All day long at the office, I’ve been just walking up to people in the hall, getting up in their faces, and screaming, “Are you ready to believe in Daniel Bard?” Because, goddam it, this reliever-to-starter conversion is exciting stuff, and I made it my personal mission to ensure that my fellow workers were as pumped as I was. Granted, the fire I started in the copy room may have been a bad idea, but if I can’t get the passion up for Bard The Starter, then what the hell good am I? Don’t answer that.
Anyway, yeah. Tonight, Daniel Bard makes his first-ever major league start after three seasons of relief work. If he turns out to “have the stuff,” he could prove a valuable cog in our rotation. Of course, if he goes tits-up, there’ll be clamoring for his return to the bullpen.
I just look at it this way: So long as people are wanting him to pitch in some capacity on this team, it’s a good thing. If he ever reaches Lackey status, where we don’t even want the guy setting foot in our ballpark let alone taking the mound, it’s time to worry.
The Great Bard Experiment adds yet another exciting layer of drama to tonight’s game. So pull up a chair, get down in our comments section, or just sample the brie. It’s imported.
I’ll be the guy passed out in the corner.
