Antidote to an Off-Day

Picking the Best Games of the First Half

by Paul Sporer

Today is the stupidest day of the year (and you’re not far behind, tomorrow, so stop looking so smug). The Wednesday after the All-Star Game is the one day on the calendar without any major sports, which makes it extremely stupid. I’m more concerned with the utter lack of baseball games (save your Triple-A All-Star Game, people), and this year is even worse as the break has been extended through Thursday.

I am torn on this change. Usually there are six or seven games on Thursday, which is entirely unfair to the teams who have to play while others get another day of rest. Selfishly, I was always glad to see baseball return, but how was that not an all-or-nothing day? They landed on the side of nothing, so we’re stuck with two baseball-free days. This is like giving Jesse Pinkman a wheelbarrow full of meth for nearly three months and then none for two days. This isn’t going down from wheelbarrow to radio flyer red wagon to a bucket full to a handful; it’s going from wheelbarrow to zero.

So to help get you through this mess, I have 26 games from the first half that contain some of the best, most exciting baseball we have seen thus far. Obviously the viewing of these games will require an MLB.tv subscription, which you should already have secured back in February (yes, February), but just in case you haven’t, it is on sale for $80 bucks. That’s a steal in my opinion, and no, I’m not being paid by MLB to say that. It’s seriously the best purchase I make yearly, except for the food that keeps my beagle alive.

Motown Mash
April 7 – Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder hit two home runs apiece in a 10-0 rout of Boston – box, video

Sure, this first one is a bit homerish (pun intended), but two of the biggest stars in the game were paired together this offseason when Fielder signed in Detroit, and everyone was excited to see them as a three-four combo in the Tigers lineup. They didn’t wait long to display fireworks (second game of the year), and they did so against one of the better pitchers in baseball in Josh Beckett. Lost in the mix is the Tigers bullpen cobbling together 5 1/3 scoreless innings. It’s easier with a huge lead, but it was only 2-0 when Doug Fister left with an injury.

Wild One in Comerica
April 8 – Tigers win a thriller in 11 to secure sweep of Boston – box, video

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