As I am writing this, I'm watching the Yankees take on Monday's opponent, the Arizona Diamondbacks. What makes this game a little bit interesting is that Shawn Chacon is on the mound for the Yanks. But I'm not going to go in that direction since I think it was well-covered last season.
Opening Day Lineup:
C - Danny Ardoin - With Yorvit Torrealba not dressing for the game Monday, Ardoin gets the start unless Hurdle loses his mind and starts J.D. Closser. The former McNeese State Cowboy showed great defense last season and hopefully a little more will come from his bat this year.
Update [2006-4-1 21:38:48 by Rox Fan in NY]: - Torrealba is heading to the DL. Miguel Ojeda will be on the roster, not Closser (links to official site don't always work out; just look there).
1B - Todd Helton - Uh, what is there really to say? Maybe the only thing would be to hope that no other announcer makes accusations against Todd.
2B - Luis A. Gonzalez - Ask a fan of a team outside the N.L. West about Luis Gonzalez and they'll probably talk about the guy on the D'Backs (or maybe I am being presumptuous about other fans in the N.L. West outside of the Rockies knowing L.A.G.?). But the Gonzalez on the Rockies has been just as valuable to the team as the other one has been to his team. A full season as a starter should make his numbers look pretty good.
SS - Clint Barmes - No more deer meat this season, Clint! On a more serious note he was slowing down by the time that incident occurred, but he'll need to maintain that production (a huge question) if he hopes to keep the position from going to Troy Tulowitzki any time soon. A return to the outfield, where he originally played, may not be out of the question if L.A.G. produces at 2B.
3B - Garrett Atkins - Maybe this guys name should be "Enigma"? If he can have an entire season like his June and Sept./Oct. months, then there really is a legitimate question as to the future of 3B for the Rockies. Until he proves that, Atkins is a useful stopgap for Ian Stewart (who won the Abby Greer Award, mentioned in the above link) and could be traded at the deadline..
LF - Matt Holliday - He averted disaster in the WBC after it appeared that he injured himself while playing the outfield. If he can continue doing what he did after the All-Star Break last season, he and Helton should be a pretty good duo in the middle of the order.
CF - Cory Sullivan - Last September assured him he would enter camp as the starter and while Choo Freeman had a great spring, Sully did nothing to prove he doesn't deserve to start. As with most Colorado hitters, he could learn a little patience and take a few more walks.
RF - Brad Hawpe - The Diamondbacks traded Karim Garcia to the Tigers for Luis Gonzalez. Oops, sorry about that. Michael Kay's voice just sometimes seeps into my thoughts. Scary! Anyway, Hawpe could be a decent lefty in the lineup, provided he's healthy, and his defense is also pretty good.
SP - Jason Jennings - Jennings gets this start a year too late. Moving along, he's a decent number three pitcher for most teams and is the number two on this team for the foreseeable future (I won't anoint Cook as the number one on this team until he has a full season of pitching. For now, Cook and Jennings are like 2A and 2B). Hopefully a quality start will help him stave off the usual sluggish April.