The Home Opener

In his first AB at his new home park, Victor Martinez doubled with the bases loaded. That was all the Tigers needed, as they defeated KC 5-2 in the 2011 home opener. 

MLB.com, a gathering place for young, hip baseball fans, has taken to calling the Tigers' new DH-catcher "V-Mart." 

Each generation of fans puts its own stamp on the game. The Tweet And Text (Twext?) Generation has done so by giving players nicknames that consist of a first initial and a shortened surname.  

In Tweetspeak, then, M-Scher allowed one run and seven hits through six innings, J-Ben pitched a scoreless eighth, and J-Val retired the Royals in order for his second save. J-Per singled and doubled, and drive in the other two runs. 

Now doesn't that look and sound stupid?

Royals rookie Nate Adcock, who hasn't been around long enough to have a Twext name, pitched three and one third scoreless innings in his major league debut.

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In the middle of today's Tiger game, I head that M-Ram had decided to retire. 

I made that up. He's already got a Tweet name. All you need to type, for everyone to know who you mean, is "Manny."

He hung them up rather than face a second suspension for testing positive, in spring training. Penalty for a second offense is one hundred games. Serving that would bring him back in mid-August, in time to lead the D-Rays' late-season push to get out of last place.

Ted Williams homered in his last at bat. Yaz took a victory lap. Manny Ramirez, who also patrolled the Fenway outer garden, flied out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of the D-Rays' 5-1 home loss to the Angels two nights ago. He asked out of yesterday's game, and quietly vanished. No ceremony. Just gone. Casey Kotchman gets another shot, and how did he end up in the minor leagues in the first place?

Cooperstown for arguably the best right-handed hitter of the pre-Twext generation is doubtful. All, however, is not lost. If he got nailed taking female hormones again, the women's baseball HOF remains a possibility.

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Al Gore insists the earth is getting warmer. A long time ago, Albert Hammond said it never rains in southern California.

Both would be confounded by tonight's Padres home opener.

Game time temp in paradise was 53 degrees. Players and coaches not on the field wore hooded sweatshirts. Rain halted play four times. In the pics, it looked like snow. Common sense finally prevailed after the fourth stoppage of play, at 1:13 AM in San Diego, and play was suspended, to resume this afternoon. Gameday Audio and determined umpires giving fans in the eastern time zone that rare opportunity to hear live play-by-play after four in the morning.