Baseball Musings: Opening Day Impressions

April 05, 2004

Opening Day Impressions

A number of Baseball Musings readers have volunteered to write in with their impressions from attending an opening day game. All of these stories will be available under this category. Over the next week, you'll see them as they come in. The first is from Tom Bridge, who attended the Red Sox-Orioles opener Sunday night.

I've just returned from Camden Yards in Baltimore after a very enjoyable opener against the Red Sox. Just a couple things:

A) The ticket gates broke at all of the entrances, meaning each staffer had a hand-held scanner. This resulted in monumental waits to get into the stadium itself. We arrived at 7:20 and didn't take our seats until just after 8. Frustrating at best.

B) Pedro appears to have lost velocity on his fastball. I saw a 91mph fastball just once, though it appeared that the stadium's radar gun wasn't always reading properly. There certainly was some movement on his changeup, but his fastball was at best batting practice quality. Javy Lopez took him yard on one such pitch.

C) Orioles fans are incredibly excited at the new lineup changes. Everyone is buzzing about Javy Lopez and Miguel Tejada and the return of Rafael Palmeiro. There were numerous chants of MVP after the double plays, which were, I might add, smooth as any I have seen in 16 years of specatating! Tejada to Roberts to Palmeiro may not sound like much, but it's better than I expected!

D) Red Sox fans need to curb their drinking on other peoples' home turf. Most of the folks wearing Red Sox jerseys and hats and sweatshirts were three sheets to the wind by the middle of the third. Few things are more disgusting than drunken Sox fans. Very few things.

E) The weather was COLD. Not nearly as bad as last season, when it snowed heavily during Opening Day, but still, quite inhospitable.

F) The Strikeout/Throwout double play early on was the first one I've seen in person in quite possibly 10 years.

G) Ponson pitched decently, but he's still got a lot of problems to work out. He threw 111 pitches by my count, which is just an insane number for 5 2/3 innings of work. Mazilli has to keep this better under control.

O's fans have a lot to be excited about this season. If their bullpen doesn't blow too many games, and I fear that may be the case, it could be a great season up at the Yards.

Pedro also appeared not to have a good curveball last night. One of his strengths, however, is that he has four good pitches, so even if he loses two, he still has enough tools to get out batters.

I've experienced drunken Red Sox fans up close. It's one of the reasons we moved out of the Fenway bleachers to the grandstand in the late 1980's.

It's great Orioles fans are excited. Their off-season moves, combined with a great opening day win should have the town buzzing. Thanks, Tom!

Posted by David Pinto at 08:45 AM | Opening Day Impressions | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Great observation about the lost velocity. Very perceptive. And only 3 years too late.

No, seriously.

I watched the game from the warm comfort of my living room on NESN, Boston's sports network. According to the Sox' broadcasters (who I assume were reporting the same radar gun readings you saw yourself), Pedro's velocity swung between 88 and 92 mph, but for the most part held steady at around 89/90.

90 mph isn't a batting practice fastball. That's a major league fastball. With any command (!), that's a good fastball. Especially when he's got a good cutter and incredible change to go with it.

The curveball I attribute to the cold. I expected him to use it sparingly, and he did. With a little warmer weather, he'll break out the good hook.

Personally, as a Sox fan, I was thrilled with what I saw last night. The mediots see it differently: they're all in nailbiting mode right now, worrying that Pedro is cooked. And I admit, that 2nd inning last night had me horrified. A couple more wild ones and I was fully expecting Pedro to be headed for the DL. But he snapped out of it, with a little help from the home plate ump, and cruised the rest of the way. I'll take that. It's a long season, but if Pedro is still Pedro, I can be confident.

Posted by: Sam at April 5, 2004 09:41 AM

Thanks very much for the chance to do this!

As for Pedro, Sam...

Here's what Sheinin wrote this morning in the Post: "His fastball hovered around 88 mph all night -- some 5 mph slower than usual -- and his lowered arm angle implied a pitcher whose shoulder is unsound. "

Posted by: Tom Bridge at April 5, 2004 10:50 AM

I was at the O's game last night too: absolutely frigid. It felt like football weather, more than baseball weather. It was nice to see the O's get psyched about their lineup; especially when their lineup last night was far far better than the one the Sox put out there.
The Sox lineup with Trot and Nomar out is really thin at the bottom: Gabe Kapler, Mark Bellhorn, and Pokey Reese? Ouch. No wonder they only scored two runs on 11 hits. Those guys couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with tennis racket and a beach ball. The only real automatic out in the O's lineup was Brian Roberts: everyone else is at least a prospectively good hitter, if not downright dangerous.

Both the Yankees and Sox are incredibly thin in the bottom half of their rosters; this AL East could get really really interesting if either of them sustain injuries.

Posted by: Daniel at April 5, 2004 10:57 AM

As a (i.e., biased) Sox fan at last night's game, I'm not about to claim that Pedro had his best stuff. However, the radar gun was not functioning properly. Maybe it's one of those everybody's-gotta-work-the-kinks-out-on-opening-day, so I'll forgive it. There were at least a half dozen occassions where either pitcher was registered throwing a 56-MPH fastball.

I agree with the sentiment that you've got to behave yourself in other people's homes. (Similarly: be a good host.) I was in the right-field permenent section (bleachers were constucted over the normal SRO section in right) and there were definitely some jerks in the section next to me. I think my section was fine, though anyone witnessing my (solo) ovations for the entire Sox' roster (save Ramiro Mendoza) (please) might have *thought* I was drunk.

Yes, that was me yelling, "I *love* that guy!" when the introduced the assistant trainer and bullpen catcher. I love opening day. I love baseball. Go Sox!!!!

Posted by: Josh at April 5, 2004 11:22 AM

I agree Sox fans may have a drinking problem, maybe thats why i arrived 3 hours late for work after the loss to the Yanks in last years game 7.

I could name a few things more digusting then drunk sox fans, but i will spare the details.

Finally i just want to say that i love the sox, and if they dont win this year i may end up in AA or in a mental institute.

COWBOY UP

Posted by: phil at April 5, 2004 12:16 PM

I don't think the Red Sox are "incredibly thin in the bottom half of their roster", Daniel. Doug Mirabelli is one of the finest backup catchers in the league, and Cesar Crespo, Brian Daubach, Dave McCarty, and Ellis Burks are decent players who can contribute if needed. Their pitching staff is also steady, with veteren arms like Ramiro Mendoza, Bobby M. Jones, and Bronson Arroyo. Nothing to blow you away, but they aren't horrible players, nor are the Red Sox lacking depth at any position when healthy.

Posted by: Ryan at April 5, 2004 03:56 PM