Jimmy Rollins got the biggest ovation, and lots of chants of MVP, in the opening game ceremonies yesterday.It was steady rain and fog all the way to Philadelphia yesterday morning. About 10 minutes from home I was almost taken out by two deer that streaked in front of the car, but managed to discourage the two trailing. The gloomy weather, however, did not dampen the spirits of the sell-out crowd of 44,500+ on hand for opening day, or stop the flow of beer. Michael Nutter, the likeable new mayor of Philadelphia, threw out the first pitch, wearing a Phillies jersey nerdily tucked into his jeans. That didn't stop him from throwing a straight strike from the mound, which earned him kudos from receiver Chris Coste. Must have been a thrill for Coste, too, taking part in his first big league opener. Reliever Brad Lidge had come north for the festivities and got a rousing welcome. Adam Eaton got the predictable reception and tipped his cap to the boobirds. P.A. announcer Dan Baker's intro for C-OH-OH-OH-OH-OH-LE Hamels was over the top but brought lots of cheers.
My seats, courtesy of Mrs. October, were great, between home and third. Starter Brett Myers was good early on, then hit a guy, and in the 5th went into a funk. By the time he staggered through the inning, the Nats were not only on the board but had taken a 4-2 lead, helped in part by an odd JRoll error. In stepped Ryan Madson, who dispatched the first two batters, then gave up a single and almost on cue hung one for a 2-run homer. Chase Utley answered with a solo home run to right and in the 7th J-Roll evened things up with a 2-run homer. Then came the terrible ninth, when Tom Gordon went from Flash to Crash. After a quick out, he surrendered five (how was that possible) runs, and people finally started heading for the exits. Another Phillies error, this time by catcher Carlos Ruiz, featured in the Nats' scoring. Ruiz made two errors last season, his first coming in August. What was going on yesterday with the sure-handed men?
The weather was lousy but what else do you expect for opening day in the northeast? The Phillies have a terrible record at CBP for home openers, no matter who they play. The Nats are not a good team but always give the Phillies fits. Seems too to me that Myers has had trouble with Nats/Expos throughout his career. But the worst thing about losing on opening day is that there's no game today.
