Open Thread: 4/3/05 @ NYY

by Randy Booth on Apr 3, 2005 11:04 AM EDT in News

Opening night is finally here. I have been waiting for this day since five minutes after the Patriots defeated the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

It's finally baseball season.

David Wells versus Randy Johnson. Old Yankee versus New Yankee. Beared versus clean shavin'. Red Sox versus Yankees.

This is why baseball is the greatest sport of them all.

Time to chat it up about the first game of the season. Does anyone care to throw out a prediction or two?

TIME: 8:05 @ Yankee Stadium

                     
RED SOX PROBABLE:            YANKEES PROBABLE:
David Wells (0-0, 0.00)      Randy Johnson (0-0, 0.00)

RED SOX LINEUP:              YANKEES LINEUP:
CF Johnny Damon              SS Derek Jeter
SS Edgar Renteria            3B Alex Rodriguez
LF Manny Ramirez             RF Gary Sheffield
DH David Ortiz               DH Ruben Sierra
1B Kevin Millar              LF Hideki Matsui
C Jason Varitek              C Jorge Posada
RF Jay Payton                1B Jason Giambi
3B Bill Mueller              CF Bernie Williams
2B Mark Bellhorn             2B Tony Womack

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predictions

Mark Bellhorn hits the first Sox homer of the year.

Sox win 5-3.

Boomer doesn't look good, but his numbers look good in the boxscore the next morning.

Friendly Fenway

by Brian Martin on Apr 3, 2005 11:38 AM EDT reply actions

Pretty good predictions right there. I'm not a big fan of predictions like how many innings or what the score will be, but I'll predict who has the first Sox homer of the year: Varitek. Not sure why, but maybe.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Apr 3, 2005 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Oops?

Well, I still have a chance for one of my predictions to come true!

But 5-3? Not so much. And Boomer will not look good in any boxscore.

Friendly Fenway

by Brian Martin on Apr 4, 2005 2:36 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree with the score

5-3 Sox, is good, but I think that Billy Mueller will come up big.

by absolutelax395 on Apr 3, 2005 12:25 PM EDT reply actions

Mueller

Ahh, Billy Mueller: My boy. Maybe he'll hit the first homer of the season.

"Bill Mueller 'The Yankee Killer'"

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Apr 3, 2005 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Low-scoring game, decided late

Both Boomer and the Big Eunuch will take 1 or 2-run games into late innings... Game gets decided by the bullpens and maybe in extras.

by Hudson on Apr 3, 2005 12:57 PM EDT reply actions

You're not gonna like it...

... but the only stat is going to go to Mr. Rain Delay. The sky looks terrible from my office window, like it's going to get awful six hours from now.

Tony the Pony

by Tony the pony on Apr 3, 2005 2:56 PM EDT reply actions

Rain

Please, change your name to "Bearer of Bad News." But hopefully you're wrong and it clears up, because I really need my baseball.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Apr 3, 2005 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Will do

twelve minutes left and it looks good. Knock wood. Preferably ash.

...omigodiliveforthis.....

Tony the Pony

by Tony the pony on Apr 3, 2005 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Glad to be wrong

Tony the Pony

by Tony the pony on Apr 3, 2005 8:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Renteria...

goes 2 for 4. That's all i got. i ain't no crystal ball!!

by djslippyb on Apr 3, 2005 7:46 PM EDT reply actions

espn guys

Boy, its like the yankees won it all last year. They couldn't be more appeasing if they were on their knees pleasing a big yankees logo

by jamesM on Apr 3, 2005 8:20 PM EDT reply actions

Ortiiiiz!

Wow. Southpaws are showing up strong tonight.

Tony the Pony

by Tony the pony on Apr 3, 2005 8:41 PM EDT reply actions

This was expected

As much as we hate to say it, this was expected. The Yankees were pumped for this game like no other...but give 'em a day, and they will cool off. Tuesday the Matt Clement Cy Young year starts.

by absolutelax395 on Apr 3, 2005 10:50 PM EDT reply actions

Boy...

Yeah, I know that I just posted, but we are looking bad tonight.

by absolutelax395 on Apr 3, 2005 10:55 PM EDT reply actions

Not what I like to see....

...but it's only 1 game in 162.

The only thing I'm worried about right now is David Wells. He's carrying his shitty spring to the season and that's just no good.

Friendly Fenway

by Brian Martin on Apr 4, 2005 2:38 AM EDT reply actions

Wells

At this stage, Wells could maybe use some pointers on his fastball from that flamethrower Tim Wakefield.

No matter how much his mechanics get praised, theres no denying that he's a huge (no pun) question mark this season, as the Sox rotation looks a lot different without him. My hunch is that Clement, Miller, and Arroyo will all have breakout seasons and Wells may become this year's John Burkett/David Cone.

by etg630 on Apr 4, 2005 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions

wells

i think wells will be solid this year. it was damn cold last night for baseball, and that's not good for a pitcher's grip, plus the confusion from having a new catcher and new signs. he'll win 15 this year, hopefully.

"If anything, it makes me realize that Alex Rodriguez is more of a genetic freak than we ever thought." Curt Schilling's Congressional testimony

by NolaSox on Apr 4, 2005 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions

true

It was pretty damn cold last night, but Wells was awkward in a weird, uncharacteristic way. What was up with that balk? Wells has probably never balked in a run in his entire career. Not exactly a sign of comfort from the Big Game Pitcher.

But, as a signpost of how Red Sox Nation has evolved, recall that after Pedro got knocked around Opening Day last year, in cold weather in Baltimore, people were declaring him DOA. The brilliant and sagacious Shaugnessy even said his career was over, or words to that effect. Last night the mood at the bar was more of an Oh Well, Let's Move On Shrug.

by etg630 on Apr 4, 2005 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions

the balk

he misread the sign from varitek, and rather than throw the wrong pitch with bases loaded and risk multiple runs scoring, he stepped off the bag. the same thing happened earlier in the game, but instead he threw the wrong pitch (there was a runner at second and so the signs had changed, varitek called for a high fastball, and got a low curve instead). so, i don't think he should be judged too harshly, but it does reveal unpreparedness, which is unacceptable.

"If anything, it makes me realize that Alex Rodriguez is more of a genetic freak than we ever thought." Curt Schilling's Congressional testimony

by NolaSox on Apr 4, 2005 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions

tickets to tomorrow's game

i know this is very late notice, but if any sox fans are in new york, i have 4 tickets to tomorrow's game that i need to get rid of. they were my friend's tickets and he was trying to get rid of them and couldn't (he was planning to be in town this week, but couldn't make it). i'd gladly take them, but i'm going on wednesday and i'm taking off work for that, and i'm only one person. if anyone is interested, email me (i made my email public). you'd have to pick them up (i live in brooklyn), or we could meet somewhere tonight.

"If anything, it makes me realize that Alex Rodriguez is more of a genetic freak than we ever thought." Curt Schilling's Congressional testimony

by NolaSox on Apr 4, 2005 11:07 AM EDT reply actions

Wince.

Well, that was not entirely unlike a sharp blow to the stomach.

But once we stop gasping around on the ground like rapidly perishing fish we can take a deep breath and move on. Hopefully the team (and especially Wells) can do the same.

by Boston Fan in Michigan on Apr 4, 2005 12:07 PM EDT reply actions

Clement

Hopefully Clement can rebound and pick the Sox up. That game was just ugly. The only good thing coming out of that game was Varitek and a couple of relief pitchers playing well.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Apr 4, 2005 3:44 PM EDT reply actions

Millar

I thought Millar looked pretty good at the plate. Two walks and robbed of a home run. I thought Timlin was the only reliever to look okay. But I wasn't totally dismayed by what Wells did and if people think Petey would have done better, please rewind to his performance on opening day last season.

by djslippyb on Apr 4, 2005 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Pedro

I love how Pedro is terrible for us on opening days, but yesterday he strikes out 12 in nine innings.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Apr 5, 2005 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Pedro

Correction: 12 in six innings.

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Apr 5, 2005 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Gotta love it.

I don't know what the weather was like in Cincinatti yesterday but last year's baltimore start was much like the weather was on Sunday night.

But I can't complain too much about Pedro's start, cause I did pick the lovable diva for my fantasy team. :=o

by djslippyb on Apr 5, 2005 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions

Manny

Was he even in the line-up last night? what was he like 0-4? At least Ortiz came up kind of big....I agree Millar looked very good...the bullpen was terrible....Renteria did not show me anything at all last night. Clement will come up huge....he will win the Cy.

by absolutelax395 on Apr 4, 2005 8:37 PM EDT reply actions