opening day

Ah, the best day of the year. Baseball is back. Went to the Pads game tonight, and enjoyed a 4-0 Jake Peavy win.

Funny, baseball is, the way it can afflict me with boundless optimism after one single game in a 162 game season.

Anyways, random thoughts:

• They had a "Padres Jukebox" thing where fans chose one of three songs based on applause. The choices were "American Girl" by Tom Petty, "Light My Fire" by The Doors, and "Born In The USA" by Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen won, and it occurred to me that probably 95% of people mistakenly believe it to be a patriotic, proud-to-be-an-American type song. Um, it's not. Have you read the lyrics?

• I was again very disappointed with the lack of creativity in song choices players picked for when they come to bat. Same old R & B and wuss-rock. What? No Slayer? SPEAKING of which. I have a great idea. You know how Trevor Hoffman started entering the game to AC/DC's "Hell's Bells" and it was pretty awesome and then every other reliever rode his jock and came up with their own entrance music? Well, it's lame and played out now. "Welcome To The Jungle"? Bo-ring. "Enter Sandman"? Yawn. But dude, what about Slayer? Imagine, the stadium gets quiet and dark, and then you hear
  
  Hell yes. I just saved baseball.

• Finally got to see the Tony Gwynn statue.

• Please stop the "Day-O" call-response. Freaking irritating.
• Note to between-innings entertainment producers: great plays are not "bloopers".

Ack, I'm harshing my own buzz. Let's be absolutely clear that was a great game and I'm glad baseball season is back. It's a large part of why I'm back in San Diego.