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Running Blog Of MLB’s 2010 Opening Night: Yankees vs. Red Sox
Baseball season begins tonight. Taunting between Yankees and Red Sox fans never ceases
The months of January and February are usually tough times for me. There’s little football and college basketball season is still developing, but no baseball is worst of all. But baseball is back tonight with the typical Yankees-Red Sox season opener. Yeah, the Yankees are my team, but the first game of any baseball season is a very special occasion. On this special night, follow along with this running blog of in MLB’s round one of a scheduled 2,430
4:45 p.m. Spring training has passed by relatively quickly this year, but I am so amped up for this game tonight, the last three or four hours have been torturous. We’re about 25 minutes away from first pitch, but that is probably going to feel like half a day.
4:48 p.m. Statistically, Mike Cameron, David Ortiz and Marco Scutaro have hit CC Sabathia well in his career, but it’s the start of a new season. Throw most of the numbers out the window.
4:50 p.m. So of course, here is some more meaningless stats: Red Sox haven’t won on opening day (or night) against the Yankees since 1985 and New York is 16-10-1 all-time in openers against Boston. Josh Beckett has a 5.33 career ERA versus the Yankees, his second-worst mark against any team that he’s pitched at least 40 innings against.
4:57 p.m. TEN MINUTES!
4:58 p.m. This pregame has had all the fixings: F-16s, ESPN’s shameless self-promotion, a boring Curt Schilling, and LeBron James and Dr. Dre selling headphones. That’s what opening night is all about.
4:59 p.m. Nomar Garciaparra picks Boston to make the World Series. There’s a stunner.
5:00 p.m. Nick Johnson will bat second, which I think is perfect for him. It also takes some pressure off of Curtis Granderson, who will bat sixth. He’s playing center field for the Yankees. There is no doubt he is feeling the pressure.
5:02 p.m. Before the end of the season, the Yankees may have to do something to upgrade their corner outfield positions. I don’t think Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher will do enough for the team not to bring in a bigger name to replace them at some point.
5:03 p.m. On Baseball Tonight leading up to this game, LeBron James said that the Yankees will win (another stunner), but that if they lose, “the season’s still early.”
Oh, I don’t know. The Red Sox’s magic number would be 160. I don’t think the Yankees can make up that valuable lost ground in just 161 games.
5:05 p.m. Watching Orel Hershiser, what is Steve Phillips thinking right now?
5:08 p.m. It’s first pitch time! For the Yankees and Red Sox, settle in for about four hours of beautiful baseball action.
5:10 p.m. Derek Jeter steps in and HERE WE GO!!!
5:11 p.m. TRADE JETER! GET THAT BUM OUT OF HERE!! HE SUCKS! HE CAN’T HIT ANYTHING! DEAL HIM STRAIGHT UP FOR SCUTARO!! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Projected End-of-Year 2009 MLB Award Winners
Manny Ramirez, Brandon Webb and Cameron Maybin.
An eclectic group of current baseball personalities, but those three were my preseason National League picks to win the MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year. In March, all of those seemed very feasible.
Then Ramirez got caught, Webb got hurt — and stayed hurt — and Maybin found out that players with little power, bankrupt of the ability to take walks and striking out 37 percent of the time they step to the plate don’t stay in the majors.
But, sports writers are stubborn. Part of the job is knowing that you are going to be wrong sometimes and still having no fear in expressing your opinions.
Earlier today, I posted my picks for MLB’s midseason award winners. Now, here is who I think will claim the awards at the end of the year. Statistics are through July 8.
I can guarantee that you won’t see any of the three aforementioned players on these lists.
More Talk, Less Walk 