Terrible Mets Broadcast

I'm trying to watch the Mets-Expos on Fox Sports NY right now, but the audio keeps fading in and out. It's not quite fading from "on" all the way to "off," but it's damn annoying. I'd say it's waving back and forth from about an '8' to a '13' on my TV's volume control with maddening irregularity.

It's not that anyone should be excited about watching a Mets-Expos game in the near-deserted Hiram Bithorn Stadium, but FSNY could at least make an effort to make it entertaining - or mildly watchable. Thanks for nothing.

Speaking of volume problems, have you ever noticed that Braves games on TBS hardly have any ambient park noise? Would it kill TBS to buy a parabolic mike to pick up a little banter from the crowd? They probably took all that money they saved on parabolic mikes and spent it on Mike Hessman. Again, thanks for nothing.

Baseball and Exhaustion

Between the overwhelming amount of work I'm trying to accomplish in a new job and the beginning of the baseball season, I'm simply overwhelmed.

I'd love nothing more than to write about Rhodes, Ellis, Dye and the gang, but I simply don't have enough time.

The least I can do is point you towards this great analysis of Rhodes over at "The Times." Gleeman writes so many good articles each week, I wonder how he has time to study and enjoy the college bars too. Must be a busy beaver, or gopher I guess.

While I'm Thinking About 4/1

Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time

Google Mail - Hoax or Not?

Via Rafat Ali at PaidContent.org: Google launches GMail

It sounds like an April fools trick. A gigabyte of free mail storage for every user just doesn't sound reasonable. And hasn't Google protested the suggestion that they become a portal?

All the same, Google does own "gmail.com" (check for yourself) and I'd like to be the first to request andrew@gmail.com.

This whole thing is very curious. Another PigeonRank? Or a kick-ass free-mail service?

Studes is the man

If you haven't already, check out The Hardball Times. It's a collection of baseball writers to rival all-baseball, and eventually (?) Baseball Prospectus.

Studes' latest effort for 'the Times' is a great introduction to his Win Shares Above Replacement idea. A must read.

More on Ellis

Susan Slusser is reporting on the Gammons rumor. Billy Beane is suggesting that the Gammons report is premature - "We really just don't know."

After all that, the best tidbit in the whole article is this:

One option the team won't pursue: Gung-ho outfielder Eric Byrnes volunteered to take grounders at second. "It was tongue in cheek,'' Macha said. "I think.''

Mark Ellis

All reports seemed to indicate that Ellis would miss 6-8 weeks, until Gammons had to come along and rain on the parade: "Mark Ellis is out for the season with a torn labrum..."

I wasn't really worried before. One or two months isn't that big of a deal, but losing a whole season of Gold Glove-caliber second base play could be a big blow. I sure hope Gammons is wrong on this one.

AthleticsNation is on the same page as me here.