They're Baaaack...

...and so am I. You think I could let the last couple of days go by without comment?

Observation #1, let's hope this is the Josh Beckett we see for the rest of the season-the 2007 version, not the 2008. IMO, his performance is the #1 deciding factor on whether the Red Sox win the division, and how deep they can go in the playoffs. He's the ace, and he needs to perform like one. Yesterday was a great first step in that direction.

Now, I know you can't predicate a season on the first day. I do know that. But I also know that an important life philosophy dictates that one live in the moment, seize the day, and eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow ye may die. So If I die tomorrow, I'll die happy knowing the Sox are up one game on the Yankees. I'm using that mindset to thoroughly relish the difference between the Red Sox opening day (or Opening Day, depending on your orientation) and the Yankees. The Sox were disciplined, efficient, and and generous with production-hits from everybody in the lineup except Ellsbury, five different guys knocking in the five runs. No baserunning boners, no errors. Papelbon putting his money where his mouth is (keep blowing them away, JP, and you can mouth off all you want). With the exception of Okajima's blip, it was execution on the level of the the '04 Pats-strong defense, keep them back on their heels, don't let them know where the next attack is coming from. Even Tek hit the ball hard, and from the left side of the plate. Very encouraging. Belichick would have been proud.

Take that, you tedious bandwagoning Rays' fans.

Compare that to Cup Cake's first start-six earned runs in less than five innings, and yes, he looked just that bad. You couldn't tell the difference between his fastball and mine. Couldn't find the strike zone if someone had hidden a Milky Way and a margarita in it. A heating pad in forty degree weather? Please! The NFL linebackers go sleeveless in sub-zero weather! What a wus! What was most amusing, though, was listening to that blowhole Morgan with the endless list of ready-made excuses he carries around for just such occasions...it's the cold, C.C. always has slow Aprils, maybe he's pulled something, blah-blah-blah-blah-blaaaaaaaahhhh (in Joe's world, nobody just plain sucks. There must always be some exterior force at work!) Texeira left five men on base, heh-heh-heh, and an "atta boy" to those snarky Orioles fans for giving the baseball equivalent of a Blackwater gun the collective middle finger. I've never seen them quite so animated before, but I guess it's as true in Baltimore as it is in Boston-hell hath no fury like a true fan scorned, especially by a hometown boy. (Get used to it, chump. Nobody takes Yankee dough on principle.) Really, the only Yankees who looked good Monday were the near geriatrics Jeter and Damon (typing those names so close together makes me gag, by the way). The bullpen looked even worse than last year, if that's at all possible.

The reports of the Sox' death and Yankee's guaranteed 120 win season are clearly greatly exaggerated.

Of course, it wouldn't be baseball season without Yankee fans aggressively displaying their collective arrogance and below-average IQs, and this year they're doing it early and often. A sample:

deezo99 wrote:...always comparing yourself to the super power next door with all the money and the history of overshadowing ur petty few accomplishments.

myyanks26 wrote: Deezo could not of said it better.. he just forgot to say BILL BUCKNER

The obvious answer to that, of course is...Mark Belhorn. Followed by, ahem, a Bronx cheer.

Lester goes tonight against that pest Kazmir. 7:05 is once again sacred time.

We can breathe and live again. baseball is back.

Comments

[Jim]

Baseball's back, indeed.

Despite my semi-regular shots at professional sports in the past via my blog, I found opening day to be a welcome sign this year.

Maybe because this year, like last, I'm in the throes of another book (this one more ambitious than my Moxie foray) at the start of baseball season.

Given my day job, and being forced to write at night, after work, I tend to have the game on in the background, and often pay little attention until Castiglione gets excited.

Ok, I've been all warm and fuzzy up until now; I f*cking hate Joe Morgan as an announcer. Like Tim McCarver, tuning in and finding Morgan doing a game forces me to turn it off and find something better to do. When I find that ESPN has a Sox game, I always turn the sound down and listen via the radio.

I'm very pleased that the Yankees are now 0-2 to start the season. I like the moniker of Cup Cake for Sabathia. Hadn't heard it before.

[Lisa K.]

I hate ESPN in general. I've never forgiven them their over-the-top Spygate hysteria, and will likely never patronize them as I did pre-2007 NFL season. Now, having said that, I've always hated Joe Morgan (less so Miller because of his Red Sox roots, but his endless brown nosing is very off-putting), but I did occasionally listen to him. Now, with both him AND Steve "are you ever right?" Phillips in the booth, I'm just done with them. I'd rather watch the game in silence.