Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Houston Astros
LA Angels
Oakland Athleticss
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Is there a better day in baseball than Opening Day? Sure, for one team’s fans the last game of the World Series is tremendous, but Opening Day means a fresh start, a new hope, and the arrival of a new season for each and every one of the 30 teams. It’s the first time “Enter Sandman” blasts through the Yankee Stadium loudspeakers, “Hells Bells” through the Petco Park loudspeakers, and “Rape Me” through the Tampa Bay ones…OK, that last one was a joke. Although, we don’t really know if it is because about 27 people show up for the Devil Rays games regardless.
Anyway, almost every team got themselves off to a fresh start this past Monday, with the Mets and Cardinals doing business on Sunday and a few other teams saving the action for Tuesday. How much stake can we put in Opening Day? Not much, considering Adam Dunn isn’t even among the league leaders in strikeouts yet. Then again, there’s got to be something said for a day at which every team sends their ace to the mound…well, except for the Yankees. A quick review of the days that were to start off the baseball season, and how concerned everybody should be…
NY Mets 6 St Louis 1
The Good – Tom Glavine. The ageless wonder went 6 strong for the Mets and gave up just one run to pick up win #291. More starts like this and the rotation begins to become much less of a concern with an ace up front.
The Bad – Chris Carpenter. The Cardinals ace and last year’s Cy Young winner gave up 9 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings and will miss his next start due to an elbow inflammation. My friend Vinny is cursing himself already for making Carp the 8th pick overall in our fantasy league.
The Ugly – Preston Wilson in the #2 spot. A single was nice. The two strikeouts and a double-play ball out of a high contact spot in the lineup was not.
Thoughts: Cardinals fans shouldn’t get too concerned about Carpenter. The elbow shouldn’t be anything serious and lest we forget, he was pitching against the Mets and got no help from a bumbling So Taguchi in left field. But be concerned about Wilson, who strikes out a ton and won’t advance too many runners, if he’s in the #2 spot. Hopefully Tony La Russa was still drunk when he put him there. On the other hand, Mets fans can expect more of the same from the ageless wonder…or one of the team’s 17 ageless wonders, I mean.
NY Yankees 9 Tampa Bay 5
The Good – Carl Pavano didn’t get hurt. And A-Rod hit a HR and scored the go-ahead run.
The Bad - Carl Pavano blew up in the 5th, giving up 4 runs. And A-Rod struck out with two men on in the first.
The Ugly – Carl Pavano started Opening Day. And A-Rod dropped a pop-up.
Thoughts: The Devil Rays were in this game too? Oh right…I will say this, there’s reason to be excited for Tampa Bay fans. The youngest Opening Day lineup since the 1983 Twins showed some prowess, with Elijah Dukes’s first big-league HR and a multi-hit game for BJ Upton. A-Rod will be A-Rod, and Yankees fans should be more worried about Pavano and the bullpen. The pen did pitch spectacularly, but lest we forgot it was Tampa Bay, not exactly Murderer’s Row.
Oakland 0 Seattle 4
The Good – They call him King Felix for a reason…and it’s got nothing to do with that Burger King crown he found yesterday outside Richie Sexson’s locker. Felix Hernandez struck out 12 and gave up 0 runs in 8 innings. What more do you need to say about that? He’s the first Opening Day pitcher to strike out at least 12 and give up 0 runs since, oh…Bob Gibson in 1967. He was good.
The Bad – Dan Haren tweaked his hip flexor for the A’s after giving up 4 runs in the 6th. Just what they need…more injuries.
The Ugly – Jason Kendall was 0-4 with 3 strikeouts out of the leadoff spot. But hey, at least he put it in play once!
Thoughts: Mariners fans have reason to be excited right now. The flashes of potential he showed 2 years ago and at points last year look like they are ready to turn into brilliance after a great offseason and an even better first start. Oakland fans shouldn’t be too concerned. Sure, their team started like crap and has a bunch of injury issues, but let’s be honest…they’ll turn it on once midsummer hits as usual.
Toronto 5 Detroit 3
The Good – The Blue Jays bullpen. After a good but not great start by Roy Halladay, the Jays pen picked up with 4 innings of one hit, no runs, against a very potent Tigers lineup. If their pen can hold up, look for the Jays to spread their wings (bad joke alert) in 2007.
The Bad – To quote ESPN.com, “Famed Motown group The Four Tops did not sing the national anthem as scheduled because of travel problems.” Way to get off to a rough start, Tigers. Sheesh.
The Ugly – Matt Stairs went 0-1 as a pinch-hitter, but obviously Matt Stairs doesn’t know what a pinch-hitter is or should be since he needs to be the cleanup hitter. JOHN GIBBONS WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!?!?
Thoughts: Both teams should be optimistic about their seasons. Bonderman shook off some early rust and came back strong from innings 2 through 6, and Halladay didn’t pitch nearly that bad to elicit any concerns. Two teams to watch in 2007…and not just to see how long it is before Gary Sheffield pisses somebody off. But somebody please tell Carlos Guillen and Sheff not to leave 9 runners combined on base again if they want to do something this season.
Baltimore 4 Minnesota 7
The Good – The Twins offense - they knocked around Erik Bedard, who gave up 10 hits and 6 ER in 4 2/3 innings. AL MVP Justin Morneau picked up where he left off with 3 hits and a HR and Luis Castillo led off with 3 hits from the #1 spot.
The Bad – Johan Santana gave up…wait for it…wait for it…wait for it…4 runs in 6 innings. *GASP*
The Ugly – Jason Tyner came in as a pinch runner for the Twins. Why is Jason Tyner on a big league roster? Can there possibly be an explanation for this other than that he’s fast? And tell me this isn’t ugly…
ACK!
Thoughts: Santana will be fine, he’s a perennially slow starter anyway. And Jason Tyner has a career .622 OPS…Terry Ryan, please get this man off of your team IMMEDIATELY.
Cleveland 12 Chicago White Sox 5
The Good - Well, if the Indians were a sleeper coming into this year…there goes that. A barrage of runs against Jose Contreras and the White Sox were led by multi-hit games from Sizemore, Nixon, Hafner, Martinez, and Peralta. This is a team that has the potential to score as many runs as just about anybody in baseball. Plus David Aardsma, the first player in baseball history alphabetically, appeared in this one.
The Bad - C.C. Sabathia is still fat enough to play for the Cleveland Browns.
The Ugly - Jose Contreras…folks, he had a game score of 9. No, I am not missing a digit there, that number is in fact a NINE. One inning plus, 7 hits, 8 R, 7 of them earned…that is just brutal. And that also equates to an ERA of 63, a number that is higher than Sabathia’s cheeseburger to tofu ratio.
Thoughts: Oh White Sox fans...be afraid. Be very afraid. Contreras looked awful in this outing and the rest of the rotation is equally as shaky. In an extremely tough division this team could be headed straight for the bottom. It’s an encouraging day for Indians fans, but once we see more of the bullpen we can make a final judgment on them, so keep composed Tribe-sters.
Texas 1 LAAAAAAAAAAAAA Angels 4
The Good – Let’s check out the Angels pen: Darren Oliver came in and gave up a hit and walk. And then Speier, Shields, and K-Rod pitched four perfect innings after that. Another day at the park for these lights-out relievers.
The Bad – The Rangers hitters left 14 men on base combined and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Kids, here’s how not to win close games.
The Ugly – Sammy Sosa in a Rangers uniform. Not as ugly as in that ghastly Orioles garb, but seriously man, just put on the Cub unis even if you aren’t on the team! Bring us back to the good ol’ days. Plus he went 0-for-3.
Thoughts: This game was pretty boring in all honesty. Angels fans should be concerned about one thing: Shea Hillenbrand trying to steal bases. He was caught twice and is really not that fast. Somebody should tell Mike Scioscia to challenge him to a fight or something.
Boston 1 Kansas City 7
The Good - Gil “The $55 Million Dollar” Man Meche backed up his preposterous paycheck, at least for one day. 7 1/3 innings of 6-hit, 1-run ball against a powerful Sawx lineup was certainly enough to endear himself to the KC fans, all 12 of them. Kansas City is now tied for the best record in baseball. Break up the Royals!
The Bad - Curt “Bloody Sock” Schilling was just awful. 4 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs, and 2 walks including one with the bases loaded…Schilling showed signs of declining last year and this start does nothing to make anybody in Boston feel any better. Maybe somebody should stab him in the ankle or something.
The Ugly - The Red Sox lost by 6 runs to the Royals and were thoroughly dominated in every aspect of the game…do we need to get into any more details?
Thoughts: Boston fans should be slightly concerned about Schilling, who may in fact be showing signs of his age, although the bullpen should still be the biggest concern. The hitting will certainly come around however, so don’t expect many more 1-for-7 combined games from Big Papi and Manny, although Julio “The Violently Hacktastic” Lugo did strike out three times from the leadoff spot. Royals fans – they have a right to be hyped. This has been a pretty stagnant franchise for a while and although their playoff hopes are nothing to get excited about, this should be at least be an exciting young team to watch. And even Mike Sweeney is healthy (for now)!
[BREAK=Page 2: The NL]
Florida 9 Washington 2
The Good - Marlins hitting. Hanley Ramirez slapped the words “sophomore slump” right in the face with a 4-for-6, 4–run effort out of the leadoff spot, Miguel Cabrera went deep and had 3 hits, and the immortal Dan Uggla also hit a homer in not-so-cozy RFK Stadium.
The Bad - The Nationals lost two starters to injury in this game, SS Cristian Guzman and CF Nook Logan. Oh wait, that’s not bad because they both suck anyway.
The Ugly - John Patterson is supposed to be the ace of this staff and didn’t get out of the 4th, giving up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs to a good but not great Marlins lineup. Sadly, that 14.30 ERA probably keeps him at ace status on this team. Although one guy in their rotation is named Chico! That’s a cool name.
Thoughts: The Nationals suck, but the Marlins still made a mini-statement by bringing out the whooping sticks on Opening Day. Everyone has basically wrote them off after last year’s young team played so well, but if the pitching holds up again they should make a run for at least the Wild Card again. As for Washington, at least you get to watch Ryan Zimmerman when you play them. In a division with four pretty good teams, they will be completely overmatched. And yes, you can blame the curse of Youppi!
Arizona 8 Colorado 6
The Good - Those new Diamondbacks uniforms. Red and black is always a tremendous color scheme. No more of those ghastly purple things, thank goodness.
The Bad - Garret Atkins and Matt Holliday, out of the 3 and 5 spots in the Rockies lineup respectively, were both 0-for-5 with 6 men left on base each. And get this…the Rockies hitters combined left 24 men on base. TWENTY-FOUR! This was a 9-inning game by the way.
The Ugly - Good old LaTroy Hawkins. I think this guy used to be good, too. He blew another game by giving up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning. That 40.50 ERA looks pretty cute, and should fit him right smug into Colorado’s pitching staff.
Thoughts: After a shaky start by Brandon Webb, the D-Backs pen pitched pretty well which is encouraging. Their rotation is solid but the pen could be an issue all year long. The Rockies look headed for another dismal, boring season and a finish in the NL Central cellar…hell, Kaz Matsui is hitting second! At least they have a guy named “Tulowitzki” though.
Atlanta 5 Philadelphia 3
The Good - The Braves got to trot out their new and improved bullpen, with Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, Bob Wickman, and Chad Paronto combining for four innings of two-hit, no-run ball in relief of John Smoltz.
The Bad - Phillies fans, who booed Pat Burrell in pregame introductions. Sure, boo a guy on Opening Day who’s only hit 61 HRs for you the last two years with an OPS of about .892. Way to go Philly fans once again.
The Ugly - Phillies fans had to be cringing when Edgar Renteria hit the game-winning home run in the 10th…right after failing to execute a sacrifice bunt. That’s what you call irony. Or maybe it isn’t. I don’t really know what it’s called but it was pretty damn funny regardless.
Thoughts: Both of these teams should hide any feelings of excitement because the Mets look revved up and ready once again. But Atlanta and Philadelphia have to be optimistic they can contend this year, as showed yesterday by both teams. Atlanta’s new and improved bullpen shut down the Phils, while Brett Myers struck out 9 and gave up just 3 runs in 7 2/3 innings to head a potent Phillies rotation. Expect these teams in the thick of things in the National League this season.
Pittsburgh 4 Houston 2
The Good - If you’re a fan of home runs, you loved this game from the 5th inning on. 4 homers accounted for all the runs in this game. Classic Enron Field…I mean Minute Maid Park once again.
The Bad - Adam LaRoche was 0-for-5 with 4 strikeouts for the Pirates. There doesn’t seem to be any reason this isn’t “The Ugly,” but then you take into consideration that…
The Ugly – Brad Lidge blew another save. So much for a fantasy sleeper this year…and my friend Vinny picked him too! He really loves his team right now.
Thoughts: The Pirates, like the Royals, actually have some young and exciting talent. Zach Duke showed serious signs of bouncing back with a strong 7-inning performance, making him the only person my friend Vinny feels good about right now on his fantasy team. As for Houston, a serious red flag has to go up already regarding Brad Lidge, who may just never get over that Pujols HR in the 2005 NLCS.
LA Dodgers 1 Milwaukee 7
The Good - Ben Sheets pitched a complete game 2-hitter, is healthy, looks like an ace, and retired 22 straight batters. Although one note of caution – he gave up 16 fly balls. Still though, his start is certainly enough to get Brewers fans pumped about this year.
The Bad - Derek Lowe gave up 13 baserunners and 6 runs in 4 innings for the Dodgers. Now tell me one more time why Jason Schmidt wasn’t the Opening Day starter…?
The Ugly - Craig Counsell still has that stupid batting stance.
Thoughts: The Dodgers lineup really doesn’t look as good as you think after a second look, with the Juan “what’s OBP?” Pierre leading off, Nomar “what’s being healthy feel like?” Garciaparra hitting 3rd, and Luis Gonzalez, who is just old, hitting 4th. As for the Brewers, they look potent and ready to chase their first postseason appearance since the Stone Age. If Sheets can pitch close to this for the rest of the year, expect great things out of Milwaukee.
Chicago Cubs 1 Cincinnati 5
The Good - This is almost the last one of these stupid summaries I have to do. Oh yeah, and Adam Dunn’s second home run ball still hasn’t landed yet.
The Bad - The Cubs hit 13 fly balls without hitting a home run in the Great American Bandbox, which has to some kind of record. But hey, at least they spent a lot of money this offseason!
The Ugly - It just doesn’t seem right to see Ken Griffey Jr. in right field, even if Ryan Freel is a tremendous player.
Thoughts: Cubs fans can start to feel depressed already! Woohoo! Aaron Harang pitched tremendous for the Reds, which shouldn’t be a surprise after he had such a great year last year, but after him and Bronson Arroyo Reds fans should start to be concerned about the rotation.
And last but not least, the late bloomers…
San Diego 7 San Francisco 0
The Good - Jake Peavy pitched like an ace over 6 shutout innings.
The Bad - The Giants suffered their worst Opening Day loss in 75 years. Most of their team can fondly recall that day.
The Ugly - Barry Bonds choosing not to slide on a close play at the plate in the first inning. Or maybe it was his first inning topper that was a hit because of the shift. Either way, he didn’t hit a home run so it was good news for a day.
Thoughts: Peavy looks ready to regain his ace form of 2005. The Giants look old and boring. I don’t want to write anything else now.
So what can we conclude from Opening Day? A bunch of pitchers, from the young phenoms to the injury-riddled to the possibly overpaid gave their teams reason for hope and a 1-0 record, while it wasn’t a good day to be a fan of any Sox or 2006 World Series participants. But with 161 games to go, all the Opening Day hoopla will be forgotten soon over the rest of the long season. But no matter how bad the 2007 season may end for some teams, don’t forget that there will always be another day, where every team is 0-0, everybody’s in first, and every player gets a clean slate to start from.
Well, except A-Rod.
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Originally Posted by missionhockey21
