Hey if there’s anything we love as Americans it’s baseball, gambling, and porn but let’s face it the only real gamble on the third one is getting it done before the wife comes home so let’s focus on the first two. The baseball season kicked off for real yesterday… single night games and ones played in Tokyo just don’t register in my book and today is the opener for many others so let’s break down my three favorite games today.
Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles
Yes it’s the 20th anniversary of Camden yards—the Stadium that started a trend and made baseball an intimate family event again. Unfortunately twenty years later and the Orioles are nothing like this stadium was built for as J.J. hardy now play short where the great Cal Ripken did back then and on the mound is not Cy Young stud Rick Sutcliffe but Jake Arrieta. Ouch…. I know the O’s returned back to their old logo of the smiling Oriole but maybe they should have just made their logo a postage stamp because—with Arrieta as your Ace—they are mailing it in this season. Oh and here’s one more mid season predication, Nick Markakis and his homeland of Greece will both be under a different system come July
Twins +112
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
While the winless Marlins get all of the press in Florida, the Rays are the better of the states two. And while any Boston fan can tell you the last two times these two teams met the Yankees took a 7-0 lead into the eighth only to fall 8-7 in twelve, this is a new year and both the Yankees and Rays face a daunting April as both face 15 and 16 games respectively against teams that are predicted to be playing in October. C.C. Sabathia takes the mound today with a 0-7 career record against the Rays but did you know that since putting on pinstripes C.C. is only 2-6 versus the Rays. Perhaps Sabathia—whose focus has been to take out the BoSox needs to take a lesson from Jeff Irwin the crocodile hunter—just cuz your famous for taking out one foe, doesn’t mean the rays won’t kill you.
Tampa Bay Rays +117
Seattle Mariners at Oakland A’s
A little late night action to wet your beak. No one cared about these two teams when they “opened” the season in Tokyo so why start now. Aside from Ichiro and Felix Hernandez—who is not starting—it’s JasonVargas vs. Brandon Mcarthy for Oakland—can you name anyone on this team? Exactly. It’s fitting the A’s play in Overstock.com stadium—because just like the website—it’s filled with stuff nobody wanted. Still I love this McCarthy Kid and Yoenis Cespedes in his American debut,
Oakland -146