And Here We Go

Ladies and gentlemen the wait is over.  It's been roughly six whole months since the Yankees last walked off the field in a disappointing fashion.  Today marks the start of a new season and an opportunity to start something great.  Will it be easy?  Absolutely not.  The AL is stacked with Anaheim, Texas, Detroit, Boston, Tampa Bay, and the Yankees all competing for playoff spots.  Each team is more than capable of winning 90+ games and anything less would be considered a disappointment across the board.

Today the Big Fella CC Sabathia will take the hill in Tampa against James Shields in what I would expect to end up being a pitchers duel.  It's time to throw any preseason stats out the window, as CC will no doubt kick it into gear and rise to the occasion, because well, that's just what he does. 

It's also fitting Derek Jeter should be leading off the season.  He's getting up there but you sense there's plenty of gas left for at least one more title run.  ARod's finally at peace with being an awkward person and the New Guard: Cano, Granderson, Swisher, and Texeira all need to be on top of their games to make it happen.

All that said, every Yankees Opening Day should be a national holiday.  Nowhere in America is a there a better organization that represents this country.  Losing is not an option, and everyone should be able to witness this without having to decide which window to keep open from the cubicle - the Masters or the Yankees. 

Hope everyone has their favorite coozie out, has access to both the Masters and the Yanks, and enjoys both displays of greatness.  The quest for 28 gets under way in 10 minutes, and I'll be watching every damn minute of it.  Cheers.