Gotta prime the ol’ pump somehow…
Things I Enjoyed About Opening Day
Unexpected successes – Tony Pena, Jr.’s claim to fame is his crooked-leg father; his claim to the Royals’ starting shortstop job is not being Angel Berroa and having met Dayton Moore at Braves’ Meet’n'Greet Minor League Day* in 2003. He can’t hit much; he can’t field exceptionally well; he doesn’t have grit in his teeth. However, he does have two triples on Opening Day. Keep it up, son; I’m rooting for you. (Also of note: Gil Meche not being exposed, Xavier Nady’s home run, and Don Kelly even being in uniform, much less batting with two down in the ninth of a tie game.)
All hail King Felix! – The King has returned, putting down STATS HERE while only giving up four hits in the Mariners’ only chance at first place in 2007. I can wait a year for Liriano if His Majesty has truly returned to fill his amply large throne.
Schilling’s loss – I don’t wish ill to Mr. Schilling, but I do look forward to having a major league pitcher break down his own performances after each game.
MLB.tv Mosaic – A qualified endorsement; I’ll have more on this after I give MLB Advanced Media some breathing room to get past Opening Day issues.
Colorado Rockies – Losing ugly. I have nothing against the team, per se, but it’s refreshing to see an organization assemble a fairly talented team with no disregard for the abomination that is the team photo. I believe you’re supposed to strike fear into the hearts of men with your actions, not your appearance in HD. Goddamn.
Bat-Girl’s Back! – She’s back part-time, anyway, with another Boyfriend of the Day and game summary that makes it feel more like baseball’s back. Let me know if you need any help with the slack there, young lady, be it blogging or heavy lifting or the swift retrieval of the hearts of your enemies. You know, this or that.
Carl Balboaz for MVP – Get on the bandwagon while there’s plenty of room.
*Event may be fictional.
Things I Did Not Enjoy About Opening Day
ESPN Fantasy Games – Hey, it’s not *your* first year doing fantasy games. Stop fucking it up.
Dusty Baker – I have to see this unrepentant hack on ESPN for the next six months? I want my money back.
Games to Watch
Light night tonight, but here’s a couple reasons to enjoy the first Just Another Day of Baseball:
San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants – 4:35 ET
Peavy against Zito. Man, Bonds is going to light up Zito…what?
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals – 8:10 ET
Orlando Hernandez against Kip Wells. Please make sure the official scorer has stretched out before game time; he’s going to be very busy.