Observations from Opening Day, Part I

So this will be my first attempt at a “live” blog…well, it won’t be live, since it will be posted after the game is actually played…or during, depending on how long this gets.  Not to mention that I’ve recorded the game and am starting a few hours later.  But…the idea is pretty much the same.  And I get to skip the commercials.  You’ll have to bear with me on the semantics…

Anyway, without further ado (or adieu, depending on how you like your grammar):

*Pregame thoughts?  Welp, I was ready to do this yesterday, so the postponement was a disappointment.  That’s what you get when you schedule games in questionable weather locations in early April I guess.  But I learned the reason why Major League Baseball does this, from the immortal Nick Cafardo on the pregame show.  Warm weather cities do not want to sacrifice a bulk of their home games in April, when the kids are in school and all that.  They want to maximize revenue by having most of their home games in the summer.  So scheduling is about money too?  What a colossally HUGE surprise!!

*I think we covered lineup and roster decisions already.  So no need to go into any more pregame thoughts there.  God knows no one wants to hear any more about Fat Panda today.  Unless, you know, he actually DOES something.

*Nice touch by the Indians in the introductions, doing a little video thing of John Farrell as a player and “officially” welcoming him back to the field after his cancer from last year.  But can we still fire him after the game?

*Juan Uribe, Marlon Byrd, Colin Cowgill, Mike Napoli…all in the Indians lineup?  Ouch!  I know Michael Brantley is hurt.  But who else is to field all these guys?

*Glad to hear Dave O’Brien give an introduction of himself.  26 years in the game, 9 years “next door” in the radio booth, “growing up a Quincy boy, born into Red Sox Nation”, “greatest honor in his career is to be able to sit in this booth…”, “hope that you will invite me into your home…”, then rattling off previous Sox announcers, etc.  Guess the Red Sox ownership wanted to make sure the animosity from them firing Don Orsillo is all gone, and right out of the gate at that.  Oh, O’Brien also said, “I am going to call them like I see them”.  Haha…that’s hilarious!  I’ll believe that when I see it.  Being candid will be hard to do when Sox ownership regularly passes down the speaking notes.

*It’s still cold today in Cleveland.  David Price and Corey Kluber on the hill.  Looks like it should be a pitchers duel.  If top of 1st is any indication, could be a quick game.  Sox bats whimpering at the start.  If it was the Yankees instead of the Indians, the game would still be close to 5 hours regardless.

*Uh oh…on a 1-1 pitch to Jason Kipnis, O’Brien says “here comes the 1-0…”  Guess he is still in the exhibition season.  Don’t take it wrong, I actually like O’Brien.  But I hate mistakes, what can you say?

*Short bottom of the first for the Tribe as well.  At least we got the first throw to Hanley Ramirez out of the way.  Thank God it was pretty much on line from Xander Bogaerts.  Or else it may have been interesting.  No comment from announcers, by the way.

*Yup, Hanley gets up in top of the 2nd and it looks like some more of the ownership speaking notes are coming through:  “21 games in spring, no errors at first”.  “More you saw him at first, the more comfortable everyone gets”.  “He worked very, very hard with Brian Butterfield, you gotta give him credit for that”.  “Hanley put his work in”.  Ugh…

*SHAWSIE!!!  One at-bat, one hit.  Good way to start.  Waiting for the camera shot of Fat Panda in the dugout.  Not coming.  Maybe he was Instagramming in the clubhouse.  Or eating a sub on the bench.  I would have panned over to him though.  Missed opportunity.

*BROCKSTAR!!  Hit for Holt too.  John Farrell is a genius with these lineup decisions!!

*NESN apparently added the “Left On Base” total next to the typical “runs, hits and errors” display.  Not sure that adds anything to my experience.  But to each their own.

*Napoli has 42 at-bats against Price.  22 K’s.  Solid.  So Price of course walks him.

*First sideline report from Guerin Austin.  It’s cold out.  Hey, thanks a lot for the update.  Is there anything more useless than sideline reporters?  In any sport?  Oh well, at least it isn’t Gary Striewski out there today.  Side note:  Keep her away from John Farrell.  Would that be too much to ask?

*Mookie Betts has bowled 7 perfect games.  Bet you didn’t know that.  Neither did I.  But did we care?  I suppose there is a lot of dead air to fill during your average baseball game…

*Speaking of Betts, someone from ESPN predicted he would win the AL MVP this year.  Everyone else on that site picked Mike Trout, Miguel Cabrera or Carlos Correa.  Not really going out on a limb on Trout or Cabrera, but ok.  And Betts just went deep. On pace now for about 500 home runs this year, so I suppose he has a chance!  Rem-dawg said it must have been all that bowling to get those strong wrists and hands.  Maybe it was O’B that said it, I don’t know.  Nice way to work in the bowling trivia though.

*Chili Davis is still hitting coach?  Didn’t we all want to fire him last year?

*More speaking notes from ownership:  Remy, “I think Hanley lost his way last year…”  Blah, blah, blah.  There was more, but I can’t listen anymore.

*Ah, here’s the third man in the booth, Alex Speier!  Third man in any booth?  Again, useless.

*Wow, looking back, it appears I am pretty hard on the broadcasters.  Sorry for that.  But sometimes it is just too easy.  And again, the dead time sometimes makes them say foolish things…or at least things no one really cares about.

*So much for the Shaw bandwagon…until his next at-bat of course.  K looking.

*The Indians have not had many people on base to this point in the bottom of the 4th.  But has anyone noticed that there have been no pickoff throws to Hanley at first?  Or have I missed one?  Or does Price not throw to first, similar to how Jon Lester didn’t?  Find it interesting nonetheless…

*Aaaaah, someone just heard me!  Price just lobbed one over to first.  Nothing more to report on that.  Or the second one that happened a pitch or two later.

*4 hits against Price, two runs.  78 pitches through 4.  That means we likely see someone from the group of Robbie Ross Jr., Noe Ramirez, Matt Barnes or Tommy Layne.  Was hoping to avoid all of those guys today.

*2-2 after four and a half.  Seems like we will have to split this in half…