Day 1

Opening Day brings a mix of emotions. Excitement and clean happiness. I feel pleasantly American. Grass and mitts. Optimism is the rule.

Then a sigh as I gaze over the marathon before us. Baseball seasons are, first and foremost, long. They are a lot of other things, but the one things they are consistently is long. Starting one is like starting a really long novel. If you're going to get to the end, you're in it for the long haul. I wonder if Carlos Delgado will be good.

I read about the first game, Nationals 3, Braves 2, and I can't help finding too much meaning in it. Odalis Perez leaves after 5 innings and 70 pitches. Did Manny Acta want him to leave on a good note? Were his pitches losing their bite? Did Acta want to get more pitchers in to soak up the opening day excitement? Will anyone take this team seriously when their opening day starter is Odalis Perez? I don't have as many questions about the Braves, because I'm confident that they're offense is better than this. I know about them, so I can ignore an isolated game. The Nationals, though- what's their deal? Uncertainties in my mind cling to whatever info I give them.

Tomorrow my boys will play, and the left side of their infield can go 0 for 10 and I won't worry too much, but if the less talented right side does the same, I might bite a nail or two. Why did we give Luis Castillo four years? If a younger, better, 2b comes along, Omar won't hesitate, will he? We need someone who can break the curse of Edgardo Alfonzo.

I'm getting ahead of myself. We'll have more time to talk about all that, and a few more at bats to work with. For now, it's just nice to know that there's a wacky offseason behind us, and a long haul in front.