Opinion

Could you have asked for a better opening day at PNC Park?

The sun was shining, the stadium was filled to capacity, and the Pirates came away with an 11-5 thwomping of the Los Angeles Dodgers, their fourth straight opening day victory.

For a day, nothing else matters.  For baseball purists, everything else is put aside and worries about economy and anything else fades away for a fan who dares to dream.

This could be the year.

Between Sunday night, yesterday, and today, thousands of faithful followers pack into a car and head to a place where fantasy can become reality.  A place where a father can bond with his son.  A place where you revisit memories gone by.  A place that, if everything lines up just right, can seem magical.

Opening Day.

Your first round drafts are Albert Pujols (Stl), Hanley Ramirez (Fl), Alex Rodriguez (NYY), Ryan Braun (Mil), Chase Utley (Phil), and Mark Teixeira (NYY). Any fantasy team owner would be happy ending up with one of those guys as their first pick on a snake draft.

With one out left in the top of the ninth inning in Monday’s season opener against the Diamondbacks, Adrian Gonzalez and Kyle Blanks were not satisfied.  

Trailing 6-1, the afternoon appeared all but squandered with little positive to take into game two Tuesday. 

That changed when Gonzalez stepped to the plate.

I am lucky enough to be a Mets fan living in Queens. I’m lucky enough to have the means to buy a nice ticket package every season. I’m lucky enough to work for a company that has season tickets to the Mets.

All those factors contribute to the fact that I go to a lot of Mets games every year.

I was at Opening Day last season, a game that was supposed to be fun. A new stadium, a new season. A chance to leave behind the bad taste we all had in our mouths following 2007 & 2008.

With the 2010 season just getting under way for the Yankees, there are already rumblings that the team is trying to add on more players.

On Sunday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the Yankees were possibly looking to add outfield help to what they already have.

Rosenthal reports this because of the Yankees' questionable depth in 2010. Curtis Granderson is a lock in center field and Nick Swisher is a lock in right field. But, if by any chance if they get injured, that hurts their depth and their batting order.

Starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano endured the worst outing of his career Monday, surviving just 1 1/3 innings and surrendering eight runs, an inauspicious beginning to what became a downright ugly loss for the Chicago Cubs on Opening Day.

The Atlanta Braves got nine RBI combined from shortstop Yunel Escobar and rookie sensation Jason Heyward en route to a 16-5 win.

In any endeavor in life, the leap from the No. 2 person to being the No. 1 man or woman is tremendous.

Until you go through it, you will never know how big the actual leap is.

Going from a Director of Sales to a VP of Sales is a huge step. Coaches will tell you going from an assistant basketball coach to the head coach is the longest eight feet in their lives.

In baseball, going from the seventh or eighth inning guy to the closer is a big step.

New Toronto Blue Jays closer Jason Frasor found out how big that step was yesterday.

When people think lineup positions known for big bats and power, the first two that come to mind are first basemen and designated hitters.

As they should, since one position is not required to play defense, and the other is playing the easiest position on the field. For this reason, a first baseman in free agency with an .800 OPS is often considered a "decent piece" or a third corner IF option, while a catcher with the same hitting numbers becomes a sought-after free agent, destined for eight figure a year salaries. Position scarcity is important.

In what was an unseasonably warm 70 degree afternoon at Citi Field in New York, the Mets bats were just as hot, putting together a good offensive performance to back up ace pitcher Johan Santana's solid outing.

The Mets strung together nine hits, and were helped out by three Marlins errors, en route to an opening day win. It was a relieving result to many anxious Mets fans, who don't really know what this season may hold.

Well those fans can rest easy tonight with their team jumping out to a 1-0 record. But what does the future hold for this team?