St. Louis beat up the Mets�April Fools! The opposite happened! No April Fooling for Oakland, who lost, or for the Yankees, Boston, and Atlanta, who won.
Jeter was ranked the sexiest among Yankees or Mets, with Jose Reyes, A-Rod, David Wright, Swisher, et al ranking lower�so said the New York Daily News.
Atlanta sent Josh Anderson to Detroit.
4.2: Burning, Big Time
At last�after getting home from a concert I had to do at school (during which a fire drill�s occurrence got in the way of the whole event), I could get the gist of what happened between the six teams I followed.
So, who was on fire? The Yanks took the day off (probably to get ready for their exhibition games at the New Yankee Stadium), but Oakland and Boston weren�t hot: they got pummeled. Tim Lincecum in particular threw some serious heat in Oakland vs. San Francisco in AT&T Park. The Mets were on fire, and so were Atlanta and St. Louis. #1 on my hot charts, that Lincecum�good boy.
In other news, Ichiro Suzuki developed a bleeding ulcer, and was placed on the DL for the first time in his MLB career. Poor guy!
4.3: Awesome�Totally Awesome.
Drenching rain let up just in time in the Northeast for two sexy ballparks to open their gates for the first time�with exhibitions, that is.
In a quickly sold out pair of Spring Training exhibitions at the New Yankee Stadium, the Yanks welcomed and almost lost to their first visitors, the Chicago Cubs. Canito made the new stadium�s first homer, and Matsui later followed with a 2-run home run of his own. Did the Yanks win? Yes. Wang and Lilly had no decision, anyway.
Ah, Mariano Rivera. Thanks for your 5th inning efforts!
Ugly RONAN TYNAN Singing �God Bless America� in 7th Inning
Meanwhile, Citi Field hosted her first of two exhibition games between the Mets and Boston, her first visitor. Dustin Pedroia made a double when Luis Castillo failed to catch his near pop-out, falling into the stands. The Pets ended up winning. �K-Rod� recorded the save and did his signature praise, but is it just me, or is he getting bigger?
Both YES Network and SNY kicked off their exhibitions with brand-new introductions.
And speaking of the Mets, they�d signed Gary Sheffield just in time for their first exhibition game at Citi Field.
Atlanta hosted Detroit in Turner Field. Did Chipper and his boys maul Detroit? Yes.
St. Louis and the Memphis Redbirds hosted their first meeting in two years in Memphis� AutoZone Park. Did the Cardinals win? Yes. I didn�t see their game, FSN Midwest telecast or not, but I read the Box Score. The Cards literally rolled on their Minor League counterparts next door.
Did Oakland rock San Francisco in his own house? Yes, she did.
In other news, Colorado beat the tar out of Seattle in Las Vegas. Jackpot for Huston and the Rocky Boys!
4.4: It Ain�t Over Yet
Spring Training wasn�t over yet, but did Oliver Perez survive �Dice-K�s� power in the last Boston vs. Mets exhibition in Citi Field? No. Boston rocked Oliver with a 6-run 1st, including a grand slam, and �Dice-K� was good, too. Brian Schneider produced an RBI in the Bottom 5th for the Pets, but Boston later scored 3 more runs and won 9-3.
In Cubs vs. Yankees, Cano drove in an RBI in the 2nd inning, but the Yanks� old friend, Alfonso Soriano, made a solo home run to tie up the score. However, Jeter and Teixeira made home runs to give the Yanks a sweep of the Cubs and their 10th straight win, successfully concluding their Spring Training. Teixeira actually made two homers, and Shelley Duncan made one, too, in the 8th inning, a sign that he was returning to his normal, powerful old self after a frustrating 2008.
And to think Nick Swisher was rumored to not join the Yankees franchise after all HA! The New York Times was so right in suggesting Swisher stay, but then Xavier Nady was projected as the Yanks� proper Outfielder, Swisher as a utility, and Jeter as their leadoff.
Detroit scared Kenshin and the Braves half to death. No wonder she did: Armando Galarraga went strongly and Carlos Guillen contributed to Detroit�s success with a home run! Atlanta herself made 2 RBI in the 9th inning, but it was too late for Nate Robertson got the save for Detroit.
Oakland again embarrassed her Bay Brother next door�only this time in her house, and St. Louis swept the Memphis Redbirds in their AutoZone Park finale. Oakland herself sent Giovany, Daric Barton, and three of her other players to Triple-A Sacramento as per what MLB Network told me.
In other news, and speaking of sweeps, Colorado swept Seattle in their last Las Vegas matchup together. And speaking of grand slams, Josh Willingham made one, too, in Baltimore vs. Washington in Nationals Park.
Whew! Now that Spring Training finally ended, the time had come for the MLB season to kick off in�
The Streets of Philadelphia!
4.5: Aaron�s Boys Wreak Havoc in �Philadelphia Phiasco�
Before getting into the MLB Opening Night, let me say what my Division Predictions were.
American League East: Yankees
American League Central: White Sox
American League West: Angels
American League Wild Card: Red Sox
National League East: Mets
National League Central: Cubs
National League West: Dodgers (especially with the �Manny this� and �Manny that�)
National League Wild Card: Phillies
Now, then�Take Me Out to the Ballgame!
Defending World �Fucking� Champion diva Philadelphia received her trophy and rings and hosted her first regular season game of 2009 against visiting Atlanta�and the Braves gave her one. These two divas started their season first (one year after Boston and Oakland made a much-hyped and commercially unsuccessful Opening Week in Tokyo), and their dispute was on ESPN2, celebrating ESPN�s 20th year of broadcasting MLB games. Derek Lowe and Brett Myers went head-to-head in this one, but Lowe got the win. Brian McCann, Jordan Schafer, and sexy reow Jeff Francoeur made home runs. I have three things to say about that:
1. Schafer�s home run came in his MLB at-bat debut.
2. Jeff Francoeur, you glow on tour!
3. Take that, �Shimmy Rollins!� You, too, �Shane Pricktorino!�
This victory got Atlanta off to a good start so far, because the previous year�s Inaugural Night Season Opener in the then-new Nationals Park saw Ryan Zimmerman kicking Peter Moylan�s butt, earning Washington the victory, and leaving Tim Hudson with no decision. �08 was a splendid year for Philly, however, so this was the starting point for her to defend her World Series title. Would she do it? We�ll see.
The New York Post said that A-Rod felt �70%� confident about making a comeback in late April instead of June, August, or whenever.
In other news, San Francisco stole L.A.�s lead and won.
4.6: Johan Hot; C.C. Not
Mets vs. Reds kicked off at 1:05pm ET in Great American Ball Park, and it was the first of three MLB Opening Day/Night games on ESPN (of course, SNY and FSN Cincinnati also telecast it). I didn�t see much of it but Johan Santana, who started the Mets� season, went pretty strongly vs. the surprisingly favored Cincinnati, allowing one run while the Mets scored two runs. Johan, in fact, proved the victor: he gave the Mets their 31st Opening Day win, and Francisco �K-Rod� Rodriguez recorded his first save with the Mets, doing a strong praise at the end. I love you both!
Yankees at Orioles began at 4:20pm ET in Camden Yards because a lavish Opening Ceremony took place at 3:55pm. Ron Blomberg, the first MLB player ever to take on the role of �Designated Hitter,� threw out the first pitch. C.C. Sabathia and B-More hottie pitcher Jeremy Guthrie went one-on-one. Guthrie got the win: C.C. wild pitched Adam Jones and Melvin Mora in his 1st inning in pinstripes and gave up six runs to let Baltimore herself get her season off on a high note. And Mark Teixeira? Mark Teixeira? The sucker didn�t go anything for 4! And Guthrie didn�t look like your average �little guy,� either. Cesar Izturis only enhanced Baltimore�s successful season premiere with a 2-run home run similar to Jeter�s in Game 1 of the Yanks� 1996 ALCS with Baltimore herself.
Cute ORIOLE BIRD Running with Flag
Boston�s Opening Day vs. visiting Tampa Bay was supposed be held at 2:05pm ET on NESN and ESPN2, but it was postponed for the following day. However, St. Louis kicked off his season with a glamorous line of bobcats that introduced his players into Busch Stadium. In the 8th inning, St. Louis broke the tie that Pittsburgh forced only to see the win turn into a loss with Jack Wilson�s game-winning 2-run triple in the 9th for Pittsburgh. What an embarrassing way for an MLB team whose ballpark is the 2009 ASG site to begin its season! But at least Adam Wainwright had no decision, so it wasn�t his fault.
Oakland vs. Anaheim was the last of ESPN�s three MLB telecasts, and it began at 9:00pm ET. I figured the defending American League West Champion Diva was gonna let her toughest rival have it. No wonder: that Howard Kendrick is one of Anaheim�s deadliest weapons.
In other news, Colorado and Arizona played a big seesaw game of 17 runs in Arizona�s Opening Day game, but who emerged as the victor? Arizona. I chose her to win, anyway. Two of her boys hit home runs from both sides of the home plate.
Alfonso Soriano? He made his first home run of the season in Cubs vs. Houston, handing the win to �el Toro� himself, Carlos �Big Z� Zambrano. Minnesota? She began her last Opening Night in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (this would be her very last season ever in the Metrodome). Her visitor: the Seattle Mariners. And guess what? Not only did Ken Griffey Jr. make his 612th home run; Felix Hernandez was great, too, ruining Minnesota�s celebration.
In Washington vs. Florida, Hanley Ramirez made his first grand slam, and Emilio Bonifacio produced an inside-the-park home run.
DirecTV�s MLB Extra Innings began their �Free Preview Week� here, but since they renewed my subscription to the service before Opening Day, I didn�t have to mention that.
4.7: His Nation!
Just as I predicted, it was Josh Beckett�s Nation.
He found the energy needed to help Boston pound defending A.L. Champion Diva Tampa Bay in their (rescheduled) Opening Day game in Fenway Park, which officially began at 4:05pm ET. Dustin Pedroia hit a home run, and Jonathan Papelbon closed it off with his first save of the season.
Braves vs. Phillies started off with fire for Atlanta: Kelly Johnson hit a solo home run and Chipper fooled Shane Victorino, allowing McCann to follow suit with a base hit that left Chase Utley scrambling. Take that, Mr. World �Fucking� Champion!
Chipper also made a home run in the 5th inning. With this, the Braves improved big time on the 2008 season, during which their first two games were trash. �Ryan Zimmerman this,� �Xavier Nady that.�And another thing: Jeff Francoeur, you glow on tour!
Cute PHILLY PHANATIC Driving Around in Vehicle
Did Kyle Lohse set Busch Stadium on fire and p-whip Ian Davila Snell? Yes. Pujols helped Lohse win with his amazing home run. Trevor Cahill nearly lost it vs. Anaheim, but Oakland exploded with rage late in the game and had her sweet revenge taken on Anaheim herself.
In other news, Jim Thome�s home run took his fellow White Sox to a victory that was worth the wait for them in Chicago. President Barack Obama was supposed to have thrown the First Pitch in this game.
4.8: The Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets.
Only these two teams won out of the sextet, but I�ll get to them in a moment.
Did Atlanta sweep Philly? Here�s what happened: Brian McCann hit a 2-run home run; Raul Ibanez made his own 2-run homer; McCann struck back with a lead-stealing RBI; Frenchie and Matt Diaz followed in turn with ribbies of their own. However, Omar Infante slipped up when he threw too far at 1B, allowing Chase Utley to make an RBI double. Later in the game, Philly exploded, and ultimately avoided a sweep by Atlanta, winning 12-11. That bonehead Jorge Campillo couldn�t ice Philly, and Brad Lidge recorded the save.
The Mets did the same sweep on St. Louis during Opening Week 2007. And speaking of the Mets, they and Cincy hosted a scorefest. �K-Rod� nearly got himself into trouble when he let Cincy load up the bases in the 9th inning. However, Beltran robbed Laynce Nix blind of what would have been a walk-off grand slam, and �el Kid� got his second straight save.
Did Wang help the Yankees strike back on Baltimore in his much anticipated return from injury? No. Baltimore rocked him with a 2-run 1st, and exploded Philly-style with 5 more runs in the 4th. Jeter did make a 2-run home run in the 9th, and Teixeira finally produced an RBI double after him, but it wasn�t enough. And Baltimore brought out her Japanese pitcher, Yomiuri Giants stunt Koji Uehara, for a good cause. He got the win.
Boston sent Jon Lester out there vs. Tampa Bay. He didn�t win, either. No thanks to that sexy reow Evan Longoria, who made a homer! Nor did Todd Wellemeyer in Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis. Oakland? She got Dan Giese from the Yankees, and despite weak defense in the 4th inning of Oakland vs. Anaheim, Nomar and especially Matt Holliday started a 9th inning rally that ultimately led to Oakland�s victory.
So be it. The Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets. The Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets.
4.9: Burnett Gets Yanks Out of Sweep; Anaheim Loses Rising Star
Did A.J. Burnett help the Yanks avoid a sweep by Baltimore? Yes. And Mark Teixeira produced this time. Ditto for the sexy Nick Swisher!
Ah, Mariano Rivera. You deserve merit, too.
Did the Mets sweep Cincy? No. Did �Dice-K� help Boston succeed over Tampa Bay? No. Did St. Louis win? Yes.
Oakland vs. Anaheim was postponed because the latter lost 22-year-old Nicholas James Adenhart in a tragic hit-and-run assault by a drunk driver, Andrew Thomas Gallo. Everyone in MLB took a moment of silence before or during their games to remember Mr. Adenhart, who�d made his season debut vs. Oakland herself hours before. Two other passengers were also killed.
In other news, Marco Scutaro made a solo home run in Detroit vs. Toronto.
4.10: Good Friday, Y�all
In Atlanta�s Home Opener vs. visiting Washington, the Braves stole the Nats� early lead just before severe weather struck the Atlanta area at about 8:20pm ET. I saw the game on Peachtree Television, and when the rain did come down �cats and dogs,� so to speak, they gave nothing but the Turner Field infield being drenched by rain. The Braves� president, John Schuerholz, spoke to the Weather Channel announcing that the game was suspended for two hours with Atlanta leading Washington 3-1. I don�t know about you Braves fans out there in hometown Atlanta, but I wouldn�t bother staring at a rain-washed infield all night. No one would!
Prior to the storm, Derek Lowe hit Lastings Milledge on the hand with a pitch�hard. He got the boot, but did Atlanta get the win? Yes.
In Mets vs. Marlins, Hanley made a home run to help Florida herself shock Maine and Company. The Pets caught up, but to no avail: Florida still beat them when Jorge Cantu made the walk-off hit off of Pedro Feliciano. Well, at least the Pets didn�t bring out �K-Rod� to help hold Florida off, because he would have been rocked!
In Yankees vs. Kansas City, the Royals kicked off their 40th Anniversary Celebration, but the Yanks ruined it. One of the major contributors was Swisher, who made an RBI double. You go, Swish!
Ah, Mariano Rivera. Thanks for getting the save!
In Houston vs. St. Louis, Chris Duncan made an RBI to lead off. Others followed in turn, and St. Louis told Houston: �You have a problem, buddy.�
Boston was in Anaheim�one day after Nicholas Adenhart�s tragic death. Anaheim honored her fallen star by having Nick�s dad, Jim, throw the first pitch. Howard Kendrick proved to be a good luck charm to Anaheim: he started off a rout that ultimately led to Anaheim�s triumph. �Mr. Adenhart, this win�s for you.�
And to make things even better for Anaheim, Andrew Thomas Gallo was charged with murder, and would receive half a century in prison if convicted.
Oakland began her Home Season vs. Seattle with a tribute to Adenhart and four members of the Oakland Police. She didn�t win, but whatever.
In other news, Miguel Cabrera hit a grand slam in Texas vs. Detroit, allowing Detroit herself to snap Texas� surprisingly impressive Opening Week winning skid. Marco Scutaro? He made a solo home run in Toronto vs. Cleveland, which experienced a rain delay! All-Star potential already? Maybe�maybe not.
And not that Arizona matters, but her Chase Field was selected as the site for the 2011 MLB All-Star Game. She ruined Andr� Ethier�s birthday, anyway, when her Diamondbacks scared Dodger Blue away.
Yankees this. Braves that. The Mets stink. The Red Sox have turned black!
4.11: Holy Toledo! Sabathia Gives Teixeira a Nice Birthday Gift!
In spite of the disappointment Sabathia displayed on Opening Day in Baltimore, he learned from his mistakes and held the Royals off pretty well. But hey�the second time around is always supposed to be better, don�t you know? Mark Teixeira turned 29, so the Yankees� third straight win was a nice birthday present for him. Nick Swisher made an amazing home run.
FOX televised Red Sox vs. Angels, and this time around Anaheim lost her lead. I barely saw any of the game, but Boston got the win, and Papelbon recorded the save. (I had to check MLB.com for the Box Score.)
The Mets got lucky, too: they took revenge on Florida and Cantu for the previous night�s slip-up. Their game started at 6:05pm, but due to MLB�s Saturday territorial restrictions, the game wasn�t broadcast until 7:05pm ET. In the 9th inning, Schneider got hurt, but he held on. Darren O�Day gave up one run to the Marlins thanks to a fly out, and he let Emilio Bonifacio 1B, so Jerry Manuel brought out Frankie Rodr�guez to close out the game. Frankie let Hanley make an RBI 1B, so he didn�t get the save but he did get the Mets out of there fine. And welcome to the Mets, Gary Sheffield!
St. Louis�I didn�t see his game but he beat Houston big time. Pujols made 7 RBI, four of which came from a grand slam that he made. Atlanta? She took Washington�s lead and won, too! Oakland didn�t win, so she got the shaft.
Powerhouse YUNEL ESCOBAR Making RBI
4.12: Easter Boneheads
Forget the Easter Bunny. Forget frilly bonnets. I�m talking an Easter Parade of MLB�s own.
In the 1st inning of Boston vs. Anaheim, Beckett threw over Bobby Abreu, which started a bench-clearing argument. The conversation quickly elevated into a full-scale fiasco that started when Speier wanted to get smart with the umps. Neither Beckett nor Abreu got ejected, but Speier, Sciosia, and Torii Hunter did. After being ejected, Speier hurled more garbage from the dugout while Sciosia yelled at the HP ump. To make matters worse, Torii exploded into a violent screaming fury, trying to slug people while Howard Kendrick tried holding him back. Boston didn�t even get the edge over Anaheim, anyway. Kendrick himself was an energy source for Anaheim, but then so were Abreu and Vladimir Guerrero.
Troy Glaus finally admitted to using steroids according to the New York Times, but now what? At least Lohse responded with a win for St. Louis, and he went all 9 innings, too.
Johan pitched for the Mets in their last game before heading to Citi Field. Did he win? No. Blame it on Daniel Murphy: his error cost the Pets the game and Joshua Johnson impressed his crowd by turning a near no-hitter that got broken up in the 6th.
Joba didn�t get a decision in Yankees vs. Kansas City, but the Yanks couldn�t sweep K.C.: she let Philip Coke have it in the 8th inning. Joakim Soria recorded the save. Talk about raining on one�s parade! And speaking of rain, it was raining in Kansas City.
Atlanta swept Washington thanks to Jurrjens� amazing talents. However, Oakland lost after like five scoreless innings vs. Seattle.
In other news, and speaking of raining on one�s parade, Philly shocked Huston Street as she KO�d him and Colorado. Brad Lidge recorded the save. I told you Huston was no Mariano Rivera!
Alfonso Soriano? He made his 51st leadoff home run in the 1st inning of ESPN�s Cubs vs. Brewers, but did the Scrubs win? Yes. Sori himself became the 19th MLB player to have made his 250th home run and stolen base.
In Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati, the former turned the rare triple play.
Powerhouse CARLOS ZAMBRANO Spitting on Floor
4.13: Matters of Life and Death
Other than her two exhibition games with Boston, this was the day on which NYM�s Citi Field (remodeled after the old Ebbets Field) officially opened her gates. San Diego was the second visitor to step into the newly opened venue after Boston in Citi Field�s two exhibition games. Here was his Starting Lineup and the Mets� Lineup.
Citi Field�s First Starting Lineup � San Diego Padres
CF Jody Gerut
2B David Eckstein
RF Brian Giles
1B Adri�n Gonz�lez
LF Chase Headley
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff
C Nick Hundley
SS Luis Rodr�guez
P Walter Silva
Citi Field�s First Starting Lineup � Mets
SS Jos� Reyes
LF Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
1B Carlos Delgado
CF Carlos Beltr�n
C Brian Schneider
2B Luis Castillo
P Mike Pelfrey
The First Pitch was at 7:10pm, and ESPN televised this special event. After the cast of the Broadway Revival of West Side Story sang the National Anthem, the same men who took Shea Stadium out on a wing brought Citi Field to life with their First Pitch: Mike Piazza and (???). And speaking of life, Johan Santana remained in South Florida to attend to his wife, who gave birth to a baby son. But did the Mets graciously welcome these signs of new life?
Oh, no. Pelfrey gave up a home run to Jody Gerut in the 1st inning (the first time that any opponent made the first home run in a stadium), and Eckstein and Brian Giles followed on from that. Adri�n made his own solo home run in the 5th. David Wright and Daniel Murphy tied up the score in the 5th. Pedro Feliciano was the one that didn�t hail Citi Field�s birth: he wild pitched Eckstein and let him 2B. Ryan Church, tampoco: he supported Daniel Murphy�s error rather than make up for it.
What was Francisco Rodr�guez doing in the 9th inning? Well, at least he stalled San Diego from perfoming any further attacks. And what was with that striped cat running in Citi Field during the 3rd inning? He was so cute!
Lovely CITI FIELD Opening Her Gates to �Cat-astrophe�
The Yankees hit Tampa Bay for her Opening Night, and whoa were they bound for another episode of trouble? Carlos Pe�a started it; others made it worse for Wang. Pe�a turned up the defending American League Diva�s �red-hot� status to �white-hot� when he made a grand slam off of Albaladejo, brought out to replace the already-done-in Wang in the 2nd inning. Swisher did make one homer, and Melky RBI�ed, but Tampa Bay was �too hot to touch,� so to speak: she just dominated. She did it all in front of some 37,000 people. Watching Nick Swisher pitch in the 8th inning was just so cute.
Oh, and just watching Evan Longoria was just too sexy.
Boston was in Oakland, and while Youkilis made a solo home run, Jack Cust responded with a homer of his own. Nomar, the Jason Giambi Cat, and Matt Holliday followed in turn to bash Jon Lester and Company. St. Louis vs. Arizona saw Pujols making a home run, but did the Cards win? Yes.
In other news, and speaking of grand slams, Edwin Encarnacion made one in Cincinnati vs. Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Andr� Ethier and Carlos Quentin each made two homers in San Francisco vs. L.A. (at which Charice Pempengco made Joe Torre smile with her rendition of the National Anthem...she can sing!) and White Sox vs. Detroit, respectively. Whee-wheew to them! Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle, and Dye and Konerko made their 300th home runs back to back. And Ryan Howard made a homer just after the Philadelphia Phillies� beloved announcer, Harry Kalas, passed away in the Nationals Park�s broadcast booth. Mark �the Bird� Fidrych also passed away.
4.14: Beckett Suspended; Marlins Stink Up Turner Field
MLB.com told me that Beckett got slapped with a 6-game suspension for what he did to Bobby Abreu. Well, Beckett or no Beckett, Boston vs. Anaheim was televised in fucking High Definition and widescreen for like ten minutes (something you can only get with HD, but I had a 42� Vizio TV). �Dice-K� was pitching for Boston. Kevin Youkilis made a leadoff RBI 1B for Boston, driving home Pedroia. J.D. Drew and Lowell also produced RBI. However, Holliday, Cust, Buck, and Ellis provided a combined lead-robbing answer to that in the form of �Oh, yeah? Well, take that!� In other words, if Beckett got slapped, so did Boston. You give it to him, Oakland!
In Yankees vs. Tampa Bay, Swisher made another home run, but A.J. Burnett produced a perfect game that got broken up by Carl Crawford in the 7th inning. Burnett also let Evan Longoria and Carlos Pe�a 1B for an RBI, and brought Longo home on a flyout to allow Tampa Bay to tie up the score 2-2. However, Mark Teixeira�s sac fly and Derek Jeter�s 3-run home run saved the day, and Burnett still got the win! How�s that to celebrate the release of Bernie Williams� second album?
Two SEXY N.Y. Yankees Making Home Runs
Atlanta fared horribly in her game vs. visiting Florida: while Kelly Johnson made a home run, Chipper didn�t produce. The red-hot Marlins simply got away. St. Louis? Chris Duncan made an RBI in the 4th inning, but Arizona eventually did it in.
The Pets took the day off�probably to recuperate from the sour aftermath of that �cat-astrophic� Citi Field Opener.
4.15: The Number 42!
In honor of the incomparable Jackie Robinson, who became MLB�s first minority player on this day in 1947, everyone in MLB again wore his number 42.
Boston had no trouble escaping a sweep by Oakland, and St. Louis avenged Arizona for her mess the previous night. The Yankees got out of trouble vs. Tampa Bay � their last game before kicking off the next chapter in their history with the Inaugural Game at their New Yankee Stadium � thanks to Derek Jeter�s game-winning RBI double in the 9th. Carlos Pe�a, who received his Gold Glove prior to this game, made a home run off of Pettitte.
Ah, Mariano Rivera. You didn�t let a �Marco Scutaro-like� figure perform the jinx that Scooter did on you back in 2007.
Things proved hectic for Derek Lowe in Florida vs. Atlanta: he got no decision, but ever-impressive and yet low-on-salary Florida proved that she and her currently-in-progress new stadium were more worth than her fans bargained for. Dan Uggla started it: he made a 3-run double in the 5th inning. Others teamed up to jump Atlanta later on. (Chipper was out with a bruised thumb.)
The Mets proved the enemy vs. San Diego: Delgado�s home run served as one of the factors for the Pets to notch a Citi Field win the second time around.
In other news, and speaking of J-Rob, did Dodger Blue honor her most beloved player with a win over San Francisco? Yes. James Loney decided it all with a bases loaded walk in the 9th inning.
Meanwhile, Ken Griffey Jr. made his 400th home run with Seattle, making him the first MLB player to amass 400 home runs with one club and 200 with another (which he accomplished in Cincy). In the same game, Ichiro Suzuki made a grand slam.
4.16: Yankee Stadium, Born Again
�Welcome to the Bronx� couldn�t have sounded any more resonant when the most expensive and sexiest ballpark ever built finally opened her gates and the YES Network Yankees Pregame with those four words.
The Yankees welcomed the Cleveland Indians at 1:05pm for their Inaugural Game at their sexy new venue, which affectionately kept the name of �Yankee Stadium.� The overall look of her exterior resembled that of the first Yankee Stadium (born in 1923). However, the stadium�s newly added facilities and products (including a museum, a Hard Rock Caf�, and a huge HD TV) � assembled at a cost of some $1.5 billion � made this Yankee Stadium as much in step with modern trends as everything else, so to speak. Nearly 49,000 out of her 52,325 seats were filled for Opening Day, whereas when the Old Yankee Stadium opened its gates on April 14, 1923, 74,200 people came to see the Yankees beat their eternal rival Red Sox and Babe Ruth hit the stadium�s first home run.
This very highly anticipated event (even one of my organization�s TV shows gave a skit about it), which was televised on the YES and MLB Networks, began with the West Point Band�s rendition of John Philip Sousa�s �Stars and Stripes Forever.� After John Fogerty and Bernie Williams took the stage, the ceremony led to the introduction of all the current surviving Yankees legends and the Starting Lineups of both teams. Kelly Clarkson, who sang the National Anthem at an NFL football game in 2005, sang it here. High time the Yanks chose an A-list performer to do so, because they usually have B, C, and D-list singers doing so. Ronan Tynan, of course, sang �God Bless America� for the 7th Inning Stretch, and he�s done that a lot in Yankee Stadium. He�s of the �A-List� class just like Ms. Clarkson.
Anyway, on to the lineups.
Inaugural Starting Lineups at New Yankee Stadium � Cleveland
CF Grady Sizemore
3B Mark DeRosa
1B Victor Mart�nez
SS Jhonny Peralta
DH Shin-Soo Choo
RF Ben Francisco
C Kelly Shoppach
2B Tony Graffanino
LF Trevor Crowe
Inaugural Starting Lineups at New Yankee Stadium - Yankees
SS Derek Jeter
LF Johnny Damon
1B Mark Teixeira
RF Nick Swisher
C Jorge Posada
2B Robinson Cano
DH Hideki Matsui
3B Cody Ransom
CF Brett Gardner
C.C. Sabathia put his efforts on the line against those of the defending A.L. Cy Young champ, Cliff Lee, who had a 0-2 record and a 9.90 ERA entering this game. Johnny Damon made the stadium�s official first hit: he 1B�d in the 1st inning. Sabathia did allow Kelly Shoppach an RBI double in the 4th inning. However, Posada hit the stadium�s first home run in the 5th inning off of Mr. Lee, which relieved Sabathia of any potential headaches. Sabathia himself made his 122nd and last pitch for the game a strikeout, and Edwar Ram�rez took his place in the 6th inning.
What happened in the 7th inning was absolutely unworthy of celebration on the Yankees� behalf, but a defining moment for Indians fans. Jos� Veras let Victor Mart�nez 1B, and Peralta�s 2-run double did to Veras exactly what David Eckstein did to Pedro Feliciano in Citi Field�s debut: he helped Cleveland cause a major stampede, turn the gleaming new palace into a haunted house, and hand Mr. Lee the win. Seeing Grady Sizemore hit the first grand slam in the Stadium�s history � and Victor follow up with a home run � was something I found to be quite spectacular. But still, �Welcome to the Bronx� my ass. The Final Game at the Old Yankee Stadium was the best the Yanks ever did.
Atlanta still had to struggle with lack of solid defense vs. Florida, who swept her in her own house. St. Louis had no trouble kicking the Cubs� butts as they kicked off their �Interstate 55� series in Wrigley, and the Pets? Delgado hit a leadoff 3-run home run off of Peavy, but the Pets ended up losing to Peavy and Company. Yeah, and Heath Bell went 5 for 5 saves-wise, which gave me an indication that he just might be to the Pods what Trevor Hoffman was to them, and what �K-Rod� (who at least held San Diego off while they led in the 9th inning) was to Anaheim the year before. Love that amazing signature praise you did, Frankie baby!
Lovely NEW YANKEE STADIUM Welcoming Wrong Breed of Visitors
4.17: Getting Better for a Change
The second time around is always supposed to be better�and for a change, it was better for the Yankees.
Girardi came out to argue when Cody Ransom failed a tag out in the 5th inning of Cleveland vs. Yanks when the former led, but an impressive 7th inning effort by Teixeira on Cleveland�s error (he�d made a home run earlier in the game) spared Joba and Anthony Reyes (Cleveland�s SP) of any decision. However, in a rewarding effort similar to Carlos Delgado�s solo home run in Citi Field�s second game, Jeter made up for his 0-for-4 in-game performance by hitting the game-winning solo home run in the 8th. Johnny Damon, Melky, and Canito also made solo home runs.
Ah, Mariano Rivera. Thanks for bringing some sparkle into your new house with your save, which took you past Joakim Soria for the longest current save streak in MLB!
Did Carlos Zambrano blow St. Louis away in the �Interstate 55� series? Well, the Cubs had an early lead, but good thing Ludwick hit a 3-run home run to attempt to hand the lead to St. Louis. The Cubs struck back off of Trever Miller in the 5th. Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run bambinazo in the 8th to officially win, which meant that �Big Z� a.k.a. �el Toro� (The Bull) and P.J. Walters had no decision.
However, is it just me, or is Mr. Zambrano actually hot as sin? He made a huge fan out of me after doing the no-hitter in Miller Park, and now I�m feeling his macho-potential image! [Whistles without being ashamed of herself]
Powerhouse CARLOS ZAMBRANO Looking Seductive
Anyway, enough of that stuff. In the 7th inning of Milwaukee vs. Mets at Citi Field, Gary Sheffield made history happen: he became the first Met to hit his 500th home run in a Mets uniform. He tied up the score, and in the 9th inning, Delgado produced a 2B that would signify win potential for the Mets. And it did come when Luis Castillo made the walk-off RBI 1B, driving Delgado home and giving the win to J.J. Putz.
In Oakland vs. Toronto at Rogers Centre, Marco Scutaro hit a solo home run in the 1st inning, but Oakland was like: �Oh, yeah? You still have the potential to shock me, old friend? Well, take this!� With this, she told Scutaro that she hadn�t forgotten about him and let Toronto have it.
Boston overcame Baltimore�s tremendous 7-0 lead to win, and Atlanta blew it again�this time in Pittsburgh.
In other news, Clint Hurdle set Manuel Corpas as the Rockies� Closer, and Huston Street would be a reliever instead of the Closer given that he�d done trash in his previous outings. Huston did appear in the 8th inning of Rockies vs. Dodger Blue�but he did fine, and at least he had nothing to worry about this time since Dodger Blue herself already had the lead. And she won.
Jason Kubel hit for the cycle in Anaheim vs. Minnesota. Hitting for the cycle, hitting for the cycle�
4.18: Handsome JOHAN SANTANA Making Citi Field Sparkle
Fiery Johan got the win in his first game at Citi Field. Reyes decided it all with an error-tagged RBI 1B in the 7th off of Carlos Villanueva. �K-Rod� recorded the save, and did his (cut-short) praise after an amazing double play that struck out J.J. Hardy and caught Ryan Braun stealing!
Pittsburgh routed Atlanta big time, and his scoring on her included a pair of home runs from Craig �C-Mo� Monroe. Chipper and McCann sat out, so you know the Braves had no chance this go-round after going from a 2-1 season opener in Philadelphia to a 5-game losing skid beginning with the Marlins in Turner Field. [Shrugs] Jo-Jo is no Tim Hudson, and you Braves won�t be getting Mr. Hudson back in your lineup till mid-August or even September. I know because I read about it.
Although Mark Teixeira�s 2-run leadoff home run off of Fausto Carmona got the Yanks to a good start during Cleveland vs. Yankees on FOX, Shin-Soo Choo�s 3-run home run off of Wang reversed the Yanks� fortune. Grady, DeRosa, and others teamed up to bind and gag Wang and newcomer Anthony Claggart, and hand the just as horrendous Carmona the win. Cleveland�s explosive 14-run 2nd (and 22-4 Final Score, the best she did on the Yanks since 8/31/2004) included a grand slam from Asdrubal Cabrera, the same man that turned the rare unassisted triple play on Marco Scutaro the year prior. But here�s to you, Nick Swisher, for announcing your own lineup and yourself!
I wrote this on the Yankees Message Board.
�I hate to admit it, but this is by far the worst Yankee game I have ever seen in my whole life. I�m embarrassed, too, and I�m not ashamed to admit it. I mean, after seeing Mark Teixeira hit that 2-run home run in the 1st, I was happy and in great expectations for the Yanks to rock Cleveland again. However, it was Cleveland�s explosive outburst in the 2nd off of Wang and that just-as-bad newbie (Claggart) that got me tight.
�Wang was amazing once, but now he�s turning into another piece of trash like [VOMIT] Kei Igawa. If he�s going to keep playing like he did, the Yanks should either send him to the Minor Leagues like they did to that trash Kei Igawa or even TRADE him.
�Man, I�m beginning to love Johan more than ever and at least he won for the Mets this afternoon!�
In other news, Manny Ramirez hit a solo home run in the 1st inning of the also FOX-televised Rockies vs. Dodger Blue, giving L.A. herself another victory and putting him up there with Troy Glaus and others who hit at least one home run against all 30 teams. The Florida Marlins? They now hit 10-1 status in their current N.L. East reign! Their victory must be testament to the powerful young blood in their arsenal, and it�s all about being young and staying young in that franchise, anyway. They have the youngest age range of players in MLB.
Carlos Quentin? The sexy sucker made a bambinazo in White Sox vs. Tampa Bay!