Rollins cranks a 3 run homer into the right field stands to power the Dodgers to a 6-3 victory over the Padres, who looked pretty damn good. The NLWest might look interesting this year - Dodgers winning it, of course, but maybe San Diego can stomp SF a little bit.
The Red Sox got 2-homer games from two guys on Opening Day. I wonder how many times that’s happened, if ever.
Anyway, we’re one game into the season and I’d already like to start complaining about Toronto’s fantastically inept TV announcing team of Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler, the latter of who, I must assume, has the launch codes to an arsenal of nuclear weapons because I cannot think of any other reason the man is paid to speak into a microphone. As usual - at least for the short period of time I got to see - they were utterly inane, but I was especially irritated by Martinez’s call of Devon Travis’s homer. I can’t recall exactly how it went but it was pretty close to “There a long drive… geeeet up, geeet up, get outta here!” in the manner Martinez might cheer for his own son hitting a home run in Little League. He sounded like an idiot, and we have 161+ more to look forward to.
Ohh yeah, that reminds me, Rod Allen has been demoted into a rotation with Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris for Detroit’s broadcasts. One more reason to be happy about the new season.
To top off the opening day cake, the Red Sox extend Rick Porcello for 4/$82.5 (2016-2019, age 27-30 seasons). This fits in with what they’ve been trying to do in recent years: only spend big, multi-year money if you’re getting prime years, and go for a higher AAV to avoid extra years on the back end. Opinions are somewhat split on Porcello but for me this is a huge win, and he’ll be a stabilizing force in the rotation as the next group of prospects comes up (Owens/Rodriguez).
It was really hard not to want to smack the morons in the stand booing Kemp even during the introductions. How dare he refuse to curl up and die after being traded against his will! The bastard!
Anyway, I wish him well – just not well enough to beat the Dodgers. He nearly got the job done by himself today.
The Giants won last night, but in the last 24 hours their pitching staff went from “it’s all right, these guys can hold it together” to “OK, we might be in some serious trouble here” to “are you sure Madison Bumgarner can’t just pitch every day?” The good news is that Matt Cain doesn’t need Tommy John surgery (yet). The bad news is that “Matt Cain doesn’t need Tommy John surgery” is the *good *news.
But for today, the Defending World Champion Giants are in first place, so that’s OK.
ESPN demands a night game because they pay for a night game. Easter, weather got nuthin’ to do with it. I wish all Sunday games were played in the afternoon (sitting in the yard with a radio and a cooler). Every time Boston plays New York over a weekend, Sunday game is at night.