MLB: Opening Day 2011 - Mobile Edition

Pop Culture
MLB: Opening Day 2011
By Beth Davies-Stofka
April 1, 2011 - 14:12

When baseball’s opening day rolls around, there’s promise in the air. The humming rhythms of America’s most thoughtful game begin to thread their way through our days. Above all, Opening Day is about our most cherished feelings, the ones that get us through life with minimal scarring. These are the feelings of faith, hope, and love. Baseball nourishes them like no other sport can.

This is also why baseball can bring heartache like no other sport can. But hey! It’s opening day! Everyone’s tied for first place. Everything is possible. There will be plenty of time for heartache later. Let’s celebrate!

Faith

Ramon Hernandez celebrates his walkoff. Photo by NBC Sports.

On March 31, the Cincinnati Reds returned their 2010 division champion team to the field with few changes. Such faith was rewarded in style. Center fielder Drew Stubbs posted an impressive 1.200 slugging percentage, and 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto posted a whopping 2.000 slugging percentage. This was enough to dazzle the fans in Great American Ballpark, but there was more. The game was a fan feast! Catcher Ramon Hernandez, posting a 1.400 slugging percentage, hit a loud 3-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. The joyful celebration at the plate appeared to conclude without injury.

Meanwhile, last year’s Tampa Bay Rays star reliever Rafael Soriano debuted with the New York Yankees and delivered a 1-2-3 eighth inning, while Takashi Saito, newly with the Milwaukee Brewers, delivered a two-hit, two-strikeout, no-run eighth. With most teams enjoying ever-improving bullpens, hold statistics around the majors will be well worth watching this year.

Faith in those who might be fading was also rewarded, as Lance Berkman went 2-for-4 with one run scored in his debut in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform. Faith in those who might struggle to fit in was rewarded too, as new Yankees catcher Russell Martin not only went 1-for-3 with a single and two runs scored, but stole a base from Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

Hope
The San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their season openers! This doesn’t mean that either team will be in contention by the All-Star break, but what a wonderful day for the fans. The Padres, opening on the road against Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, had been thoroughly discounted by pundits everywhere, yet they won in the only extra-innings game of the day.

Admittedly, they won in large part thanks to some very bad Cardinals defense. But they also won because of the most hopeful thing in baseball: dynamic young players with energy and talent to spare. For Padres fans, this includes Will Venable, who manufactured a run from a Cardinals error, and Cameron Maybin, who hit the game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth that sent the game into extra innings. Both players were electric in the outfield, making the catches that kept their team in the game.

We also saw the debut of a few rookies yesterday, including San Francisco’s Brandon Belt, everyone’s favorite pick for Rookie of the Year. I don’t know who will be ROY in October, but I know which rookie owns my heart right now. That would be Will Rhymes, the adorable second baseman for the Detroit Tigers.

Will Rhymes breaks his bat. Photo by Associated Press.

Rhymes played his heart out yesterday. In his first at-bat against Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia, he got a sweet hit to shallow center, an exciting portent of things to come -- even though he was robbed by Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson, who made an equally sweet diving catch.

Later, Rhymes sacrificed to first and then got to stay there for a bit thanks to an error by Yankees second baseman Robinson Canó. Rhymes also made a great defensive play in the bottom of the first, a good sign after some of the seemingly bone-headed things he did in spring training.

Rhymes even argued with home plate umpire Dale Scott, and Scott didn’t eject him! I think everybody likes him. I’ve been following his tweets all spring, and I think you’ll like him too. Follow @willrhymes.

Love
There are so many things to love about baseball. I love its sounds and rhythms, its form, its history and traditions, and its moments of pure transcendence. Over the next few days I’ll be telling you which teams and players I’ll be watching this season. But today, love is about love for others. Every team has at least one guy who goes beyond simple notions of duty in the care he shows for his community.

Ichiro Suzuki.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, have each donated to the Red Cross for relief efforts in their native Japan. Daisuke pledged $1 million and Ichiro pledged 100 million yen, which translates to about $1.24 million. In addition, both the Red Sox and Mariners organizations have set up collection points to collect donations for the Red Cross.

The Oakland A’s have already raised $50,000, and $1.00 from every ticket sold to Sunday’s game – against the Mariners – will also go to the Red Cross. Hideki Matsui, debuting this year for the A’s, has donated 50 million yen (about $620,000) and is assisting with auctions of memorabilia, including autographed photos and game uniforms.

The level of generosity here is breathtaking. Please add your widow’s mite to the cause. Call your team, and find out what they’re doing to help.

Here’s to a wonderful season, filled with love for our fellow human beings, with hopes fulfilled and faith rewarded. I’ll be here all season with notes and opinions, and I'm looking forward to your comments!

Error: SERVERBUSY: Timed out waiting for a filelock