Opening Day IGT, 4/6/09, Mets @ Reds

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I am afraid of the Reds, who have the makings of a good pitching staff (Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Cueto, Micah Owings) and a few good young hitters (Bruce, Votto, etc) and made a point to try and improve one of ther worst D's in the game last year. Not a top offensive team by any stretch but maybe its good that they are finally moving on from Griffey.

I predict they will get some buzz as a "sleeper" team and have articles written about them asking if they are "This year's Rays." They probably won't be, but I think they could be be tougher customers than usual this year.

It's also nice that we're here in Cincinnati, where Opening Day is supposed to be. Hey look, here comes the Opening Day Parade led by Grand Marshal Frank Robinson. Here's the Queen City's Own Nick Lachey to throw out the opening pitch (retch).

The (projected) starting lineups!

Reyes, SS
Murphy, LF
Beltran, CF
Wright, 3B
Delgado, 1B
Church, RF
Schneider, C
Castillo, 2B
Santana, P

Willy Taveras, CF
Brandon Phillips, 2B
Jay Bruce, RF
Joey Votto, 1B
Edwin Encarnacion, 3B
Ramon Hernandez, C
Jerry Hairston Jr., LF
Alex Gonzalez, SS
Edinson Volquez, P

[Fman99]

You get credit for enthusiasm in posting this 17 days shy of first pitch. I approve.

I am pondering taking a half day that day, to go home and watch the game on my big-ass-TV.

[seawolf17]

For Chrissakes, StevieJeets. Why don't you throw some Billy Joel lyrics in there?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

These are the days to remember
For they will not last forever

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Uptown Girl
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls

[TransMonk]

Here's hoping we fare better than the last time we opened the season in Cincy.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Your eyes are saying 'Talk to me'
But you're attitude is 'Don't waste my time'

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

And I believe there is time for meditation in cathedrals of our own

[metirish]

I like the 2B Phillips.


I can't wait to see what this thread looks like by opening day...an auspicious start anchored by JCL.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Man, I want to punch TransMonk for that last comment.

Props to Lunchtime for boldly predicting tha Moify will have wrested the two-slot from Castillo by opening day.

Oh, and

Rose, he knows he's such a credit to the game

But the Yankees steal the headlines every

TIIIIIIIME!

Shit. Now I want to punch me.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yes I put Murph in the 2-hole vs. righthanded starters at least.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Phillips... Encarnacion... Volquez...

Nope, no Randa. We're good.


(NOTE: The "sleeper" team thing has already started.

In which the departures of Dunn and Griffey are recast as a cleansing forest fire, facilitating regrowth: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3989234)

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

metirish wrote: I like the 2B Phillips. I can't wait to see what this thread looks like by opening day...an auspicious start anchored by JCL.

What song is that in? Does he have a new CD out there?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: ="metirish"]I like the 2B Phillips. I can't wait to see what this thread looks like by opening day...an auspicious start anchored by JCL. What song is that in? Does he have a new CD out there?

... 2-Bee Phil-lips, Hair-ston, EDWIN EN-CAR-NA-CI-ON!

We didn't break the Jun-ior...

[TransMonk]

Where am I getting punched?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Right in the Randa.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Margie loved Reds
Margie loved whites
Wouldn't pay for Davis' airplane flight

[TransMonk]

Edgy DC wrote: Right in the Randa.

At least it's not in the Looper.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Rooo-oh-eh-ose...
Bets the longest odds. (Odds!)

[Gwreck]

]I am pondering taking a half day that day, to go home and watch the game on my big-ass-TV.

Did one better and took the whole day off work.

Will be in attendance.

Where'd you see that parade info? I gotta start planning the trip.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Well we're gonna make this Seaver Town
Grant no longer wants him around
We'll throw them Stevie Hendeson
Zachry and Flynn, Danny Norman

Tell Dick Young to get busy now
Write a column that will make Tom howl
Something nasty about Nancy and Ruth
We sure don't care if it ain't the truth
And we're gonna make this Seaver Town



(Man, 30 years later I'm still not over this!)

[Guest themetfairy]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Well we're gonna make this Seaver Town (Man, 30 years later I'm still not over this!)

None of us is.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

More pre-game festivity detail.

Aaron Harang, not Volquez, to start.

Goshorn Brothers Band = what became of the Pure Prairie League

]MTV stars to sing at Opening Day MTV�s teenage �Taking the Stage� stars will be taking the field for Opening Day at Great American Ball Park, along with the UC�s Big East champion football team and coach Brian Kelly, Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and singer Nick Lachey. Mia Carruthers, 17, a School for Creative & Performing Arts senior, will sing �The Star-Spangled Banner� before the April 6 game. She will be surrounded by nine SCPA students from MTV�s reality series shot at the school. Lachey, a 1992 SCPA graduate and creator of the MTV show, will toss out the ceremonial first pitch. For the national anthem, the UC football team will hold the giant American flag in the outfield. Then coach Kelly will deliver the game ball to starting pitcher Aaron Harang on the mound, the Reds said. Robinson, the National League rookie of the year for the 1956 Reds, will serve as honorary team captain for the game. He will start his day as grand marshal of the 90th Findlay Market Opening Day parade at 10:30 a.m. Other festivities include: --Bronson Arroyo riding in the Findlay Market parade, a first for a Reds player. --Second baseman Brandon Phillips receiving his 2008 Rawling�s Gold Glove trophy before the game. --An Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force color guard participating in pre-game ceremony. --Cincinnati firefighter John Winfrey singing �God Bless America� during the game. --The team asking for a moment of silence to honor Glenn Sample, the longtime Reds official scorer who died Nov. 21. His former booth will be named in his honor. --The UC marching band playing �Take Me Out To The Ball Game� during the seventh-inning stretch. --The Goshorn Brothers performing a pregame concert in the Fan Zone. Ball park gates will open at 11:10 a.m. First pitch is 1:10 p.m

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ruh-oh. Rain forecast for Sunday and Monday in Cincy, then turning colder with light snow Tuesday.

[seawolf17]

The opening sentence of that article reads almost as though Frank Robinson and Nick Lachey were going to perform together.

[Gwreck]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Ruh-oh. Rain forecast for Sunday and Monday in Cincy, then turning colder with light snow Tuesday.

50% chance on Monday, per Weather.com.

National Weather Service doesn't even project that far out.

[stevejrogers]

seawolf17 wrote: For Chrissakes, StevieJeets. Why don't you throw some Billy Joel lyrics in there?

JUST FOR THAT WOLFIE:

Baby, if you ever wondered
Wondered, whatever became of me
I'm living on the air in Cincinnati,
Cincinnati, WKRP

Got kind of tired of packing and unpacking
Town to town, up and down the dial
Maybe you and me weren't meant to be
Just stop and think of me every once in a while
I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati.

And the opening lines of Jimmy Buffet's "Fins"

She came down from Cincinnati
It took her three days on the train
Lookin' for some peace and quiet
Hoped to see the sun again...

[Benjamin Grimm]

Did Billy Joel sing the WKRP theme?

I find myself selfishly hoping for a Monday rainout, because if it's played on Tuesday afternoon instead I'll be able to watch.

[seawolf17]

="Benjamin Grimm"]Did Billy Joel sing the WKRP theme?

Yeah, no kidding. Now I'm even more confused than I was by a two-week-early IGT.

[bmfc1]

[u:2e0eb76888]Newsday [/u:2e0eb76888]has the Mets Opening Day line-up:

Reyes - SS
Murphy - LF
Wright - 3B
Delgado - 1B
Beltran - CF
Church - RF
Schneider - C
Castillo - 2B
Santana - SP

Reds Zone has the Reds line-up:

1. Jerry Hairston, Jr. CF
2. Darnell McDonald LF
3. Joey Votto 1B
4. Brandon Phillips 2B
5. Jay Bruce RF
6. Edwin Encarnacion 3B
7. Ramon Hernandez C
8. Alex Gonzalez SS
9. Aaron Harang P
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