DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum MLB- Opening Day

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.
A-roundin’ third, and headed for home, it’s a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.

Chorus:
Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be centerfield.

Well, I spent some time in the mudville nine, watchin’ it from the bench;
You know I took some lumps when the mighty casey struck out.
So say hey willie, tell ty cobb and joe dimaggio;
Don’t say "it ain’t so", you know the time is now.

Chorus

Yeah! I got it, I got it!

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!

Chorus
Chorus
Yeah!
John Fogerty- Centerfield

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS SEASON COULD BE ONE TO REMEMBER
Monday, March 31, 2008

Opening Day. . . .

Those two words need no elabo ration. They say baseball is back in Cleveland as the Indians play the Chicago White Sox today at 3:05 p.m. at Progressive Field.

"This is the day that my phone begins to ring twice as often and family and friends are calling to say, 'Did you see Sizemore make that catch last night?' " e-mailed Barb Schoop of Mansfield. "Or they call to say they have tickets for the weekend. It means that soon I'll be sitting in the warm sun with friends and family having a hot dog and discussing the umpire's tight strike zone."

Opening Day used to be the best day of the season for the Indians, because fans knew the worst was yet to come. For those who came to the Tribe in the 1960s . . . The 1970s. . . .

The 1980s. . . .

The early 1990s. . . .

Opening Day. . . .

This really could be the start of some thing big. The Indians won 96 games a year ago. ESPN's Peter Gammons and CNN/ SI's respected baseball writer Jon Heyman both pick the Indians to win the World Series. They may be wrong, but no one is demanding they take a sanity test. Most people who are supposed to know predict a tight race between the Tribe and Detroit in the Central Division.

After all, the Indians do have every key player back from a team that was the second best in baseball last year - losing to eventual champion Boston in the seventh game of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park.

"The feeling I had in my gut before the start of Game 5 was incredible," e-mailed Douglas Simek of Concord Township. "We were sitting in the right-field nosebleeds after buying a ticket on eBay, and plotting a trip to the World Series."

There was no World Series, as Tribe fans painfully know. But the team was so close . . . and yes, the Indians were (and still are) that good. C.C. Sabathia is the reigning Cy Young Award winner. Center fielder Grady Sizemore won a Gold Glove.

Victor Martinez could hit .300 while blindfolded and swinging a Ping-Pong paddle. Fausto Carmona is one of the best young starters in baseball, Asdrubal Cabrera should one day win a Gold Glove at second base.

"It's the same feeling I have as Opening Day 2008 approaches," wrote Simek. "The Indians have an opportunity to erase 44 years of frustration and bring a championship to Cleveland."

The Indians last won a World Series in 1948, the last major franchise to deliver a championship was the 1964 Browns.

Yes, it has been that long.

For three generations of baseball fans, losing the season in the seventh game meant the Indians started 1-6 and were already in rebuilding mode.

From 1960-93, the Indians never played a meaningful game in September, and most of the issues were settled when the Browns reported to training camp in July.

"My father would bring my brother and me to the old Municipal Stadium," e-mailed Luke Albee from Washington, D.C. "They would get 70,000 on Opening Day and 3,000 for Game 2. My brother and I would have spent the winter convincing ourselves that this was the year. Graig Nettles would hit 50, Sudden Sam [McDowell] would win 30, and all the geese were swans."

The old stadium was in an age of three-channel, black-and-white televisions - many of them looking like miniature poodles compared to the 500-channel, full-color elephants that now sit in most living rooms. That's why the grass at the old stadium seemed so green, why the seats looked so red and yellow, and why the entire building was so huge.

"Even the miserable teams of the '70s and '80s brought hope," e-mailed A.J. Hite, assistant principal at Manchester High. "Now as a parent, Opening Day means a chance to use my season ticket package and teach my son the game of baseball like my dad and my uncle did with me at the old stadium."

There is a dividing line of Tribe baseball fans running right through the 1990s. It's between those who came to the team at the old stadium with all the losing, and those who came to the Indians in 1994 when the team moved into new Jacobs Field and the Central Division became their personal playpen. Their Indians are a team of 455 consecutive sellouts and the playoffs being an entitlement.

The Indians have won at least 93 games in two of the past three years. They have been to the playoffs seven times in the past 13 years, twice to the World Series. These have not been your father's or grandfather's hopeless featherheads.

"Every time I start to talk about the game, there's always someone who has to bring up where we fell short," e-mailed Gina Berila of Chesterland. "It's not that I don't see the shortcomings, but I believe anyway."

Now it begins, a chance to second-guess manager Eric Wedge, to speculate about free-agent-to-be Sabathia leaving, to grab the Tums when Joe Borowski is brought in for his scare and a save.

It's a six-month, 162-game marathon of a roller-coaster ride.

"These days, I read about the Tribe so much on the Internet, my wife gets angry with me for spending so much time on my rear," e-mailed George Thayer of Fredricktown. "I want to know who is on the 25-man roster, the 40-man roster."

Thayer suffers "complications from lipomeningocele." His mother died in March.

As Barbara McGraw e-mailed, "Baseball has gotten us through some rough times in the past 10 years with family illnesses and deaths."

No other sport plays so many games or has so many fans who plan their evenings around those games. Just stop by any senior-citizens center for proof.

Which is why today means so much.

"Opening Day is next year. It's Tribe fans collective 'do-over,' " e-mailed Jeff Mussleman from Wooster. "It was when you convinced yourself that the guys like Jack Perconte, Mike Fischlin and Jerry Dybzinski were the future of the franchise . . . it always was, and still is, about hope."

To reach Terry Pluto:

terrypluto2003@yahoo.com, 216-999-4674

Take these predictions on '08 Reds to the bank

By Hal McCoy

Staff Writer

Sunday, March 30, 2008

One of Cincinnati Reds General Manager Wayne Krivsky's favorite sayings when asked about a time frame for injuries is: "I don't have a crystal ball."

Well I don't either and, in fact, I don't even have a cut-glass ball or a jelly jar in which to peer. That, though, doesn't prevent me from forecasting some events for the 2008 Cincinnati Reds.


Why not go on record with some predictions so readers can come back after the season and say, "You just proved you're an idiot, as if there was any doubt."

• The Reds will finish above .500, something they haven't done in seven years. It may only be 82-80, but that could be good enough for the National League Central title. The Cubs won it last year with 85 and the division is still as weak as a little girl's imaginary tea.

• Ken Griffey Jr. hits seven home runs in April and reaches 600 before May. He hits 35 for the season, drives in 105, but the Reds don't pick up his $16.5 million option for 2009 and he signs with Seattle to become the Mariners' designated hitter.

Eventually he retires as a Mariner and goes into the Baseball Hall of Fame wearing a Seattle cap, sailing off into the sunset on his boat to the Bahamas.

• Adam Dunn hits 40 home runs, drives in 100, scores 100 and walks 100 times. (That's not a prediction, that's a regular event, like the buzzards returning every March to Hinckley, Ohio.) The prediction is that the Reds sign him to a three-year, $45 million deal and he buys the Houston Texans and installs himself as quarterback (just kidding about the quarterback part).

• Dusty Baker is named National League Manager of the Year, gets a call from the president of the United States and calls him, "That president dude." Even if the Reds don't win the division, if Baker can turn in a winning season after seven years of bad luck (OK, who broke the mirror in 2000?), he'll qualify.

• Corey Patterson starts the season in center field, but bats only .250 in April, so the Reds call up this kid who is tearing it up in Louisville, a kid named Jay Bruce, and he hits .318 the rest of the year. But he loses the Rookie of the Year vote to somebody with inferior numbers in New York or Philadelphia.

• Aaron Harang is 12-3 at the All-Star break, but doesn't make the All-Star team. When National League manager Clint Hurdle is asked why Aaron didn't make it, he says, "Aaron Cook did make it, what're ya' talkin' about?"

• Josh Hamilton is hitting .325 with 20 home runs and 47 RBIs at the All-Star break for Texas and Reds fans continue asking, "Why did we trade this guy?" Meanwhile, Edinson Volquez is 9-4 with a 3.50 earned-run average and the same fans ask, "How'd we get this guy?"

Yeah, I know. Pretty far-fetched. But was it Yogi Berra or Joe Garagiola or Rodney Dangerfield who said, "Baseball is a funny game, but it will break your heart until the Fat Lady sings."

Contact this reporter at hmccoy@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Opening Day...

One of the few days of the year, when everything is once again right in this world....



GO TRIBE

I hate that most of the games today are during the day... I'll have to catch the Tribe's highlights... at least the Astros are tonight... at 9 (my time)

Going to the Tribe game today.

The Reds should be very interesting to follow this year. Cueto and Homer should be interesting to see when Homer gets his shot. Unfortunately the team has a ton of good young prospects...and Dusty Baker as the manager.

At some point, the losing HAS to end. HAS to. Might as well be this year! Who knows?

Let's Go Bucs!

Let's go Tribe! Today begins the historic season of 162-0!

Dont you mean 173 - 0 ?

No matter what you think of the new era of MLB, opening day is and always will be a special day! Plus, it's proof that winter is just about over! This should be a great year for the Tribe!! WOOOO!

"Forget the curveball Ricky, give em the heater!"

If the young pitching can step up, with the weak NL Central, the Reds have a shot at the division.

I'm really excited.

Adams drum, the Power Tribe sign...and baseball. This is the first time i've ever been to opening day, so it's going to be exciting!

LET'S GO TRIBE!

Yeah, same here, it's always in the middle of the day and I don't have the time to see it live. But oh well, they are replaying the game on STO at 8PM, so I'l just avoid the score until the evening game.

Having a few people for the opener at my place on the new big screen. Got some dogs, some nachos and some cracker jacks, gonna watch a little Major League before the first pitch, cant wait.

OPENING DAY!!!!!!!!!! Ive waited all winter for this!!!!!

Opening day... the grass is green the sun is out... and everyone still has delusions of contention. I'll watch the Indians opener.

Do you people have jobs???
j/k

I'm just listening on the pc if they ever get started... I love this day! Baseball, the smell of spring, my flowers blooming.... doesn't get much better!

Thome went yard.....

2-0

Nice going CC!

Eh, it's early. Better to shake the rust off now than October/November!

I cant get it here in Vegas!

I hate Thome.

I'm just watching it on gameday on the internet (I'm at work). Don't feel like paying money for mlb.tv.

Bottom of the 2nd, 2-0 White Sox.

That's the beauty of not having a salary cap. We can invest that much in the guy, and it someone better is out there, we can invest that much in him, too!

Not saying it's wise, just saying it's possible.

F.C was'nt much better against the sox!
Maybe another year under his belt will help?

Well, it's a different year, so we'll just have to see how they do.

I hope Betancourt and Perez can continue the domination they had (at least during the regular season). That was truly key. That was essentially 2-3 innings of guaranteed shutout.

I'm still not sold that Peralta is the answer at SS, but once again, we'll see!

Nice hustle by Cabbrera. 2 to 1 Sox


KING

Dolan isn't that kind of owner. He's not going to spend like the Red Sox and Yanks......well, he doesn't have their money or market anyway.

Gutierrez 3 run shot! 4-2 Tribe, bottom of the 2nd, 1 out.

FRANKliN!!!!!!!! 3 run jack to clear the bases!!!!!! 4 to 2 Tribe!!


KING

TACK ONE MORE ON!!!!!! GRADY WITH THE SOLO BLAST!!!!


KING

Sizemore goes yard!! 5-2 Tribe, 2 out, bottom of the 2nd.

I didn't hate him near as much when he was with the Phillies
All Right Grady!

Looky at that....Homer, ground out, homer. I could tell you the ground out was from Casey Blake without looking.

Hafner doubles, Michaels scores! 6-2 Tribe! 2 outs, bottom of the 2nd.