It's Opening Day - Time to Multitask!

Hello, my friends! It might be 40 degrees outside here in Maryland,  but it's time to play some baseball!   Opening Day "light" is today (only three games are on today's schedule), and as always, I am thrilled.

It was a long winter for us, having dug ourselves out of three feet of snow after a record-breaking blizzard. But Easter has passed, the snow has melted,  and the Boys of Summer are ready to play.

In our house,  this is an extremely busy time of year. My daughter has outdoor track, my son has baseball, and my husband and I are taking classes in addition to our busy work schedules. So here I am typing this on my tablet while watching the Cardinals-Pirates game, running downstairs to the computer in between innings to finish my class assignment, and periodically checking on the laundry. It's definitely time to multitask even more now that baseball is starting.

So what do we have to look forward to this season?  Well as far as my Washington Nationals, they had a very good spring training and are all starting the season healthy. They have a decision to make as far as having Michael Taylor or Ben Revere in center field (I would go for Taylor), but that's a good problem to have.  Personally, I just need to get used to manager Dusty Baker always having that darn toothpick in his mouth and I'll be fine. I think Dusty is a good addition to the Nationals - the mostly-white organization was definitely in need of some diversity.

We can also look forward to the retirement of Alex Rodriguez (good riddance! ).  While he's not 100 percent sure if this is indeed his final season, we can be certain that his retirement won't have the season-long fanfare that Derek Jeter's had last year.

Then there's 42-year-old Ichiro Suzuki. If you don't love Ichiro, you're an idiot.  Ichiro has 2,935 hits (5 million if you count the hits he got playing pro ball in Japan).  With 65 more hits, Ichiro will join the elite 3000 hit club. We know you can get it done, dude!

Before I go (gotta move clothes from the washer to the dryer and finish that darn assignment for tomorrow night's class), I wanted to advise that you keep an eye on Francisco Liriano and the Pirates. You all know I don't like to make predictions, but Pirates fans may want to keep their calendars clear in October. Just sayin'.

WHO is Pitching on Opening Day???!

Beware, Mudville Mom readers – I am in a bad mood.  I am usually a sunny disposition-type of person, but today I’m not, mainly because I got to work early for a meeting that ended up being canceled and no one told me.  But that’s neither here nor there – I was in a bad mood to begin with, since Max Scherzer was announced as the starting pitchers for the Washington Nationals on opening day this year.  I know; it's only baseball and I should not let baseball matters get me in a bad mood.  I'm trying to work on that.

So what’s the big deal – it’s only the first game out of 162 – why does it really matter who pitches on opening day?  Well first of all, I paid a pretty penny to be at Nationals Park on opening day, so in a way I’m glad they didn’t select Stephen Strasburg to pitch the first game of the season (yawn!).  However, I thought Jordan Zimmermann was a shoo-in for the position, since he’s the best pitcher in the Nationals’ rotation (in my opinion, and as you all know, I have lots of opinions!).

Yes, Max Scherzer signed a gazillion-dollar contract with the Nats this off-season.  Yes, he won the Cy Young award in 2013 when he was with the Detroit Tigers. Yes, Scherzer has a lifetime record of 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA – he’s no slacker.  But Jordan Zimmermann has been the quiet voice of the Nationals’ pitching staff for the past few years, recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2009 and compiling a respectable 57-40 record with an ERA of 3.24 (slightly lower than Scherzer’s).  He pitched a no-hitter in the Nationals’ last game of the regular 2014 season, and pitched 9 2/3 innings in game 2 of the NLDS (which he should have been allowed to complete – I’m still bitter about that one!).  What better way to start what promises to be a successful season for the Nationals than by starting their workhorse on the mound?  He may not even be around to do so next year, since his contract is up at the end of this season.

Jordan Zimmermann is not flashy.  He was not a #1 draft pick like Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper.  He is not known for driving fast cars, ranting tweets, or clubhouse antics.  Zimmermann is a quiet and shy midwestern guy who works his ass off and can be counted on every fifth day for a good quality start.  He never complains (even when he gets no run support), and is the most dependable pitcher the Nationals have.  Yes, Scherzer makes for bigger hype ESPN-wise, but true Nationals fans would rather see a familiar face on the mound than some new guy who still needs to prove himself in the National League.  I’m still going to go to the opening day game (since I paid an arm and a leg for good seats), and I’m going to hope that Scherzer doesn’t disappoint, but a part of me is going to wish that I was there watching Zimmermann pitch instead of the new guy.

You know what else disappoints me about opening day?  The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by the new Commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred.  Nothing against the guy (even though he took a job that was clearly meant for me!), but I think the first pitch in our nation’s capital should be thrown by the President of the United States.  Regardless of your political views, you have to admit it’s pretty cool to watch the POTUS throw out a first pitch.  I was there in 2012 when Barack Obama threw a terrible first pitch, but that’s probably the closest I’ll ever be to a US President, so I thought it was cool.  It’s no secret that Obama is not a baseball fan, but just like pardoning a turkey at Thanksgiving and having to put up with John Kerry, there are certain things a President must do that he doesn’t like.  Throwing out a first pitch on opening day should be one of them, and it’s not as exhausting as putting up with the Secretary of State (I'll have to share my personal  Kerry story with you all at some other time).  Heck, I'd even take crazy Joe Biden - he would at least be entertaining!

OK, enough ranting for now.  It’s time for me to embrace this Scherzer guy, try to get an updated list of Puerto Rican players in the Majors this year,  and get my curly “W” jersey out of the bowels of my closet in preparation for opening day just 12 days away.  Let’s hope for a great baseball season – there sure has been a lot of hype to live up to, my friends!

It's Almost Time!!!

First and foremost, I just want to say how much I enjoy writing my own blog.  Nobody edits what I write, so my opinions (not that I ever have any!) are unfiltered and honest.  I say this because I am the Washington Nationals' blogger for a local publication, and they're often editing my comments.  I had considered applying to become a regular contributor to the print edition of this publication, but I don't think they are looking for someone as opinionated and frank as myself.  Their loss.

OK,  now that I got that off my chest, let's talk some baseball!  Opening Day is just a breath away, and for those of us not following NCAA basketball (though I do have 8 teams left in my Sweet 16 bracket!), next Sunday and Monday is our version of "March Madness."  The rosters have been cut, the starting pitchers have been named, and fans in cold-weather cities are praying for warm weather next week.  Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith even spearheaded a campaign to make Opening Day a national holiday, claiming that too many people call in sick to work on that day.  Smith was able to get the required number of signatures required for his idea to be taken seriously, so we'll see where that goes.  I don't think it's necessary to call it a national holiday, because only 15 of the 30 teams will be hosting a game for the first series, so what happens when the other 15 teams host their own Opening Day after that - do we need a second national holiday?  My Nationals, for example, open the season in New York next Monday (March 31) but don't open at home until April 4.  I wouldn't call out sick on the 31st since I can watch the game from my work computer (shhh!) but would call in sick on the 4th (if I had tickets, which I don't).  It's a silly proposal from Ozzie.

So what do we have to look forward to this season?  First of all, the Yankees are no longer the team with the highest payroll in the Majors, which is quite refreshing.  That honor now goes to the Dodgers, so we'll see where they end up at the end of the season.  I'd pick the Dodgers over the Yankees any day, so I'm OK with them making a lot of money.  Let's just hope Yasiel Puig can develop a personality this year.

Also interesting to note is the expanded use of instant replay in the Majors.  A manager is allowed to formally challenge an umpire's call in certain cases (hone runs and stolen bases, not balls and strikes), and after the sixth inning, umpires on the field can ask for a second opinion if they themselves are in doubt of a call.  Who do they turn to for a second opinion?  The people in the Major League Baseball Replay Center, a high-tech facility with at least one umpire, one trained technician, and 37 high-definition monitors that will show every angle of every game.  When a manager challenges a call, umpires will appeal to the umpire working at the headquarters, and with the technician's assistance, will examine video of the play from different angles.  The review umpire will communicate his assessment to the on-site umpire and send the video to the home ballpark for broadcast on the scoreboard along with the text message description of the play.

How long will this take?  Less than 2 minutes, experts seem to think.  Now, I was opposed to this idea at first , thinking it would take away from the accuracy of umpires and the charm of the game, but after having seen it used twice in Spring Training games, I'm OK with it (it helps that both times it was the Nationals' manager, Matt Williams, challenging a call and both times he was right).  The first time I saw it, Bryce Harper was called out trying to steal second, when it was pretty clear (even to me, the blind one) that he was safe.  After Williams's challenge, the umpires reviewed the video taken by the Mets' camera people and determined their call was erroneous.  This took 1 minute and 47 seconds.  The second time, Denard Span caught a shoestring catch in center field and the runner was called safe.  Further review showed that Span not only caught the ball, but he held on to it after rolling on the ground a couple of times.  This one took exactly 2 minutes, but both instances were reviewed with the video from the local camera people.  Beginning Sunday, the videos will come from that fancy place in New York, and it should make the process a little more smooth (we hope).

Another thing that doesn't bother me about this expanded replay thing is the fact that managers probably won't be challenging calls during every game.  According to MLB.com, there were only 377 out of some 50,000 calls that merited review, which comes out to about 1 every 6.4 games (check that out - I did that math all by myself!).  Only 27 times did questionable calls happen twice in a game, which gives umpires an extremely high level of proficiency.

So as long as umpires keep doing their job as well as they've done it lately, managers shouldn't be challenging calls too much and baseball games shouldn't (hopefully) drag on much longer than they already do.  It's one of those things us baseball purists are just going to have to embrace, like the cotton-poly uniform, the use of batting gloves, and the high price of ballpark concessions.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em and buy the overpriced beer.

Sunday night will bring us the first game of the season with the San Diego Padres hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers, who technically started their season in Australia last week, where they played 2 games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and won them both.  Most other teams begin on Monday, with games including the Mets hosting the Nationals and the World Champion Red Sox visiting the surprisingly-good-during-spring-training Baltimore Orioles.  My husband and I will be at Nationals Park the following weekend for the series against the Atlanta Braves, officially kicking off our 5-game season.  While we may not visit as many different ballparks as we did last year, we are ready to root for the much-improved Nationals and hope you are ready to root for your favorite team.  It's almost time, people; let's play some ball!

Twice as Nice for Bryce (even though I wasn't there to see it)

Opening Day of the 2013 Major League Baseball season brought a lot of fanfare (and fans!) to Nationals Park today, where the Washington Nationals shut out the visiting Miami Marlins by a score of 2-0.  And while it was my first time in several years not attending an Opening Day game at Nats Park (don’t cry for me, Nats fans – I will be there this Thursday afternoon with my family), I was able to catch all the action from the warmth and comfort of my living room.

The day started with the unveiling of the “2012 National League East Division Champions” pennant.  This particular sign is not pennant-shaped but rather rectangular and large, welcoming fans into the main center field gate of Nationals Park.  After the unveiling, players were presented, the National Anthem was sung by an Army quartet (sans the traditional fly-over, probably due to sequestration), and the 2012 awards were doled out.  Adam LaRoche received the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, Ian Desmomd and Stephen Strasburg received Silver Sluggers as well, Davey Johnson was given the 2012 Manager of the Year award, General Manager Mike Rizzo was awarded the Executive of the Year award, and Bryce Harper was given the National League Rookie of the Year award.  It was a ceremony that seemed to take forever – we were all definitely ready for some baseball to be played.  (As a side note, I wanted to indicate how they gave away baseball caps at the ball park today.  What are they going to be giving away when we go on Thursday?  Nothing!  But that's not why I go to the ball park, is it?  I guess not!)  Once again, I digress...

OK, back to Bryce Harper (I WAS talking about him, wasn't I?)  Well the kid ended up hitting two home runs during today’s game.  The first one was cool, but the second one was just unbelievable.  I found myself thinking “Are you freakin’ kidding me?  What does this mean?  Is this some sort of omen?”  It was kind of surreal, even though I wasn’t there to experience it.  We Nationals fans spent so many years watching mediocre baseball that it’s still hard for all this good baseball to sink in.  But we’ll take it!

And speaking of good baseball, the Nationals’ starter, Stephen Strasburg, pitched seven stellar innings, allowing only three hits while striking out three.  Strasburg threw only 80 pitches and did not walk a single batter - are they ever going to let him pitch more than seven innings?  Probably not.  He could have a no-hitter going and Davey would take him out of the game just because that's the way he's always done it.  Anyway, today Strasburg was replaced in the seventh inning (shocker!) by Tyler Clippard, who did not disappoint by giving us one of his usual stressful outings.  In typical Clippard fashion, he walked a guy and then took forever to get the next three batters out.  New Nats’ closer, Rafael Soriano, closed it out in the top of the ninth by striking out two out of the three batters he faced.  I found it odd that Soriano un-tucked his shirt as soon as he recorded the final out – I wonder if that’s his “thing” at the end of a game.  I’ll have to notice to see if that’s something he does when he earns a save – I honestly didn’t pay that much attention to him during his days as a Yankees closer.

Now the Nationals have earned their first win of the season and did not disappoint the 45,000-plus fans in attendance.  It was a very quick game – only 2 hours and 10 minutes, but they still found time for the traditional Presidents’ Race (with new member William H. Taft in the mix, though he fell over in the beginning of the race and was unable to finish).  They also played a little bit of “Take On Me” during the seventh-inning stretch as a little tribute to former Nationals’ outfielder, Michael Morse.  It was an “awww!” moment for me, especially when all the fans joined in the singing.

So what does today’s victory and Harper’s two home runs mean?  Nothing really, other than the fact that the Nationals are picking up where they left off last year, playing solid baseball (though it would have been nice if they’d had a few more hits), showing excellent team work (that double play in the seventh inning was anything but routine), and giving it their all at every at-bat.  I’m not putting all my eggs into the Nationals’ basket just yet (as much as I’d like to!); this was just one game of 162 – a lot can happen between now and then, but for now it’s nice to root for the team that is solidly in first place!