Opinion

For over three decades, I've considered this time of year to be New Year's Day, rather than January 1st.

I can't think of any other way to describe the beginning of baseball season.

Inherited from my grandparents, my fondness for the game has evolved from feeling a child's excitement upon entering Dodger Stadium for the first time on my 11th birthday, to playing little league in my neighborhood park, to being in my forties and feeling like I'm eating comfort food whenever I catch a game on TV.

I am a Chicago-area native and have been a fan of all things Chicago for years.  I was born in 1983, the year before the Bears won the Super Bowl.  While I do not remember the game as I was too young, I am just happy I was alive for the win.

In Chicago there are legacies that simply cannot be touched by any other team or city, when you put all those things together you get a city known for sports excellence and I'll tell you why.

1.  Chicago Bears

On April 4, the National League got its first taste of what the American League has had to deal with for much of the last decade.

Although I certainly do not play for the Washington Nationals, I think I can make a safe assumption about what their first impression was.

Damn, Roy Halladay is good.

Two days ago, he made his Opening Day debut for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Nationals were his first victim There was a festive attitude at the ballpark before the game, and even the Nationals fans (who seemed to be outnumbered at the stadium) were full of hope.

Technology is a good thing, right?

Can it become overdone? I mean, do we know when to say "enough"?

Case in point: Fox Sports pitch tracker "FoxTrax". It shows the overall speed of the pitch, the speed at a certain distance from the plate, measurement of descent, measurement of break, and the temperature of the ball (just kidding about the last one, but why not?)

That is more pitch delivery 411 than I am allowed to process in this limited gray matter inside my skull. You may be different, maybe that isn't even enough information for you.

After getting two hits in the season opener on Sunday night, Brett Gardner did not start in Boston last night.

Not only had Gardner gotten the two hits, he also made two very good baserunning plays, going from first to third on a Derek Jeter single that did not get very far into left-center field and stealing home easily when Jeter broke for second.

But for reasons that can be found only in the dark recesses of Joe Girardi's mind, Gardner did not start the second game of the season.

Sunday night’s loss was a tough one for the Yankees and the bullpen, but they turned it around last night as they beat the Red Sox 6-4 to improve their record to 1-1.

Here are some notes:

Regardless on how bad the previous season ended, there is always a glimmer of hope on Opening Day that those doom and gloom days are behind you.

For more than 80 years there was a common phrase in Boston, "This Year is the Year", and for the most part all fans believe that for their favorite teams.

One thing that keeps this hope alive is the roar of the home crowd, or the booing of a bad call.  These things unite strangers who share three to four hours together at the ball park.

The Orioles entered 2010 with a litany of questions facing their pitching staff.

After a forgettable 2009, where the Orioles finished in the bottom rung of nearly every major statistical category, the Orioles have placed their faith in a group of promising yet unproven youngsters, a reliable veteran ace, and a closer freshly adorned with a two-year, $17 million contract.

I know it's only two games into the season, and just like Red Sox DH David Ortiz said during his tirade last night: "There's a 160 games left, relax." But, I'm still very impressed with what I have seen from Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, thus far.

Cano has wasted no time in reassuring the Yankees that they made the correct decision placing him behind Alex Rodriguez in the lineup.

Through his first eight at-bats, Cano has picked up four hits. Two of them for extra bases including the ninth-inning, solo-shot blast during last night's 6-4 victory over Boston.

Some of his individual statistics don't look all that impressive. But a relatively new Yankee, Nick Swisher is quite a "package."

One would expect that from the first round 2002 pick of the Oakland A's "Moneyball" drafting process. In fact, Swisher finished with A's teammates Huston Street (the ultimate winner) and Joe Blanton in the top 10 vote-getters for rookie of the year in 2005.