Reflections of Opening Day Baseball 2003 (1 Viewer)

[Shane Martin]

Being an avid baseball fan I was anticipating this years opening day with glee. My next door neighbor played with the LA Dodgers while I was growing up so I bleed Dodger blue.

So here are the surprises I saw this opening day:

Hideo Nomo pitches a Complete game shutout of the Diamondbacks while Johnson gives up his fair share of runs and folds.

The Mets with all of that $$ spent on pitching and other players still can't win and gives up 8 runs in 3 innings. I guess the Braves were happy to get rid of Glavine after all

The Red Sox's bullpen still sucks. You can't lose to the Devil Rays.

The Yankee$ lost Jeter and still kept on winning. They better win is all I have to say

It snowed in Baltimore.

Maddux pitches awfully and the Braves lose

St Louis wins even with what appears to be so so pitching.

The Phillies win and show why they spent the money this off season.

Yes I know its 1 of 144 games played but it was an interesting Opening day nonetheless. Hopefully for my Dodgers this is a sign of things to come.

 

[RudyN]

Yes I know its 1 of 144 games played

Don't they play 162 games? I didn't pay too much attention to today's games. The A's don't open the season until tomorrow.

 

[Jordan_E]

The great thing about baseball is that I lose track of the terrible things in the world in between those 9 innings. PLAY BALL!

 

[Brian Perry]

Kudos to umpire John Hirschbeck for calling a proper strikezone -- Tom Glavine is very hittable when you don't give him an extra four inches off the outside corner.

Go Cubbies!

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

I was having a hard time getting into baseball this spring because of grad school and the war and all, but Jim Thome, David Bell, and Kevin Millwood tearing it up on opening day has me psyched. Go Phils!

 

[Evan S]

Don't they play 162 games?

Yes they do. An "avid" baseball fan should know this. All I know is that my favorite team, the A's, don't play till tonight, but my fantasy team took a big hit with the loss of Derek Jeter last night. That will hurt the Yankees more than most people realize. Who's going to play there day in and day out? Enrique Wilson??? Look for the Yankees to make a trade.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

Highlights:

Thome: 3 for 4 with an RBI double in his first at bat as a Phillie.

Kevin Milwood's first start as the ace.

Glavine booed off the mound.

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

This will probably be my only chance all season to say that my Kansas City Royals are undefeated.

I hope not though

 

[Peter Kline]

The Yankees have some good shortstops in their farm system. They really don't have to trade for a player. They'll miss Jeter's clutch hitting however. From this mornings wire:

"Joe Torre said the Yankees would call up a replacement on Tuesday, possibly Erick Almonte or David Post."

P.S. Roger Clemens was in great form last night.

 

[Michael Fennessy]

Eric Almonte will get most of the playing time until Jeter returns. I hope he is back before May. All in all an excellent Opening day. God I love Baseball.

 

[Angelo.M]

Hoping opening day was just a hiccup for the other team in New York.

Yeah, right.

 

[Phil L]

Jeter back before May? Not going to happen. I just hope he gets back this season.

 

[Steven K]

Ahh... the Red Sox... the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In the middle of the 9th last night, as the Sox held their 3 run lead, I looked over at my wife and said "just watch, they're going to put Embree in and he's gonna lose the game for them."

Oh, how true it was. Just sad, you spend millions to get a great group of hitters, but you can't even manage to find one good closer. I know we're only one game into the season, but it looks like our good old beloved self-destructing Red Sox are back.

In any event, it sure was nice to see Ramiro Mendoza in a Sox jersey

 

[Lew Crippen]

And the Texas Rangers were in first after Sunday, having beaten the Angels.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Just sad, you spend millions to get a great group of hitters, but you can't even manage to find one good closer. I know we're only one game into the season, but it looks like our good old beloved self-destructing Red Sox are back.

You've been reading Shaughnessey, haven't you?

The thing is, for what a "proven closer" like Urbina would have cost, the Sox upgraded the entire bullpen, which seems like a much more effective use of resources over the long haul.

Interesting to note that when NESN was showing relief pitchers' stats last night, "saves" wasn't on the list. That sort of gives you an idea of the disdain the Sox GM and the rest of the brain trust have toward the very idea of a closer.

 

[Ralph Summa]

Red Sox.....

Interesting to note that when NESN was showing relief pitchers' stats last night, "saves" wasn't on the list. That sort of gives you an idea of the disdain the Sox GM and the rest of the brain trust have toward the very idea of a closer.

Doogie Howser GM....

The front office ought to pick up Pedro's option today, just so they don't get run out of town!

Mgr. Grady Little's comment: "I knew this would happen eventually, I just didn't expect it on opening day." That sends in crystal clear message. No faith in the bull-pen, no faith in management.

With those types of comments he won't see the all-star break!

Ralph

 

[Jason Seaver]

Mgr. Grady Little's comment: "I knew this would happen eventually, I just didn't expect it on opening day." That sends in crystal clear message. No faith in the bull-pen, no faith in management.

See, I took that as the equivelent of "shit happens". Over the course of a 162 game season, you'll lose a few games because of bad relief pitching in the 9th. And, because Epstein and James and company have been up-front about how they don't want a single "closer", the first time relief squanders a lead, it's going to get put under a microscope. Just bad luck that it happened in game #1.

The funny thing is, just a week ago, the papers were going on about how if/when the "no specific closer" system crashes and burns, Embree is a prime candidate to be the designated ninth-inning guy. I wonder how different the reaction would be if he was called the "closer".

 

[Shane Martin]

Ok so I screwed up and didn't proof my post. It was 11pm when I wrote this up

Hoping opening day was just a hiccup for the other team in New York.

Yeah, right.

I share your enthusiasm about the Mets. Perhaps its a hex or something.

 

[Ralph Summa]

Over the course of a 162 game season, you'll lose a few games because of bad relief pitching in the 9th.

It is a long season and I haven't given up yet! Although some Sox fans probably did yesterday! I agree, and over that 162 game season you should expect to lose a game here and there by giving up one or two runs in the 9th. Even Purcival and Rivera aren't infallable. The Sox did this on opening day last year too, and throughout the season I find myself remembering 3-run and 4-run leads dwindling in the late innings. I wish I could remember how many times last year I said, "This is the game we'll remember when we finish the year one game out of the wildcard race."

I'm not a fatalist other than the fact that I'm a Sox fan, but I don't think present owners/management is going to help us forget the shortcomings of the owners of the past.

 

[Mark Kalzer]

You know, nothing destroys the energy of a new baseball season like opening against the Yankees!

Actually, I'm finding I can appreciate baseball a lot more right now, despite the games against the Yankees, despite the crappy new Jays logo, (As if their new mascots weren't "Poochie" enough) with all that's going on between war and SARS, baseball seems very calm and relaxed. I enjoy it!