Opening Day

Today is one of the best days of my life. At about 1:10 this afternoon, I got a phone call from my mother.

"We got them," she said.

I screamed. Loudly. Then I ran out into the common room of my dorm and I screamed at my roommates. They knew exactly what had happened, and I'm guessing that most of you do, too.

I am going to Opening Day. And I really couldn't be more excited if I tried.


Not only have I never been to an Opening Day, this year, we're playing against New York, and it's an 8pm game. This means that I will be missing my 9am class the next morning, but the last time I missed that professor's class for a baseball game, he said "God bless you," so I don't see it being an issue.

He's nothing like that OTHER 23...

I think he'll fit in just fine here in New England. Just the fact that he - a veteran player, no less - stopped to chat with the fans speaks volumes about his ability to embrace the environment in Boston.

Just from that short clip, it's easy to see that Mike Cameron has at least a basic grasp of the history of the franchise: I mean, he understood that #24 was "semi-retired," not just because of the petulant Manny Being Manny Ramirez, but because of the inimitable Dwight "Dewey" Evans, who played his last game in 1991.

He also appreciated Francona's quip about a certain shortstop that John Henry is still paying:


"Tito told me, 'Hey, if you wear twenty-three, make sure you don't miss the first ball, cause the fans are all gonna say LUUUU-GOOOOO!!!'"

Be honest, folks: that's totally something we would do. However, it doesn't look like it will be necessary, as Cameron seems like the type of confident (and competent), yet easy-going player who thrives in Boston. I know that the Ellsbury fangirls (and fanboys) are howling that Golden Boy is moving over to accommodate a thirty-seven year old journeyman. Please, let him show you what he can do. Personally, I plan on loving him, and I hope you'll all give him a chance, too.

"Because we're the Yankees."

On the list of douchiest quotes ever given, Spring Training edition, Mark Teixeira took strides to an early lead yesterday. In an article appearing in the New York Post (thanks to Surviving Grady for the link!), Teixeira made his prediction that the Yankees will repeat as World Champs. Now, you're probably wondering, "What's so douchey about that? Everyone from the Astros downward says they'll win this time of year."

Yes, I know how preposterous it would be to kick off Spring Training by proclaiming that your team has regressed, and you're probably good for a third or fourth place finish. It was the choice of words Teixeira used that makes his prediction so unbearably douchey.

When asked why he was so confident, the first baseman replied "Because we're the Yankees.... You have to feel that way every season." He might as well have said, "Because our GM will throw buckets of cash at anyone we could possibly ever need, so why worry?"

Teixeira went on to say that he felt good about the "great team with a core of guys back." Presumably, at this point the reporter slapped him across the face, then reminded him that the Yankees had lost World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and Queen of Cheap Home Runs Johnny Damon; Teixeira immediately recanted his take with the following:

"That's baseball. Every year there's a different group of guys. The guys we brought in are going to do just a good a job as the guys that left, so I don't think we're going to skip a beat."

And if you do, Cashman can just buy you some more players, right Mr. Mercenary?

It's no secret around here that I loathe Mark Teixeira. He's second on my Most-Hated Yankees list, Contemporary Edition, to one Joba Chamberlain, and this article is a perfect example of why. I never hope for a player to get hurt in any physical way, but I will admit to wishing Teixeira the very worst in the way of luck and statistics this year and beyond. As the leader in douchiest quotes ever given, Spring Training edition, he deserves it.

Separate from Baseball

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Mike Lowell is the classiest of class acts. He knows very well where he stands, and that he's not even likely to have the chance to fight for a starting job. No, Mike Lowell is trade bait, and everybody knows it.

"I have to separate some things. I think there’s the baseball aspect of it and I think there’s (a) real life aspect of it and I’m very comfortable with where I am in my real life. You know what I mean? I feel I’m in a tremendously privileged situation. No one needs to feel sorry for me in life. Is my baseball situation not ideal? Yeah, it’s not ideal. I don’t want to diminish the baseball fact. But you never know what can happen." -Lowell, via Boston.com

Mikey has perspective that most players (I'm looking at you, Cinco-Ocho) can't imagine. Part of his ability to separate baseball from "real life" comes from his experience with a disease that has touched us all:


"'The worst case scenario,' he [the doctor] continued, 'is that you have surgery, they do the analysis, and it may be a progresses state of cancer.' Whoa, cancer?! 'Yes, cancer,' he added. 'You'll need radiation, chemotherapy, and the we'll see how far along it is. It might cost you a year or so before we think you're healthy.' And he wasn't even mentioning baseball." -Lowell, Deep Drive

After a conversation like that, how could the prospect of a trade (or a salary cut, or a reduced role) possibly make you quake? Mike Lowell doesn't want the fans to pity him, and so I won't feel sorry for his situation. All I have (all I have ever had) for Mike Lowell is admiration, pure and simple. I hope he gets to play this season, and I'll miss him if he ends up elsewhere, but he deserves every chance he gets.

Quote(s) of the Day

I love Spring Training. In a loose atmosphere, players are more likely to open up and crack jokes, and it allows for some comedic gold. [All quotes taken from stories on Boston.com... if I had access to Fort Myers, I sure as hell wouldn't be here in Connecticut right now.]

When asked about his physique, David Ortiz said he thought he looked good: "I'm not going to look like Ricky Martin right now... I wish I could look like Ricky Martin." Umm... I for one do not want Big Papi to look like Ricky Martin, if it's all the same.

Apparently, Bill Hall asked Dustin Pedroia why so many reporters were gathered around his locker. The feisty second baseman, as always, had a quick answer: "Checking out this body, dude." Personally, I think people hang around to hear quips like that one...

The Individual or the Team?

I recently had the following question posed to me: Which is more important, the individual or the group?

Now, being who I am, I immediately thought of baseball. On teams with a high payroll and an expectation of success, it is considered uncouth to emphasize personal achievements, yet on teams with a recent tradition of failure, personal goals are all that players have to hope for, considering it might be their ticket out of the mediocre scene, via free agency.

For example, Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett is entering a contract year, yet every time someone asks about his status or his goals, he reiterates that it's not about him, but about the team. When asked who the number one pitcher was for the Sox this year, Jon Lester answered, "Well, we all are. You guys can label us whatever you want, but in my mind it takes five starters to win a championship."

"You're more important." "No, YOU'RE more important."

The company line for most big market teams is the same way. When Dustin Pedroia won the 2008 AL MVP award, he was disappointed, because his team finished short of where it had in 2007: they were runners up to the AL Pennant, rather than World Series Champions, and it just wasn't good enough for the Sox second baseman.

On the other hand, in Kansas City, Zack Greinke just won the AL Cy Young award, and the Royals celebrated the his individual achievement. On a team where winning just isn't in the cards, individuals make a huge difference: the Royals sell more tickets on days when Greinke pitches, while the Red Sox will sell out no matter who is playing, be it Beckett, Lester, or even someone like Michael Bowden.

Yet somehow, they can't even sell out Greinke's starts...

The same principle exists in society as a whole: those who are more privileged have the luxury of worrying about the big picture, while those from lower tax brackets must think of mundane personal things, like where they'll get the money to pay the bills. Is this fair? Not really. And anyway, who ever said life (or baseball) had to be fair?

Tim Wakefield: Mainer at Heart?

Is it just me, or would Tim Wakefield make a great Mainer? Wake was, of course, born not in Maine (or any other New England state), but in Melboure, Florida, and he still resides in the Sunshine State during the offseason.

However, something about Wakefield just screams Mainahh to me, and I'm not sure why. I know a great deal of native Mainers, as I live about 10 minutes from the state, and even spent three years there for boarding school. Wakefield embodies much of the spirit that I have come to associate with Maine: integrity, character, and a blue-collar work ethic among them.

In the above video, Wake clings to his position in the rotation fiercely, and he's certainly earned that right. Something about the posture, the ball cap, and the facial hair just made me nostalgic for all the days I spent in Maine... and just think how awesome Wake would look with a mullet.