tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6859126.post252240676755384055..comments2023-10-28T06:41:07.069-07:00Comments on Ambition, Impatience and Sloth: Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06427208386709900367noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6859126.post-2773873995205336112007-05-12T23:20:00.000-07:002007-05-12T23:20:00.000-07:00Well, I think they're 3-0 since I posted this. But...Well, I think they're 3-0 since I posted this. But Howard is now on the DL, and you can't really get too far with just one decent, non-fried reliever. <BR/><BR/>Still, I can foresee an unlikely but plausible series of events by which they get back in the race. Assume they tread water or a little better while Howard's out; he comes back full strength and Burrell and Helms have representative seasons, making up for whatever dropoff comes from Rowand; Garcia and Eaton start pitching (or continue to pitch, based on the last 10 days or so) like decent mid-rotation starters rather than quad-A filler, making up for Moyer dropoff, while Hamels and Lieber stay near their current levels; Gordon and Madson come back and are effective setup men for Myers, and/or one of the kids (Rosario, Castro) emerges as a viable option; and the Braves regress to a .520 team rather than a .650 team. <BR/><BR/>Given all that, there's hope. It's a lot, though, no?Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06427208386709900367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6859126.post-1135371214654880922007-05-11T07:25:00.000-07:002007-05-11T07:25:00.000-07:00OK, but that was the Cardinals' model last year an...OK, but that was the Cardinals' model last year and now they have bright shiny rings and a flag that will fly forever. We have to keep in mind that no one could reasonably expect Howard to fall off a cliff like this. If Howard performs close to last year's level and one of Myers or Garcia has a strong April, we're probably over .500 and right there with the leaders.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com