Baseball this 'n' that

It's just a week into the season, no need to really get excited, or upset, depending on who your favorite team is, but some interesting things pop up in the standings after 1 week.

Pending the outcome of today's game with Washington, Boston sits atop the AL East, as some expected, except that they're sharing the balcony with Toronto. This after getting pasted, 14-4, by the Yankees on Sunday. The Bombers, at 2-4, headed into their series with Baltimore, have more concerns about pitching than they do their offense. Yes, Masahiro Tanaka rebounded from a loss on Opening Day to Toronto, but he ran out of fuel early, even though the game was, for all intents & purposes, in his back pocket as New York opened a 10-0 lead in the 4th, and knocked out Clay Buchholz. Anyone else would've been gone after that 7-run first inning, but....!

As I write, the Mets have sole possession of 2nd in the NL East after disposing of Philadelphia, 2-0, behind Jacob deGrom and company. Counter-balancing this was the 80-game suspension handed to injured closer Jenrry Mejia on Saturday after testing positive for PED's. Even if the Mets make the playoffs, Mejia won't be on the post-season roster, due to rules changes that went into effect last year.

Worse, some moron decided to throw beer at Phillies left fielder Grady Sizemore, a tactic you might expect from a Phillies fan, but at Citi Field? The home fans were doing their best Philly impersonations all day, right down to booing the trainers when they were introduced prior to the game.

SAY WHAT?

Nothing more to note here. Let's move on.

No one expected Atlanta to be atop the NL East, with Washington in 4th, as we all thought the positions would/could be reversed by season's end. If it holds, Fredi Gonzalez may be in line for Manager of the Year.

Closer to home, the local media, coupled with the weather the first two weeks of high school season, have conspired to make it impossible to keep track of your schools' teams on the diamond. Troy High, if my math is right, is 3-2 after dropping a game to Lansingburgh on Saturday, while the softball team finally played over the weekend, and thumped Catholic Central. In e-mail correspondence with Albany Times-Union beat writer/Time Warner Cable sports analyst James Allen, I was reminded that the home teams do have the responsibility for reporting scores, but it seems they also need to remind the editors of their schedules, too. Box scores are one thing, but if you don't see your team's game listed, check your school's website. Best thing to do.