After a long, ridiculous winter, and a long, questionable Spring Training, Opening Day is finally upon us. The grass is green, the dirt is brown, the uniforms have some semblance of Purple in them.
Yes folks, tonight, the Colorado Rockies will take on the Houston Astros in the opening series of their respective 2012 seasons down in Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX, before the Rockies return, the triumphant owners of a 3-0 record, to face off against their division rival San Francisco Giants and open the home season in the glory that is Coors Field.
One of these days, I'm going to get really creative and finally write my "A Baseball Carol" story.
This opening series will be a good series for both teams, despite the obvious fact that the Astros will be soundly trumped in all three games. It will be an opportunity for the Rockies to show their mettle against a young, but very promising team. It will be a chance for the Astros' youth to prove that they're more than just a ragtag group of youngsters as they square off against a very veteran Colorado Rockies team.
We've already seen an intriguing beginning to the 2012 MLB season. The Cleveland Indians, no thanks to Chris Perez, broke their own record of the longest Opening Day game in MLB history. Their original mark was a 15-inning game back in 1960 where they lost to the Detroit Tigers. True to form, in resetting the record, they lost in 16 to the Toronto Blue Jays by virtue of a J.P. Arencibia home run.
One of these days, I'm going to get good at using PhotoShop and make some ridiculous picture of Michael Cuddyer, fist full of playing cards, burying Ty Wigginton in the Coors Field infield dirt.
This season is really exciting for me, and it's not because I'm totally sure that the Rockies are going to dominate this year. I've said it a few times - I have roughly zero idea how the Rockies are going to finish in the NL West. It's a copout, but really, it could be 1st or 5th, and no finish is really going to shock me that thoroughly. It's the fact that I'm not going to be making excuses for Chris Iannetta's low batting average and stoic demeanor anymore. No more fighting over whether or not Ian Stewart's tweeting is what's holding him back. The players will perform how they perform, and the rationales are going to be all baseball related. Maybe age will hold them back, or maybe veteran experience will push them over the top. But it won't be about slopping hogs or Call of Duty or seeing-eye-single fistpumps.
I have this gut feeling that for better or worse, 2012 is going to be a turning point in the Colorado Rockies franchise, and I'm incredibly excited to see how it unfolds.
Rockies' Moyer feels like chaperone on flight to Houston | On the Rox — Colorado Rockies news — Denver Post
Holy crap, Jamie Moyer has 8 kids. What do you have to say to THAT, Melvin Mora?!
Helton to start 15th straight Opening Day | ColoradoRockies.com: News
I don't even think I have to talk much about how awesome Todd Helton is. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. They just aren't all admitting it.
Memorable Opening-Day Performances - Baseball Nation
Needs more Dante Bichette.
Opening Day III: Nod to the past, glimpse of the future, plus extra innings in Cleveland - The Washington Post
I have to agree with Rox Girl - Opening Day needs to go back to being a Day, not like 9 days.
Take a trip through baseball history with our Ultimate Opening Day Infographic - ESPN
Also needs more Dante Bichette, Todd Helton, and Colorado Rockies in general. But really, it's a pretty neat infographic, with artwork and everything!
Reasons For Optimism As Rockies Take The Field - SB Nation Denver
Dan Lucero has optimism as well: While hopes don't run as high on Opening Day for the Colorado Rockies in 2012 as they did in 2011, there's still the promise of something better than in years past.
Nelson gets inside track at third base - The Denver Post
While I'm not shocked, don't treat this as being written in stone. He has more MLB experience, regardless of quality, than Jordan Pacheco, and kind of "makes sense". Don't read TOO much into this. We'll see what they come up with over the next couple of weeks.