Opening Day: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and Four Blind Mice
One down, 161 to go for the Chicago White Sox, who lost their opening game of the 2008 season to Cleveland yesterday at Here's a quick review:
The Good
- Nick Swisher. You gotta love the guy.
- Nick Masset pitched very well in long relief and held the Indians in check while the Sox climbed back from a five run hole
- Jim Thome hit two bombs and looked great, especially against career long tormentor C.C. Sabathia
- Jermaine Dye hit a ninth inning home run
- Boone Logan pitched well in relief.
- The Sox blew a two run lead, fell into a five run hole and came back to tie the game. It looked like 2005 for a few minutes yesterday
- The Sox finally dinged up C.C. Sabathia. That alone inspires hope.
- Joe Crede looked rusty at the plate. It looks like it is going to take him awhile to get warmed up. But for all those demanded Josh Fields understand that Crede is a notorious slow starter and is still light years better defensively than Fields, something that will eventually pay dividends for the Sox this year.
- Alexi Ramirez looked like the not ready for prime time player I thought he was. The kid needs some adjustment at AAA before he tries to tackle the big leagues. Brian Anderson would have been a better choice in center field yesterday.
- The umpires. Three blown calls within two innings. Were these Major League umpires or did they just take volunteers off the street?
- And Ozzie? Way too calm. I think after the interference call to end the eighth inning, Hawk Harrelson wanted to leave the booth and go down and challenge the umpires to a steel cage match. When a broadcaster is more upset than the manager, we have a slight problem.
- Mark Buehrle got torched by the Indians in the second inning.
- Memo to Octavio Dotel: If the Sox wanted a pitcher who implodes in the eighth, they can always put in Mike McDougall. I love Dotel's quote after the game: "I tried to get it away. I didn't and this time, he (Casey Blake) wins." A lot of guys will win Octavio if you don't quit throwing room service fastballs.
- Orlando Cabrera had a huge defensive gaff on a routine grounder in the second inning which opened the floodgates to a seven run Cleveland uprising. Later in the game, he ran through a stop sign and in the critical top of the eighth, was called for interference while trying to break up a double play (albeit on a questionable call. So, basically, what we have here is Juan Uribe with better bat control.
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