Opening Day

Today's the day. Finally, it's here. Opening Day 2008. I am eagerly awaiting the 3:05 start of the Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox today. The reigning Cy Young Award Winner CC Sabathia toes the rubber for The Tribe as they look to defend their American League Central Crown. The beauty of opening day is it's the one time you're guaranteed (barring injuries) to see each staff's ace face off against each other. Our 'guy' versus your 'guy'. Forget about last year, because it means nothing. It's a fresh start for everyone. Wipe the slate clean and let's get to it.

Last night's game between Atlanta and Washington was a real treat to watch. The Nationals debuted an absolutely beautiful new stadium last night as the featured game of the week, broadcast nationally on ESPN. It warmed my heart to hear Jon Miller and Joe Morgan back to their old routine with Peter Gammons occasionally chipping in with insightful nuggets of gossip that grabs my attention like The Young and the Restless captures my grandmother's. Ryan Zimmerman sent everyone home happy hitting a frozen rope over the left-center field wall for his fourth career walk-off home run. While no one expects the Nats to contend this season, they are running their team the right way and will be in a position to contend within the next 10 years.

Every day I am forced to grow up more and more whether I like it or not. But when I'm watching a baseball game, I can be a kid again and truly be captivated by the magnificence of this sport. I can barely contain my excitement as we get ready for, what could be, a season to remember.

MILESTONE ALERT: Keep a close eye on the Red Sox for the next few weeks. Left fielder Manny Ramirez connected for his 491st career home run in Japan last week. Nine shy of the vaunted 500 homer club. Manny will be the 24th player in Major League history to achieve this milestone. Good Luck Manny!

Student/Athletes or Athletes with Benefits

Let's set the scene for you. It's noon on Thursday, the opening day of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I've just finished building the ultimate sandwich and as modest as I am, I have to admit, this thing is a masterpiece. I'm on a health kick right now so my sandwich is a variety of cured meats, thinly sliced provolone cheese, baby spinach leaves, bacon bits, and to finish it off, this monster is smothered in ranch dressing. OK, it might not be the healthiest sandwich ever, but it was that or a cheese steak, so I'm not going to split hairs. I've got a nice tall glass a V8 for even more nutrients and a bag of sunflowers seeds. The baseball purist in me can't fully give in to the domination basketball takes on this weekend.

I settle down on the couch, grab my laptop and shoot off a quick e-mail to my professor, letting her know the dreaded 24-hour Ebola virus has consumed me and I will be unable to attend class today. As I click 'send' it hits me, "I'm skipping class to watch these guys, when the hell do they go to class?!"

So often we hear the term student/athlete used to describe those participating in athletics at the collegiate level. But with conference tournaments tipping off at noon on a Wednesday and playing straight through the weekend, when do these kids find time to fulfill the student part of student athlete. Missing one class from my heavy workload puts me so far behind, I need to claw and dig my way out just to get a breath of fresh air. March Madness is what is occurring behind close doors at these Universities as students are drinking Red Bulls to assist the all-nighters so they can pass their midterms while those able to throw a leather ball through a cylinder are being pampered and given exemptions from class.

Now, am I only ranting because I'm jealous? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. I waste a significant amount of time that should be spent on my studies watching these games, imagine playing in them. It's impossible to participate in a top notch Division 1 basketball or football program and take on a normal schedule of classes (12-15 credits) without receiving unfair advantages that the average student does not benefit from. I'm not even considering the fact that these students are paying tuition inflated heavily to cover the athletes scholarships, most of whom will bail for the pros before every receiving a degree.

I love watching college sports. LOVE IT. But this system is flawed and the blind eye needs to be focused back on to doing what is right.

Not-So-Good Fellas

I'm not going to lie. I love baseball brawls. They beat out altercations in every other sport by far. Hockey fights are commonplace. NASCAR crashes are dangerous and potentially life threatening. Basketball fights get out of hand fast (just ask Ron Artest) and football fights are primarily non-existent.

Baseball however, has real fights. For the most part, baseball players police themselves. When someone gets out of line, he'll catch some chin music that will put him back in his place. Occasionally suspensions are handed down by the almighty Bud Selig (I cannot put into words how much I dislike Bud Selig, actually maybe I can, check back for a later blog), but usually the players take care of it by themselves. Until ill-tempered veterans, pissed off by losing playing time to 60 year old comedians, put their ego ahead of logic and rationale and do stupid things.

The recent Yankees/Rays feud finally boiled over yesterday. It began with Tampa Bay outfielder Elliot Johnson running over New York catcher Francisco Cervelli on a bang-bang play at the plate. Cervelli suffered a broken wrist which required surgery. New Yankee Manager Joe Girardi lashed out against the Rays' hard nosed style of play in 'meaningless' spring training games. In the first inning yesterday, Yankees starter Heath Phillips struck Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. Phillips was ejected. Later on, Shelley Duncan of the Yankees slid spike-high into second base. Duncan was out by seven feet and slid late, spiking Rays shortstop Akinori Iwamura. Duncan was immediately ejected. Jonny Gomes, right fielder for Tampa Bay at the time, rushed in from the outfield and shoved Duncan. Benches cleared and bullpens emptied. Five players were ultimately ejected and suspensions are likely to follow.

While I feel no moral obligation to advocate for peace, I compliment every player involved, except Duncan. Johnson had to pull a Pete Rose on Ray Fosse because he's trying to make the team. If he pulls up and is tagged out, he could be red-tagged and replaced by Billy Crystal by sunset. Cervelli shouldn't have been blocking the plate if he didn't want to get hit. Heath Phillips wanted to defend his catcher and show his new manager he is a team guy so he sent the necessary message to Tampa Bay. But what Duncan did was disgraceful. I've played baseball and am perfectly aware of the accidental spiking a player can deliver/receive. But when you are dead to rights at second on a ground ball, there is absolutely no reason to wait to slide until you are right on top of the base and come in with your legs at your opponents waist. I would have reacted the exact same way as Gomes if I saw a teammate in harms way.

They say spring training is meaningless, but this incident, when looked back upon, may have been the most meaningful moment of the Rays season. Tampa Bay is loaded with talent and on the verge of breaking out. It takes something like this to unite the team and put a chip on their shoulder. We are witnessing what the Houston Rockets are doing despite doubters counting them out after the injury to all-star center Yao Ming. Tampa Bay has a powerful one-two punch with Kazmir and Shields. They follow that up nicely with Garza and Sonnanstine. An explosive line-up consisting of Carl Crawford, BJ Upton, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria will be exciting to watch all season long. The addition of veteran Troy Percival at the back end of the bullpen could be one of the most underrated moves of the off season.

So watch out for Tampa Bay. In a division dominated by the Yanks and Sox, it could be a three horse division with the Rays making a name for themselves and yesterday's events could be the reason why.