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3/29/2007 03:43:00 PM

AL East: Time begins on Opening Day

Yankee Stadium
AP
By Alex Belth

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -- Rogers Hornsby

I was walking along 236th street in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon when I saw a squat man approaching me. He looked vaguely like Ed Sullivan and was wearing a Yankee cap. "Only two more days 'til Opening Day," I said to him. He barely looked up and grunted. Hey, just because I think that I have a connection with strangers because of an assumed mutual love for baseball, doesn’t mean that it’s always true or that they necessarily want to talk about it. But about halfway down the block, a small woman wearing an old winter coat was standing in place, smiling and shaking her hands excitedly. I figured that she was motioning to someone behind me, but I as got closer, she started to clap her hands and she told me how many games she planned to see at Yankee Stadium this year. "I only see them against the Red Sox and the Mets," she said. "You must be a glutton for punishment," I said, noticing that her lipstick was smeared. "Nah, don’t be silly," she said touching my arm, "I just like the action." And with that, she was gone.

Opening Day is largely a ceremonial affair, but for baseball fans it is when life begins again in earnest. Unless you are one of the few lucky ones who actually have something riding on tonight's NCAA Tournament final, you are ready for the long baseball season to kick off. Your favorite teams’ roster is set, you’ve oiled your mitt and perhaps already had your first catch of the year, and many fans have already spent countless hours preparing and then drafting their fantasy teams. But starting today —- or last night -— the numbers count, and we can take in the fresh spring air with a new sense of hope.

This is why Tom Boswell once wrote that time begins on Opening Day. "Sure opening day is baseball’s bandwagon," Boswell wrote. "Pundits and politicians and every prose poet on the continent jumps on board for a few days. But they’re gone soon, off in search of something other windy event worthy of their attention. Then, once more, all those long, slow months of baseball are left to us. And our time can begin again."

  • Who’ll get booed first today at Yankee Stadium: Carl Pavano or Alex Rodriguez? The Yankees’ predominately left-handed lineup will have their hands full with Scott Kazmir on what looks to be a cold, rainy day in New York.

  • The Red Sox open in Kansas City later this afternoon with Curt Schilling starting against the Royals' Big Ticket, Gil Meche. It'll be interesting to see if Schilling blogs about his performance tonight.

  • Doc Halladay makes his fifth-straight Opening Day start for the Blue Jays as they square-off against the defending American League champs in Detroit. Jeremy Bonderman will start for the Tigers.

  • But perhaps the best pitching match-up of the day gives us two southpaws: Erik Bedard vs. Johan Santana tonight at the Metrodome. If he stays healthy, the demur Bedard could end up giving the master Santana some competition for the Cy Young Award this year.

    Alex Belth is an SI.com columnist and the founder of Bronx Banter.

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    • Comments:

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    Posted: April 2, 2007 1:42 PM   by Evan
    hahaha, well, it looks like the distinction went to A-Rod: an error then a strikeout.

    Go Sox!
    Posted: April 2, 2007 2:21 PM   by case macintyre
    Strike one Pavano. The ice is cracking.
    Posted: April 2, 2007 3:38 PM   by Anonymous
    Neither... A-rod 2-5 and homer... enough said. Also the royals how could you possibly lose to the royals?
    Posted: April 2, 2007 4:52 PM   by Anonymous
    Prediction: Blue Jays 162-0! We can't lose!
    Posted: April 2, 2007 5:19 PM   by Anonymous
    Well, it doesn't look like Schilling will want to do any blogging tonight!

    Ha HA HA
    Posted: April 2, 2007 5:44 PM   by Owen
    The Blue Jays beat the defending AL Champs, while the Yankees squeak a win against the Devil Rays and the Red Sox are getting spanked by the Royals.

    Get ready SI, because the World Series is heading north this year.
    Posted: April 2, 2007 7:48 PM   by spaltor
    actually, arod was booed after 2/3 of an inning, when he missed the foul pop up...
    Posted: April 3, 2007 4:31 AM   by Anonymous
    Once again you neglect the Canadian team! Bedard gets a mention for the CY?? Where's that come from? What about Halladay pitching for that team north of the border? What's their name again?
    Posted: April 3, 2007 12:05 PM   by Anonymous
    Bedard is CANADIAN...
    Post a Comment
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