Big Opening Day W

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My wife loves to make fun of me because I refer to every victory as a "big W." I know there are 162 games and you need to win 85 to 95 of them to make the playoffs, but they still all seem big to me. If you're facing a bad team, you're happy you didn't blow a chance to get an easy win. If you've topped a good team, you feel like you're establishing yourself and stole an extra victory. If you win easy, it's a nice relaxed way to move into the next day. If you win a tight one, it feels good to get a big momentum boost.

Coming from behind on Opening Day and doing so with a 3-run jack with two outs in the 8th? I'd say that's a big W to anybody.

Didn't watch the game, just followed it online, but got these takeaways:

1. As I feared, Wise sucks. Struck-out 3 times and couldn't advance the runner when needed. It's one game, so I'm not gonna piss off any of you sabermetric types and Cubs fans by calling for a Juan Pierre deal just yet, but consider me leery.

2. Didn't catch why Buehrle was on a short leash (Farmer said he expected 60 pitches), but he made the most of them. And HUGE kudos to Clayton Richard for stepping in like he did. He's picked up where he left off late last season. That gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the inevitable Colon or (probably "and") Contreras injury.

3. Dotel and Jenks - love to see the pen get it done. I know he's just in his first year of arbitration eligibility, but Jenks has really bought into the team and the city, living here yearround. If he is healthy and effective again this year, I want to see him locked up, and I'm betting he's very interested in securing his spot with the club for a number of years. From the Sox standpoint, 90% of being a closer is mental, and Jenks seems to have the requisite make-up.

4. AJ, Alexei, and CQ failing to drive in runners on third with fewer than 2 outs - that can't happen. Thome bailed them all out, but that cannot become a habit. I'll give Meche credit for being a good pitcher and will respect that you can't be succesful every time, but you've got to take a small approach at the plate there - just looking to drive the ball and score one. Do that, and you often can end up with more.

5. KC won't be as good as a lot of pundits want to pretend they are (i.e. fringe division contenders), but they are definitely not patsies. Meche and Grienke are for real and they've got legit major league baseball players at nearly every position these days. They don't have the heavy lifters nor depth (hence why they won't contend), but they won't be an easy game and they'll get their share of wins.

6. So far, so good for Fields and Getz, the stories of the off-season and Spring Training. Fields laying down a bunt to start the 9th inning rally - beauty. Getz first-and-thirding 'em after Wise couldn't move Fields along - beauty. Fields coming through with a 2-out base knock to salvage one run in the bases loaded, no outs fiasco in the 2nd - beauty.

7. Cause I didn't watch the game, I can't comment specifically on AJ's getting thrown out at 2nd trying to stretch a single. He definitely loves to stretch it and more often than not he seems to be successful at it. I dig that kind of attitude, so I'll take the occasional gaffe, if it's not at the wrong time. I'm far more concerned with Dye getting thrown out at the plate in the 2nd on Fields' RBI single to left. Did Cox pick up where he left off last year, clueless as to guys' speeds and OF arms, as well as just not understanding basic base-running and fielding principles? Or was it a nice calculated risk with two-outs that was just thwarted by a good throw and play at the plate?


Thanks to implosions by "aces" Cliff Lee, Justin Verlander, and Francisco Liriano (actually, he wasn't too terrible), the ChiSox are sitting all alone in first place already. I'd prefer that fact not change.