Baseball Night In Canada

OK, it's gametime -- well, actually, right now they're showing David DeJesus interviewing Mark Teahen. David is a fine player. And as an interviewer, he's a fine player. So while this is happening, let's take a quick look at what we've learned so far.

-- I know this has been said before but you really don't want your closer's name to sound like "Risky," do you? I know there have been some studies done that show that, historically, a team is really no more likely to lose the day after a bad loss than after a dramatic win. It sure feels like some losses are worse than others, though.
When David Riske gave up that three-run homer in the ninth to lose to Detroit, well, it seemed like the season had truly begun. It's amazing that some teams have actually gone entire seasons without giving up ninth-inning leads. The Royals rarely seem to go a week without giving them up.

-- OK, is it too early to start panicking? Alex Gordon is 1-for-19 with 8 strikeouts. He's in the lineup tonight, so we'll keep a close eye. For the record, George Brett was 3 for his first 37.

-- Buddy Bell said something odd in the paper today. He said he was worried about the Toronto turf and it's effect on hurt players. So he said he would rest Mark Gruzielanek two out of three games here (Esteban German is playing second tonight). That makes sense. He also said that he would rest Mike Sweeney two out of three games. Does that make any sense at all? He's a DESIGNATED HITTER. When would he even be on the turf?

-- I have watched one-half inning (A.J. Burnett was pretty sensational to start off the game -- 1-2-3, no balls hit out of the infield) and I have already seen three commercials featuring Missouri Lottery Kansas Royals scratchers tickets. The commercials seem to indicate that by throwing your money away on these lottery tickets, you will be showing that you are a "true fan." I have a feeling we'll have a few more comments about this as the evening goes on.