to build a new fenced in dog run, so we can give the ball field back to the kids. We do need more ball fields, but there also needs to be space for us dog owners to come together and share the park and build community. Heck, I think baseball people and dog people should maybe start a fundraising drive to raise money to a) restore the ball field (which is not in playable shape), and b) build a dog run in Dexter Taining Grounds park. This could easily be a win-win situation if the City would help out.

craig o'connor

Wednesday, May 02, 2007 3:47:02 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

I too would love to see more ball fields but with exception to the little league ball fields at Roger Williams Park, the Providence Parks Department does a poor job of taking care of the fields they already have. Take a look at Collier Field behind the Bonanza Bus station. I dream of the day we can play ball at night on that field when it is adequately lit. Further, the grass is poorly cared for (ditches and dry patches everywhere). This is especially upsetting when you look at the property taxes here. Where does it go?

Joe Ouellette

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