2008 Woodie Awards
Opening Day shows payrolls, players and post-ponements
Ronald Blum (AP)
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Sports
Opening day - version No. 3 - was a soggy affair for much of the country.
Yankee Stadium's 84th and final home opener was rained out Monday, as was the Cardinals' opener in St. Louis.
There were a pair of delays at Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs began their 100th season since winning the World Series the same way so many of their seasons have ended - with a loss.
But there was plenty of baseball, too, with Joe Torre winning his first game as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Johan Santana getting the victory in his debut with the New York Mets.
"I called several of my players - my former players, I should say - to wish them luck," Torre said before the game, adding he heard back from Yankees manager Joe Girardi, catcher Jorge Posada and shortstop Derek Jeter.
"The guys I've been with, I basically called and wished them luck," Torre said. "They meant a lot to me. We had a great relationship."
Detroit's $138 million Tigers opened with a thud, losing 5-4 to visiting Kansas City in 11 innings, while Tampa Bay won 6-2 at Baltimore, Seattle defeated visiting Texas 5-2 and Minnesota beat Torii Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 at the Metrodome.
In the NL, Milwaukee beat the Cubs 4-3 in 11 innings, Los Angeles defeated visiting San Francisco 5-0, the Mets won 7-2 at Florida, Arizona won 4-2 at Cincinnati, Washington won 11-6 at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh outlasted Atlanta 12-11 in 12 innings at Turner Field, and San Diego blanked Houston 4-0.
The World Series champion Boston Red Sox and Oakland officially began the season last week when they split a two-game series in Tokyo. And in the first game at Nationals Park, Washington defeated Atlanta on Sunday night.
But the other 26 teams were scheduled to get under way Monday. With baseball now starting in March some years and the World Series threatening to stretch into November, weather increasingly factors into the start and finish.
In the Bronx, the tarp was still on the field when New York's game against Toronto was called after a wait of approximately 85 minutes. Players never got introduced, and Girardi's debut as Yankees manager was postponed.
Yankee Stadium's 84th and final home opener was rained out Monday, as was the Cardinals' opener in St. Louis.
There were a pair of delays at Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs began their 100th season since winning the World Series the same way so many of their seasons have ended - with a loss.
But there was plenty of baseball, too, with Joe Torre winning his first game as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Johan Santana getting the victory in his debut with the New York Mets.
"I called several of my players - my former players, I should say - to wish them luck," Torre said before the game, adding he heard back from Yankees manager Joe Girardi, catcher Jorge Posada and shortstop Derek Jeter.
"The guys I've been with, I basically called and wished them luck," Torre said. "They meant a lot to me. We had a great relationship."
Detroit's $138 million Tigers opened with a thud, losing 5-4 to visiting Kansas City in 11 innings, while Tampa Bay won 6-2 at Baltimore, Seattle defeated visiting Texas 5-2 and Minnesota beat Torii Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 at the Metrodome.
In the NL, Milwaukee beat the Cubs 4-3 in 11 innings, Los Angeles defeated visiting San Francisco 5-0, the Mets won 7-2 at Florida, Arizona won 4-2 at Cincinnati, Washington won 11-6 at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh outlasted Atlanta 12-11 in 12 innings at Turner Field, and San Diego blanked Houston 4-0.
The World Series champion Boston Red Sox and Oakland officially began the season last week when they split a two-game series in Tokyo. And in the first game at Nationals Park, Washington defeated Atlanta on Sunday night.
But the other 26 teams were scheduled to get under way Monday. With baseball now starting in March some years and the World Series threatening to stretch into November, weather increasingly factors into the start and finish.
In the Bronx, the tarp was still on the field when New York's game against Toronto was called after a wait of approximately 85 minutes. Players never got introduced, and Girardi's debut as Yankees manager was postponed.
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