If I haven’t made myself clear, I love baseball. When I was a kid playing for the Braves in my hometown’s Little League, each night before my games I’d lay out my entire uniform from head to toe on my bed. This was when my dream of being the first woman to play in the majors began.
Now, 12-plus years later, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be the starting catcher for the New York Yankees. But each year, as baseball season begins, I still revel in the sight and smell of freshly cut grass and the piercing whiteness of every base stamped with the Opening Day logo. Every year, I’m a little kid again — just like the pros.
Joe DiMaggio once said, “You always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.”
And something wonderful always does happen. So, I raise a glass to Opening Weekend with a look back at the top three most memorable moments of this year’s beginning.
3. Mark Teixeira kissed his notorious slow starts good-bye. In his first three games, he rocketed three home runs, and he’s tied for first in the American League with seven RBIs. Last year in the month of April alone, he managed to hit only two home runs and drove in nine. This is the type of production the Yanks need from their No. 3 hitter early on.
2. Triple plays are a rarity in baseball, but we’ve already seen our first of the season. In their 7–1 win over the White Sox, the Indians managed to record three outs in one play. Cleveland’s young stud catcher Carlos Santana set up the play in his first MLB start at first base as he laid out to snag an Alexei Ramirez bunt and caught both base runners out to dry.
1. The Opening Day battle between the Reds and Brewers was full of excitement. While the Brew Crew got off to a quick start with historic back-to-back home runs to start the game — the first time that’s been done in 42 years — they ultimately fell to the Reds 7–6. Brewers’ closer John Axford blew his first save opportunity after letting in four runs in the ninth, including a three-run walk-off homer by Ramon Hernandez.
Let’s hope the season openers’ excitement can carry through to October — especially if we’re out of a football season. Otherwise, they’re going to have to add another round or two to the NBA playoffs to keep us occupied.
Casey Musarra is a senior televison-radio major. Contact her at [email protected].
