Baltimore Orioles head on the road for the first time in 2017

Thus far in 2017 the Baltimore Orioles have only dealt with the adoring cheers of their home crowd. That changes tonight as they head north to Fenway “Pahk” in Boston. They’ll be in Boston for two games, Toronto for four (over Easter), and then Cincinnatti for three. All in all, a nine-game road trip.

Fenway of course provides it’s share of challenges, and not only limited to the fact that the BoSox are a good team. The Orioles’ bullpen should be rested in full after the off day today, however they’ve been called into action far too often thus far in the young season. And we saw the downside of that on Sunday afternoon.

Being the ultimate hitter’s paradise, that could pose a problem for the Orioles tonight. However they do have Dylan Bundy on the mound this evening, and he was the lone starter to go deep into a game thus far (seven innings). But if that’s not enough, they’ll then head up to Toronto where Oriole pitchers always seem to struggle anyways – and of course Rogers Centre is also a hitter’s park.

So the way that the Orioles ensure that the bullpen remains as fresh as it can be is by starters going deeper into games. In fairness, quite a few teams have starters that can only last between four and seven innings in games the first two or three times through the rotation. And the weather can play a role in that, as guys have gotten used to the warm Florida sunshine during spring training. Then they come north and find that it’s still chilly up here.

But ultimately, a park like Fenway can set you back a bit in terms of bullpen depth – if your starters can’t go deep. So the Orioles really need Bundy (and Jimenez tomorrow) to step up when it counts. In Bundy’s case, he’s returning to the site of his big league debut in 2012, when he came in as a reliever in a game late in the season.

Incidentally, this is also a Boston team that got abused over the weekend in Detroit. So you can look at this from the perspective that they’re due, or that the Birds are getting them while they’re down. Bundy will be opposed by Boston’s Drew Pomeranz. Game time is set for just after 7 PM this evening.

Baltimore Orioles: Is the bullpen more susceptible than we think?

Some of the twitter chatter after yesterday’s 7-3 loss to New York amongst Baltimore Orioles fan seemed to indicate this is what we were afraid of; they aren’t that good. I even saw a few comments suggesting that fans learned a valuable lesson about how much worse the Orioles’ bullpen is than we thought. Let’s be frank; it wasn’t a good outing for the bullpen, specifically Darren O’Day. However you have to revert to the track record after a game like this. And that’s pretty good.

Wade Miley got the start, and really set the tone for a very strange game. Miley didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning, yet he walked seven batters. New York actually loaded the bases on walks at one point, but Miley pitched out of it. At the end of the day, he was in line to be the winning pitcher. Miley’s line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 7 BB, 5 K.

The Orioles took the lead in the last of the second when Trey Mancini grounded into a force out which scored a run. Later in the inning they ran the lead to 2-0 on Hardy’s RBI-single. Trumbo would add an RBI-single of his own in the fifth, and the O’s seemed to be in control at 3-0.

However New York wasn’t about to be outdone on this day. Torreyes’ two-RBI triple in the sixth cut the lead to 3-2, and Judge’s solo home run would tie the game at three in the eighth. But the story of this game came in the ninth, when O’Day allowed four runs to cross the plate. Now while all of those runs were earned, it’s important to note that one did come on a throwing error. However the fact remains that the bullpen overall was shaky in this game, which is something we don’t normally see.

O’Day felt that some of his earlier pitches were borderline strike calls, and quite frankly I might tend to agree with him there. However he also indicated that he needed to re-adjust to the zone, which he was unable to do (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Yeah, I threw some good pitches early in the outing. They were just pitcher’s pitches and I couldn’t make the adjustment to get back into the zone to get strikes called. So I overadjusted on some pitches. If you put three guys on base, bad things are usually going to happen. Just wasn’t a good outing. Pretty bad.

Throughout the entire series I felt that the strike zone was erratic at best. That’s not to say that the umpiring was bad, it was just a bit erratic in terms of balls and strikes. However throughout the entire series, New York did a better job of adjusting to that than did the Orioles. Whereas NY pitchers would try to hit spots that the umpire as calling as strikes, Orioles’ pitchers would try to hit what they felt were strikes.

Nevertheless, should fans panic about this game? Were the Orioles just unmasked and shown to be pretenders instead of contenders? Hardly. You can’t say that they’re either at this point in the season. You’re going to have games like this, and really all you can do is move onto the next game and work on things. If you want further proof, would you as a fan not give the ball to Darren O’Day any longer?

Baltimore Orioles: 2017 Comeback Kids

The Baltimore Orioles have been marked by their ability to come back in games thus far in the very young 2017 season. We saw that again yesterday, as Hyun-Soo Kim‘s go-ahead RBI-single in the last of the seventh put the O’s in the lead. So if there’s a name we could put on the Orioles through the first week of the season, it would be The Comeback Kids.

Kevin Gausman wasn’t effective in the early part of the game, and he struggled his was through his time in the game. Gausman’s line: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 4 K. I always tell people after early-season outings like this that starting pitchers are going to have 10 great outings, 10 poor, and 10 in-between every year. So if you file this one under poor, the Orioles stole a win yesterday.

Gausman to his credit knew his command was off, and made no bones about it after the game (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Obviously, walking the first guy on four straight. I just couldn’t throw a fastball down and away to save my life. From the first pitch on was trying to figure out my mechanics and what I needed to do with my front side. I think it was more mechanically than anything.

Gausman’s issue was in essence runners on base, and he gave up a two-RBI single in the second inning. When guys get on base anything can happen; throw in the fact that the starter’s command is off, and base hits start to bleed through. However the O’s cut the lead in half two innings later on an RBI-single by Welington Castillo. That would be a motif to follow throughout the day.

Gausman compounded matters in the fifth by balking in a run with a runner on third. In a bizarre sequence, he turned and threw to third base – where NY catcher Romine was situated. The home plate umpire saw this as an act of trying to fool the runner, and called Gausman for a balk – allowing the run to score. It was a strange and almost unnatural play, which I think is part of why the balk was called. However the fact is that Gausman never stepped off the rubber – I’ll leave it at that.

Castro was at the plate at the time, and later in the at-bat he smacked an RBI-single to run the score to 4-1 in favor of New York. The runner who scored was previously at first base, and the balk allowed him to advance into scoring position. So all while being off on his command, Gausman did himself no favors in the mental game either.

But these Orioles are the Comeback Kids…you know, the Fighting Showalters. They don’t go quietly into the night! Manny Machado got the comeback rolling in the last of the fifth with an RBI-double, cutting the New York lead in half. Later in the inning Trumbo grounded into a fielder’s choice-RBI, and suddenly the New York lead was only one at 4-3.

But it was the last of the seventh which really sealed it for the Birds. Trumbo’s RBI-single would tie the game at four, letting Gausman off the hook. That brought Kim to the plate later in the inning after Trumbo moved into scoring position, and his RBI-single gave the Orioles the lead at 5-4.

Combine a huge momentum swing like that with the Orioles’ bullpen, and you have a win. Zach Britton knotched his 52nd consecutive save, and the Birds remained undefeated at 4-0. On that note, the Orioles might want to try to build a sizable lead in today’s game to avoid using Britton, who’s appeared in every game thus far.

The series with New York concludes this afternoon. Wade Miley gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s C.C. Sabathia. The Birds will have to make a roster move prior to the game in order to call Miley up, however at this point it’s unclear who goes out. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ Seth Smith picked a good time for his first homer

The Baltimore Orioles didn’t acquire Seth Smith for his power. So that means any home runs he’s able to provide is gravy more than anything else. However he picked a great moment to give the Orioles his maiden homer as a Bird, and of the 2017 season.

Ubaldo Jimenez seemed a little off from the beginning last night, although the cold temperatures may have contributed to that just a bit. Jimenez’s line: 4.1 IP, 7 H 5 R, 1 BB, 5 K. Jimenez was victimized by the long ball, which is odd for him. And that’s why I say the weather might have played a factor, an idea that was backed up after the game by Buck Showalter (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

You try to give guys a little pass with the weather. You’ve got to have a feel for the split with that weather and I think both home runs were splits that didn’t split properly. I think I’m right. He’s capable of better. Hopefully, when the weather warms up he gets a better feel for it, because he had a good one in the spring.

Jimenez allowed an RBI-single in the first, however the Birds answered in the botto of the inning on Jones’ RBI-single. But two innings later New York had the lead back on Holliday’s two-run home run. They would extend that lead to 5-1 two innings later in the fifth on a two-run homer by Sanchez.

However the Birds weren’t about to go quietly into the night. Not on this day, and not in their home park. With two runners on in the last of the fifth, Manny Machado

smacked a three-run homer to bring the Orioles to within 5-4. And suddenly with that one swing, it was a game again.

It’s important to note that while Jimenez wasn’t as sharp as he could be, the Orioles’ bullpen showed why it’s one of the strengths of the team. They gave up three hits and two walks, having to pitch most of the game. Donnie Hart, a Showalter favorite, recorded the final out of the seventh inning, but that was as big as anything else…

…because in the last of the seventh Smith gave us his aforementioned first homer as an Oriole. It came with a runner on, so it gave the Orioles a 6-5 lead, which they held. That homer meant that Donnie Hart won his first major league game – only recording one out. One of the quirks of baseball, as he was the pitcher of record when they took the lead.

The only area of concern was that closer Zach Britton appeared to roll his ankle while coming off the mound to throw a runner out at first base in the ninth inning. Buck Showalter said after the game that it appeared Britton was fine, but that they’d have to see how he was today. If there’s one reliever the Birds don’t want to lose for any period, it’s Zach Britton.

The series with New York continues in a late afternoon start today at Camden Yards. Kevin Gausman will be on the mound for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Masahiro Tanaka. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The ballpark that forever changed baseball

Twenty-fie years ago the Baltimore Orioles opened Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the “ballpark that forever changed baseball.”

Twenty-five years ago (yesterday), I raced home from my sixth grade class to watch Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles. That was about par for the course for most of my school life over the years, but this wasn’t any old Opening Day. The Birds were opening the brand new Oriole Park at Camden Yards on this day.

I made it home in time to see President Bush throw out the first pitch, which famously bounced in the dirt. But credit to the President, he simply said that he threw a slider low and in. The ballpark looked magnificent on television from my perspective, and even moreso the first time I saw it in person. And for the record, it’s never ceased to look as such.

I remember my Dad commenting right away to the effect that they’re sitting on the wrong side of the field. In fact, the Birds were taking the first base dugout at Camden Yards, whereas fans had gotten used to them sitting on the third base side at Memorial Stadium. But that was due only to the fact that for a 7:30 game in the summertime, the sun would be in the direct vision of the team sitting in Memorial Stadium’s first base side for the first three innings. However in fact, the third base dugout is the traditional home side – but I digress.

If you live in cities such as Cleveland, Dallas (Arlington), Denver, or San Fran, you have Baltimore and the Orioles to thank for your beautiful ballparks. All of those parks were based on Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Cleveland and San Fransisco are probably the closest copies of the bunch, but they’re all similar. And Camden Yards is the prototype, and thus the original.

And that’s why five years ago for the twentieth anniversary the Orioles trademarked the phrase the ballpark that forever changed baseball. All of these parks are at some point going to start having their 20-25 year anniversaries in the near future. So why not remind them all that they were intended to be copies of Oriole Park at Camden Yards?!

For years people have done trips to visit various ballparks around the league. But Camden Yards became a destination park overnight. The idea was to build something that looked and felt old school – but in fact was new. And that’s a feel that was present immediately when the ballpark opened.

First off, it has an old time feel with how it appears to be carved into the neighborhood. The Warehouse certainly plays a big role in that, and if anything that in and of itself gives the park a more archaic feel to it. (And to think that the original plans had the Warehouse being demolished!) But so many fans over the years have felt what those in Baltimore call Orioles Magic from the moment they walked in.

You get the feel that something special could have happened there generations ago. At this point in time, that’s kind of true. I’m not sure about “generations ago,” but Camden Yards has hosted moments such as Murray’s 500th home run, and Ripken breaking the consecutive games played streak. And of course a few playoff games here and there – years ago and within the last few seasons!

Camden Yards was special from the moment it opened. But the fact that it’s been copied a few times in other cities tells us that Baltimore truly got it right. And all of those other parks are special as well, but not as special as their “mother park.” There’s only one Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and it’ll always be the ballpark that forever changed baseball.

New York comes to the ballpark that forever changed baseball this evening to open up a three-game set. Ubaldo Jimenez will make his first start of the season tonight, and he’ll be opposed by NY’s Luis Severino. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles’ Dylan Bundy dominates in win

If the Baltimore Orioles are able to get efforts out of Dylan Bundy (and all starters) like they got in last night’s 3-1 win over Toronto, they’ll be in good shape. There was zip on Bundy’s pitches all night, and he seemed to mow Toronto hitters down and get stronger as his outing went on. Bundy’s line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K.

The zero walks and eight strikeouts are obviously what stands out the most. I often drop the line nothing good ever happens after a walk, so the best way to avoid that is to not walk anyone. Bundy kept people off base for the most part all night, minimizing the potential for Toronto to score.

They did put one run across in the top of the third on a Travis RBI-single. And if that’s any indication, it appears that the Orioles are going to lead the league in falling victim to softly-hit RBI-singles once again. Travis smacked a dying quail-type of shot that fell into the cushion between first and second base and right field. Ironically, had he hit it harder the runner probably would have been out at home plate.

But the Orioles didn’t trail for long. With a runner on in the bottom of that third inning, Adam Jones hit his first home run of the season. Suddenly it was the Orioles who were in the lead, erasing the memory of that softly-hit RBI. One inning later Chris Davis hit his first home run of the season as well – this one a solo shot.

And when you have pitching as good as the Orioles got last night, you don’t need to worry about scoring only three runs. The Birds did however have a bit of a scare in the ninth when Zach Britton loaded the bases with only one out. Not only that, but in doing so he went over the twenty pitch number, which is a danger zone for many closers. For a short period, it appeared Toronto had the O’s right where they wanted them.

However Britton’s not the type of guy in whom you want to lose faith. The guy who didn’t blow a save last year kept his streak alive, and induced a game-ending double-play. When asked about Britton after the game, Buck Showalter didn’t hesitate to take up for his closer (quote courtesy of Roch Kubatko, MASNsports):

I love the fact that he found a way to get it done. It’s hard. The ninth inning’s hard. You’re facing one of the best parts of the lineup anywhere in the American League. It’s hard. He gives up a sharp-hit ball to left field and a ground ball found a hole. A walk. Got a big strikeout on (Troy) Tulowitzki and he’s always a pitch from getting two outs.

It’s not always as easy as it may seem. It’s a different inning, it’s a different inning, and not just anybody can pitch it.

One way or the other, the O’s are now 2-0 on the incredibly young season as they go into yet another off day. It’s tough to say this means anything more than face value – starting the season 2-0. During spring training I said if you’re going to play exhibition games you might as well win them. So the same still applies; if you’re going to play these early season games, you might as well win them.

Baltimore Orioles: A disjointed start to the season

Everyone understands why the Baltimore Orioles and most other teams have the traditional day off after Opening Day. The fact is that you never really know what’s going to happen with the weather. As last week wore on the forecast seemed to improve – because it wasn’t always  supposed to be a beautiful day.

It kind of works against a team like the Orioles however, because they had this big dramatic win on Opening Day, and their first instinct is to continue the momentum. Now granted, it’s tough to argue with a free day, especially when eventually you’ll be into the stretch of the season.

Having said that, the Orioles have a very strange beginning to the season this year, unlike anything I’ve ever really seen. They had the off day yesterday, and then they take on Toronto again tonight. It’s actually a truncated two-game series, and Toronto packs up and leaves after tonight’s game. So the series actually ends.

Then the Orioles have off again tomorrow, before New York comes in for the weekend. Once that series is over, guess what happens? You guessed it, another off day on Monday before they head to Boston on Tuesday.

It’s really tough to get momentum going in general with a schedule like that. In fact, it almost gives the feel that the players are back in spring training – where veterans only play in home games for the most part. Play Monday, off Tuesday, play Wednesday, off Thursday, play Friday, etc.

The issue however is that the major league teams only get a certain number of days off during the season. And even those are subject to change as needed if you need to reschedule rain outs. Days off can turn into game days, and regular days can turn into twin bills.

So while the momentum thing is a concern, the bigger one is that the Birds are blowing their days off this month. In full, they have five off days in April. Compare that to August when they have two. Last year they had a flurry of off days in September, which I suspect really helped them in their chase for October. But at the end of the day, this is the schedule the league office gave them. Everyone plays 162 in some manner.

As I said above, the series with Toronto concludes this evening. Dylan Bundy will be on the mound for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s J.A. Happ. Game time is set for just after 7 PM. Fans can follow along on Twitter (@DomenicVadala) for game updates.

Baltimore Orioles right an old wrong in Opening Day win

Mark Trumbo’s walk off home run on Opening Day gave the Baltimore Orioles some payback over Toronto after last year’s wild card game.

As the Opening Day ceremonies came to a close and it was time to PLAY BALL, Baltimore Orioles fans most likely flashed back a few months. The untimely end to the 2016 season was still fresh in a lot of people’s mind. This especially seeing that the O’s were playing the same Toronto Blue Jays – who walked the Orioles off on the AL Wild Card game.

The ironic thing is that Toronto has lost pieces year-over-year, and the O’s have remained largely the same (for the most part). Yet pundits are still in love with Toronto, and still not digging what the Orioles are throwing out there. So in all of these senses, perhaps it was fitting that these two teams met on Opening Day at Camden Yards.

The Orioles started Kevin Gausman, and with mixed results in a sense. Gausman’s line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 K. Gausman actually pitched better than those numbers indicate, although you want your starter to go deeper than 5.1 innings. The four walks were also a bit much. However save for the fifth inning when he struggled and threw a lot of pitches, Gausman was fairly solid.

The Orioles got on the board first in the last of the third on Chris Davis‘ RBI-single. Mark Trumbo would add an RBI-double later in the inning, and the O’s had a 2-0 lead. However as I said, Gausman struggled in the fifth inning, issuing several walks. One of those came with the bases loaded, which cut the Orioles’ lead in half.

Gausman was able to record one out in the sixth before he was lifted in the wake of allowing a base runner. However after Gausman’s departure that base runner would come around to score on an RBI-double, tying the game. That run of course was charged to Gausman.

At one point the Orioles had 15 straight hitters retired by Toronto pitching. While that’s not good, it’s also a bi-product of a pitcher’s duel. While Gausman was long gone as the game wore on, the Orioles showed off one of the big strengths of the team: the bullpen. Through 5.2 innings pitched, the Orioles’ pen gave up six hits, two walks, and no runs. And that folks is outstanding no matter how you want to spin things.

As the game went to extra innings it took on the feel of last year’s AL Wild Card game more and more. And the players had to have noticed the similarities. Presumably Toronto had to think that at some point their heroics would push through just as they did the year before. But the Orioles sat in their dugout hoping to flip the script.

This time around, the Orioles found a way to work Zach Britton into the game, and he pitched two innings. However this Opening Day game will be remembered for two things: how it ended, and what foreshadowed how it ended. Toronto threatened in the 10th inning with runners at first and second. The Camden faithful seemed restless, as Toronto seemed to have the Oriole exactly where they wanted them. To add insult to injury from last year, was Toronto really going to at the very least take a lead against the Orioles and possibly beat them again on Opening Day (at their place)?

And the answer ended up being an emphatic NO! With Pillar at the plate, a bouncer was hit to Manny Machado guarding the line at third base. It was a tough angle, and in fact Machado was perhaps the only player in the game who could have made a play on the ball. With most third basemen, that would have been an infield hit. Instead, Machado fielded the ball, and from his knees threw Pillar out at first base.

That gold glove-caliber play put Toronto on warning that their heroics weren’t going to be enough. New day, new year. However the game did end in similar fashion to that wild card game last year – just with a different team celebrating. The Orioles had the heart of the order coming up in the 11th inning, and it didn’t disappoint…

…Mark Trumbo came up with two outs and nobody on. However the home team bats last, and all the Orioles needed was one run. And Trumbo connected, reminding the Orioles and the fans why the club re-signed him. His solo homer gave the Orioles a 3-2 walk off win on Opening Day at Camden Yards.

Trumbo addressed his heroics after the game, and admitted how special of a moment this was (quote courtesy of Steve Melewski, MASNsports):

Pretty special. It’s a whole lot of fun. We battled tooth and nail today. It was a great game all the way around. Was happy to come through and take us home.

Perhaps saying that this was payback from the Orioles’ perspective in the wake of a sudden death loss in the playoffs is a bit of a stretch. However several players and manager Buck Showalter pointed out how similar this game was to the playoff game last year. It merely unfolded in reverse at the end.

The fact is that nobody can take away that moment from the Toronto Blue Jays last year. But the same is true with the Orioles’ moment yesterday. And quite frankly, while that was a playoff game, yesterday’s moment was a lot more relevant to the here and now.

Baltimore Orioles: This is The Oriole Way

Here we are, Baltimore…Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles. The rosters are set, the players are ready, and all of you fans are presumably excited. Today is a holiday across the nation – but especially in Baltimore.

Every team has traditions that they feel are special. However I would submit that NOBODY does Opening Day like the Orioles. NOBODY. The image of the players and coaches running onto the field from center field on that orange carpet never seems to get old for Orioles fans. But let’s back up a moment and go back to pregame…

…when many fans gather at Pickles and Sliders across the street. The Orioles alway hold Opening Day at 3 PM, which gives people time to spend much of the morning and early afternoon “pregaming.” This is something that happens before each of the Orioles’ 81 home games – it’ll go on prior to Wednesday night’s game. But things are a bit different and a bit more special on Opening Day.

Then the fans stream into the yard, and see the players enter on that orange carpet. However the one thing that always gets me is actually the day’s lone somber moment. As part of the pregame pomp and circumstance, the Orioles read the names of the members of the organization who have passed on since last year’s Opening Day. Does it put a temporary damper on the day’s festivities? Yes. But this is an organization that values it’s history, and that includes all of the people who are and have been a part of it. So in my view that’s an important part of things.

Once the teams have been introduced, the national anthem sung, and the first pitch ceremony concluded, it’s time to PLAY BALL! At that point, it’s just baseball. In essence, it’s no different than any other game. But it’s still Opening Day, which makes it special.

And on that note, the Orioles will today open the season with a truncated and in effect a disjointed two-game set against Toronto. Kevin Gausman gets the nod on the mound for the Birds this afternoon, and he’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Marco Estrada. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

I’ve had people tell me that the Orioles overdo it on Opening Day. Why all the pomp and circumstance? Why so much paegentry? Why not just introduce the players on the base lines and that’s it?

First off I would refer you to the famous Terrence Mann quote fro Field of Dreams:

America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

This is America’s pastime. Yes people love to suggest that the NFL is now king in America. But it’ll never be America’s pastime. Opening Day is a celebration of the return of baseball, but also a celebration of America, and everything for which she stands. It’s a celebration of summer, good times, beach trips, barbeques, and family. And yes, a celebration of baseball…the sport which like America, marches on like an army of steamrollers. The sport which reminds us of all that once was good – and will be again.

And if that’s not enough for you, this is just how things are done in Baltimore on Opening Day! Every team and every city has it’s tradition – this is part of what makes the orange and black so great. This my friends, is The Oriole Way.

Baltimore Orioles: Multiple Opening Days around baseball

Opening Day for the Baltimore Orioles is tomorrow. I have fond memories of Opening Day from when I was a kid; I’d always run home as quickly as possible to be in front of the television by 3 PM. If I could be there earlier to see the first pitch ceremonies (which often in Baltimore involved the President), even better.

The entire league seemed to open up on Monday, save for a few teams who would open on Tuesday if they played in indoor stadiums. And of course many teams would be off on Tuesday for the potential rain date. Somehow it just worked out, and it was always an unofficial national holiday.

And for the record, Opening Day still is an unofficial national holiday. However it’s evolved a bit, and in my mind that’s not necessarily a good thing. But it’s evolved, one way or the other.

In 2004, MLB tried an experiment with having a “Sunday Night Opener” for the first time, with the rest of the league opening on the traditional Monday. That first Sunday Night Opener was played at Camden Yards, and the Orioles beat the Red Sox that night. And that’s something that continues to this day, with the Sunday Night Opener often involving the defending champion.

And quite frankly, I like that concept. The NFL mirrors it with their Thursday Night Opener, and I think it’s kind of a cool quirk. However last year they further evolved things a bit, and that’s kind of where I draw a line. Now as opposed to the one game on Sunday night, there are also two afternoon games…

…this year it’s the Yankees at the Rays at 1 PM, the Giants at the Diamondbacks at 4 PM, and of course the Cubs at the Cardinals at 8:30 PM. Now let me be frank; seamheads such as myself will watch all of these games since they’re on. But that’s beside the point.

In my view, by having now three games today, the league now in effect has created rolling Opening Day. Most teams will still open tomorrow, and then be off on Tuesday. Then you’ll have some teams who’ll open on Tuesday and be off tomorrow if they play indoors. Such is life in the newly “evolved” world of MLB.

Some folks might ask why it’s such a problem, ESPECIALLY since I all but admitted that I’ll watch the games today. While I do appreciate instant replay in the game, I’m a traditionalist for the most part. Years ago, you appreciated the fact that kids in cities across America were doing the same thing you were doing: racing home to watch their hometown team’s Opening Day game. I would submit that with a slate of games now on Sunday, that concept is dulled just a bit.

Granted, the majority of the games are still held tomorrow (on Monday). However is today really “Opening Day,” or is it just a run-of-the-mill Sunday afternoon in Major League Baseball? Because if I were covering one of the teams in those games, I’d view it as just another Sunday in baseball.

I would also add that the league couldn’t have picked stranger matchups in their slate of games for today. Again, people like me will pay attention because it’s baseball. But outside of that and fans in the cities represented, are there that many people who are looking forward to sitting down and watching the Yankees and Rays or the Giants and Diaondbacks? Would it not have behooved the league to perhaps pick some games with a bit more pizzazz to put on National television?

In that same spirit, the Chicago Cubs also seemingly got the short end of the stick. A team who didn’t win for 108 years is a very compelling story, and one that’s well worthy of having on the Sunday Night Opener in the wake of them snapping that streak. Not to mention that they’re playing their most hated rival. However how can MLB look at itself while not having this game at Wrigley Field? In essence they’re saying, …great job after all those years, Cubs. As your reward you’re getting to open up on Sunday Night Baseball in front of a national audience, AT your most hated foe and in front of their screaming fans who hate you!

Somehow that doesn’t seem like a fair narrative. Then again, life’s not always fair. My opinion about that as well as my opinion about today’s games is irrelevant. It’s going to go down that way whether I like it or not! But the call of PLAY BALL! will ring out in Baltimore tomorrow afternoon, which is how it should be.