a brief break from nothing

Well, the winter meetings are over. Pitchers and catchers report in approximately two months. Opening Day is still 15 weeks away (not that I'm counting). There's really no reason for me to pick back up with the blogging at this point, but still, here I sit, thinking, typing, and longing for baseball.

A few interesting things have happened thus far in the off-season. It certainly hasn't been uneventful.

I heard about the Lance Berkman deal while I had the stomach flu. I still haven't determined if there is any correlation.

Aside from a handful of imaginative nicknames and a vicious knowledge of NL Central opponents, I'm finding it hard to pin down exactly what this guy (don't get me wrong, I like him) brings to the team that's worth $8 million. I'm sure it will become apparent once the season begins, right?

My dad broke the news to me about Brendan Ryan.

"They traded Booger to Seattle," he said.

"Ryan?" I asked. "Who'd we get? Ichiro?"

Brendan Ryan has always been one of my favorite players. Yes, his offense was abysmal last year (and I do mean that), but he's just so much fun to watch. He is a ray of sunshine. A breath of fresh air. The court jester for a profession that generally takes itself far too seriously.

I'll miss him. I hope you will, too.

"The Cardinals traded for Ryan Theriot," my dad chuckled. He had also been the one to clue me in on this, shall we say, less-than-savory acquisition. 

 "Ugh," I replied. Nothing more needed to be said.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything personal against "the Riot" (unless you count the fact that his face makes me want to vomit). Nor was I ever Hawksworth's biggest fan (although I like his name). I just can't stand the thought of any long-time Cubs joining the Cards. It feels, well... wrong.

Additionally, we were able to retain Jake Westbrook, which is definitely a plus. Gerald Laird joins the team and will most likely see a lot of action warming up pitchers between innings. On reviewing the official roster, I was overwhelmed by the number of names I don't recognize, a fact which leads me to believe I need to spend a little more time paying attention to what's going on.