Opening Day!

By Jack Healey
Ok now it’s time to turn the page. The opening day ceremony at Fenway was pretty good even though you can put me down for one of those fans who thought it was a little strange that the players got their rings without being introduced.
I actually find it refreshing that any references I read about Curt Schilling were about the fact he was overweight rather than his political point of view.
I thought it was absurd that anybody would think that the players would be booed on a day of celebration. They weren’t during the opening ceremony, but once that was over and the game was underway any boos that Chris Sale got or any other player would be deserved. Hey it is now a new season right?
The Sox are 3-9 and teams that start 3-9 don’t go on to make the playoffs for the most part. Only 3 of the last 57 teams starting 3-9 have made the playoffs. Stats don’t lie, but I would guess that most teams that start out 3-9 aren’t very good in the first place and it wouldn’t matter if they started out 3-9 or 9-3 they still weren’t going to be in the playoffs.
I’ve written here before that the 2011 chicken and beer Red Sox started 2-10 and won 90 games. Those Sox didn’t make the playoffs that year because of what they did in September, not what they did in April. Yes April games count the same, but the Sox had a 9 game wild card lead going into September and blew it.
I’ve mentioned this too that the Yankees were 2-8 in 1977 and won the World Series and Baltimore started off 3-9 in 1979 and made it to the World Series.
I know what the arithmetic is, but I always hate it when people say that such and such a team has to play .600 ball the rest of the way etc. to reach the playoffs. Yes I get that, but what about taking it one game at a time and see where you stand after 40 or 50 games?
Oh by the way the Dodgers at one time last year stood at 16-26 and won 102 games and got to the World Series.
I’m going with Jordan Spieth to win the Masters.