Finally the never ending spring training is over. No more WBC or steroids talk or gossip page A-Rod drama (for now), its time for real baseball. One game into the season and Yankees fans are panicking, Red Sox Nation is more confident than ever, and Kyle Farnsworth is giving up big home runs. Yep, things are back to normal.
Here are some highlights and observations from the first couple days of baseball.
Junior and the Mariners: In his return to the Seattle lineup, the greatest player of his generation looked like the Griffey Jr. of old, smacking a home run off Twins lefty Francisco Liriano in the final opening day at the Metrodome (thank heavens for that). It was Junior's eighth opening day home run, tying Frank Robinson for the most all-time. King Felix pitched a dominant 8 innings and the M's rolled to a 6-1 victory. The team was so excited about the win after being the laughing stock of baseball last year that they doused manager Don Wakamatsu in beer after the game. There could not be a better story in the game this season than if Ken Griffey Jr. played one last healthy, productive season and helped the Mariners to a division title. They certainly have the talent to get it done, don't count them out.
The Yankees: Yep, one game, one loss, one bad start from Sabathia and one 0-4 from Teixeira and there are already Yankee fans calling WFAN and demanding Joe Girardi's firing. Calm down New York. Sure, Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Sabathia, as the great Steve Somers calls him, pitched awful in New York's 10-5 loss. In fact it was the first start in his career in which he did not record a strikeout, but give the man a break, it was a cold day in Baltimore and its early April. Remember, he did get off to a slow start last year as well, before single-handedly pitching the Brewers to the N.L. Wild Card title. One thing I would be slightly concerned about though is that if he gets off to a similarly slow start, he will be absolutely hammered in New York, and it will be interesting to see how the big guy handles that. As for Teixeira going hitless, um, yeah it's one freaking game.
The Red Sox: Opening day could not have been sweeter for the Sox with their 5-3 victory over their division nemesis from last year. From the very first inning it was clear that Josh Beckett was back to his old form. He went on to pitch 7 innings, give up 2 hits, one run, while striking out 10. He blew 96 mph heat by Rays hitters, caught them off balance with his change-up, and froze them with his curve ball. It was his first game with double-digit Ks since May of last year. A healthy Beckett is something the Red Sox lacked last year, and they still came within one game of the World Series. MVP Dustin Pedroia smacked one over the Green Monster on the second pitch he saw of the season from James Shields. Even Varitek, who was a black hole in the Red Sox lineup last season, looked good. He had a couple hard line drives before hitting a home run in the 6th inning. Jonathan Papelbon came in looking like he hasn't lost a beat, retiring the side in the 9th in order on 15 pitches while striking out two. The Red Sox should be the favorite over the Yankees (and Rays) this year because they have the deepest pitching staff 1-12, with the additions of Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez and with Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard lurking in the minor leagues. When John Smoltz joins the team they will have two of the best post-season pitchers in the history of the game.
Kyle Farnsworth: The Royals signed Kyle Farnsworth in the off-season to a 2-year, $9.25 million contract. That a team would still fall for Farnsworth is shocking. That on opening day Farnsworth gave up an 8th inning go ahead three-run homer to Jim Thome is predictable. Farnsworth fell behind 2-0, threw a fat fastball up in the zone, and Thome did what he has done his entire career to such pitches. A lot of people are picking the Royals to actually win the A.L. Central. This will not happen with a manager who trusts Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th inning with a one-run lead against Jim Thome with two guys on. Kyle Farnsworth is making only $1 million less this season than Jonathan Papelbon. Amazing.
The Odds!: No player in the history of the game had homered from both sides of the plate on opening day. On April 6, not one, but two players did it. They did it in the same game and they are teammates. Felipe Lopez and "Mr. Nice Guy" Tony Clark each went deep from both sides to help the D-Backs to a victory in a 9-8 slug-fest with the Rockies in Arizona. I'm not going to take the time to add up all the opening day games in history with a switch hitter in the starting lineup, but I'll say that it's a whole lot. This is the kind of whacked out coincidence that seems to only happen in baseball.
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