"55" takes the mound tonight against the A's, in what promises to be yet another knee-jerk referendum on his pay stub. Like many, I've come around on the Meche signing, in part because of his performance, but mostly because $11 million a season just isn't that much money. Still, theres a difference between not overpaying for something as opposed to actually getting value, and the verdict remains darker on that second front.
The A's counter with Dan Haren (3-2, 1.75 ERA), an example of a performance/pay ratio that actually pushes a team towards something greater than improved media relations.
Still, it should be a glorious evening that, years from now, will come to signify just what life meant in the middle west, in 2007.