3.31.2008

And We're Off!

Happy Opening Day!!! It's a glorious day people.



I was in attendance last night at the Nationals Inaugural game at their new stadium and despite the chill, it was a great game. Here is a pictorial of a few things I learned.

George W. Bush's well thrown first pitch was by far the most impressive thing he's done during his presidency.



The scoreboard listed Cristian Guzman at 195 pounds. And I'm Santa Claus.



A Ben's Chili dog tastes waaaay better than it looks.



When the stadium runs out of fries and pretzels in the 7th inning, you need the SWAT team to control the riots.



A walkoff home run is still the most exciting thing in baseball.



Here's to a great season for all of us. Except the Red Sox.


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an awesome game that was, and I'm a Braves fan haha. I love Opening Day.

The Transporter said...

In light of a few rain outs, here's some fodder for the blog:

March 31, 2008
Missouri lawmaker takes on Major League Baseball

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – As Major League Baseball and its Player’s Association discuss a new drug testing policy, Missouri State Representative Jeff Roorda has filed legislation to let the MLB know what he thinks the new standards should be.

He filed legislation today that would prohibit state tax credits from going to professional sports teams in a league that does not place at least a one-year ban on athletes who test positive for anabolic steroids.

MLB’s current policy calls for such a ban only after the fourth failed test. Roorda’s legislation would call on professional sports league to place such a ban on a player after the first violation.

“Since when in baseball is it four strikes and you’re out?” Roorda, D-Barnhart, said. "What major league baseball and all professional sports leagues need are for their executives to step forward and take a strong stand to end the scandal of the steroid era. What we need is a modern-day Kenesaw Mountain Landis," Roorda added, referring to the legendary baseball commissioner who exiled the Chicago Black Sox in 1920 and sent a powerful message to all of Major League Baseball that gambling would not be tolerated.

Roorda, a rabid Cardinal fan, says he has been discouraged by some of the bruises recent scandals have left on the game. "Baseball is the most purely American game in all of sports. This is the game that, as a child, I would listen to on the radio and read about in books and play with friends on the corner lot. It is a sport that has produced countless heroes but today produces one scandal after another. Don't our kids deserve heroes too?"

Roorda says the time for action is now. “As a lawmaker, one of our most effective tools for righting wrongs is the use of economic incentives and disincentives,” Roorda said. “As a state lawmaker, this sort of legislation is the only way I can send a message to the national sports leagues that have allowed steroids to become such a problem.”

The bill, HB2502, was filed the same day as the St. Louis Cardinals’ season opener, which Roorda will be attending this afternoon.

Sooze said...

Woohoo! I don't get to go to my first game until tomorrow night, which I'm sure will include a standing O for Torii during every at-bat. It'll be bitter-sweet for sure.

Yay baseballs!

stv364 said...

Baseball rules. I was at the Marlins/Yankees game the other night & it was great watching the game knowing the season opener was right around the corner.

I think the Yanks will score some runs, but the pitching concerns me. We'll see...

Let's go Yankees!!

sdm

Anonymous said...

It heartens me greatly to see that opening day, regardless of Japanese openers in middle March, remains Opening Day (proper noun). Oh, and that Johan Santana remains disgustingly good. Thanks Sooze; enjoy your Carlos Gomez. The driving rain in NYC was a bit more tolerable today because the water tasted and smelled of rawhide, stiches, and aged leather.

confused_questions said...

I'm sure that Chili dog was great, but it looks naaasstty.

Sarah said...

That chili dog was soooo good.

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