Well, That Went Well

I'm not really sure what more you could expect from the start of the season. It was a beautiful day snuck in the middle of a pretty terrible stretch of weather. Your ace, the reigning Cy Young Award

winner, got the win. Your rookie sensation went deep. Your defensive whiz made a fantastic catch. Your championship football team made an appearance. What else is there?

I'm sure that by now you've all either seen the game itself, or enough of the highlights. But, beyond the box score, there were a few things that I took away from the game.

-In the stands before the game, we were all discussing the first pitch ceremony. Obviously the Patriots would be involved. But, who would we "rate" this time? Would we get Brady again, or a lesser tier star like Dion Lewis? Well, we apparently rated pretty high, because the Patriots sent everything but the kitchen sink. Not only the high and the low, but a couple guys in-between. I think it speaks to the level of respect between the organizations that the Patriots sent the best they had. And, not only did they send the best, but they made up a little skit. (At least I assume they had that pre-arranged. Guess I can't be sure with Gronk.) The only thing missing was a giant "6" on Brady's shirt. 

-Following my visit from Amanda Debus not too long ago, I was excited to see Chad Kuhl's pregame introduction. Making your MLB debut is an amazing feeling. But I assume this was his first announcement at a major league field. That gotta be another special moment.

-Chris Sale got a well-deserve ovation. As the biggest off-season acquisition by the Sox in a while, he deserved to be recognized for what we all hope will be a fantastic partnership.

-I was surprised that Rick Porcello stayed in the game as long as he did. I know he was pretty much in control until it got away from him. And, in September I would expect things to play out exactly like they did. But, on Opening Day with a five-run lead I would have expected a quicker hook. I guess you need to start him in the seventh, but maybe just allow him a baserunner. That would have both kept his pitch count a bit lower in the first game of the season, and allowed him to start the year on the right foot. 6.1 innings of one run ball is a better feeling than 6.1 and three runs.

-Craig Kimbrel needs a new entrance song. A song needs to start slow and build the excitement as the closer reaches the mound until the crowd is at a frenzy by the time warm-ups are over. He's practically got a ballad out there. Not what you want at all.

-Speaking of needing something new, the Win Dance Repeat needs some better execution. I think the whole thing has gotten away from them a little bit. What started as a really clever way to have some fun and honor a good performance has become a little forced. Unless the multi-dancing was just for Opening Day. But, they really should revert to the original.

I guess the Sox will just need to win the game tomorrow too to see if they do something new.

What did you notice yesterday?