Up on Smoltz.

So John Smoltz pitched last night in Manchester, New Hampshire and I didn't go because 1: I thought the game was in Portland, Maine and 2: I assumed that his start on Sunday would also be with Portland and would be down in Norwich, CT. A Sunday afternoon game in Conn sounded much more doable than a scramble to Portland after work on a Tuesday. But as it turns out, his Sunday start will be down in North Carolina and as much as I'd like to see John Smoltz pitch in a minor league stadium, I don't think it's likely that I'll be flying down there. I suppose Pawtucket is an option but I'm not a big fan of McCoy--it's sort of like an operating theater. It's not a big deal, I guess.

Anyway, meat of the post:

Smoltz was pleased with the way things went overall. The slider was disappointing but his splitter and change up were satisfactory. Smoltzie claims that he was still just practicing and not really playing the game. There's still a little more rust to shake off but once he gets into the competitive spirit of the game, things will be sharper.

There are naysayers, however. A couple of nameless scouts felt that he might not be in any shape to make a difference come June. Said one:

"He's not the John Smoltz we all know and love, that's for sure. That fluid arm action he had, it's kind of restricted. He's kind of pushing the ball. You could see the shoulder is not 100 percent.

His velocity was 87 to 90 mph. He still throws five decent pitches. But he's probably a fourth starter at this point unless his arm speed and fluidness comes back and his velocity takes a jump."

We shall see.

I also thought this picture of Mark Wagner, not entirely certain if he's allowed to smack Smoltz's ass, all kinds of adorable.