Happy Opening Day!

At last, at last, this painfully long offseason is over and it is time for baseball again. This afternoon, we’ve got a pitching matchup that a lot of baseball folk are interested in: Verlander against Greinke. Of course, when the matchup is that hyped, oftentimes one of the guys doesn’t show up. Verlander’s not had a lot of luck in his past Opening Day starts. Greinke’s never had one before. Both got roughed up in their final tune-ups in spring training. Most of the Tigers don’t have particularly great numbers against Greinke except for, of all people, Gerald Laird and Johnny Damon. Both are 6-for-17 (.353 average) against Greinke. Brandon Inge is the only current Tiger to have homered off of Greinke (he’s done it twice). On the flipside, Verlander’s owned most of the Royals except for Billy Butler (11-for-26) and Alberto Callaspo (3-for-7). Still, I’m sure all us Tigers fans will be biting our nails during this one. And now for the first Mood Music of the season. It’s my traditional Opening Day anthem: “Rockin’ the Paradise” by my favorite band, Styx. Enjoy, and go Tigers!