Opinion

Here’s a look at some unheralded players who played well yesterday.

Scott Podsednik, Kansas City Royals

The New York Yankees started the season with two road series against their biggest rivals in the American League East.

They won both series, after dropping the first game in each series, and opened at home yesterday with a 4-2 record.

Brett Gardner was key in some of the Yankee wins in this first road trip of the year. But in the finale Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay, Gardner failed to get on base for the first time this season.

Gardner went 0-for-4 with one strikeout, while hitting ninth in the lineup.

Look, the Oakland Athletics can't get half the number of fans to create one-quarter the amount of buzz that the San Francisco Giants get in the Bay Area.

If the A's could move to San Jose, to a new stadium, the thousands upon thousands of Giants fans in that city wouldn't just flock to the American League team. Fans aren't that fickle. I mean, look at the 7,000 loyal A's fans in Oakland! They never give up on their team.

It was a cool, partly cloudy afternoon in the Bronx on Tuesday: the perfect weather for Opening Day at the new Yankee Stadium.

World Series rings were given out, a prank was played on Hideki Matsui (known by his New York faithful as "Gozilla"), and good ol' Jerry Hairston Jr. even stopped by.

The General of the Yankees rotation, Andy Pettitte, took the mound, and from the first pitch on, the game went according to plan:

Derek Jeter hit a home run.
Jorge Posada had three hits and an RBI.
Andy Pettitte pitched six scoreless innings.

Tuesday afternoon's game between the Yankees and Angels was certainly more meaningful than just a regular opening game at Yankee Stadium.

Last year in 2009, they opened the brand new ballpark.

This year in 2010, the Yankees celebrated it by receiving their 2009 World Series Championship rings in a pre-game ceremony.

On hand were former Yankees Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra, who helped pass out the rings. Also on hand was former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to receive his ring from Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter.

The Yankees had a special guest on hand for their ring ceremony Tuesday afternoon.  It wasn't Yogi Berra, it wasn't Whitey Ford, and it wasn't George Steinbrenner—although they were all there. 

Hideki Matsui was the true guest of honor in the house that the Core Four built.

Although Matsui wasn't with the likes of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, or Andy Pettitte back when the group won their first four rings in the 90s, he still feels like a true Yankee who has been there forever.

Anyone who’s followed baseball this spring knows the national sports media has been abuzz with talk about a “once in a lifetime” talent…

Who is he? Well, he’s a lefty-hitting, potential five-tool right fielder who happens to play for a club in the National League East.

Give up?

The Yankees celebrated their 27th World Championship this afternoon in their home opener. As usual, the team overdid it in an arrogant fashion when it came to the pomp and circumstances of this achievement.

Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford handed out rings to the players. The team raised the World Championship flag. Michael Kay went overboard with the introductions. The national anthem took forever to end.

This took as long as it really had to be.

For those who don't know, I live outside Philadelphia.

It's a big city, and it's pretty cool: the history, the activity, the cheese steaks.

But it's by no means the greatest place on Earth.

Because that's New York City.

In New York, there's an energy. There's more to it than people buzzing around and tall buildings.

It's got a feeling like no other city.

You coudn't be done with just Times Square in a day. There's everything to do, and then some.

In no way is this a knock against Brandon Phillips. He's the best all-around player on the Reds' roster.

People fortunate enough to watch him regularly know he should be shipped the Gold Glove Award before each of the next 11 seasons.

Phillips easily deserves more than the one he has received, but playing in a small market will do that.

He's got pop. He's got speed. He's got a million-dollar smile, and Cincinnati loves him.

Simply put, he is one of the best second basemen in the majors.