European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 09, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday april 9, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 25opening Day takes its knocks by Ira Berkow. The new York times you realize of course that daring to say something negative about the opening of the baseball season is like putting the Knock on Christmas. Its practically Heathen if not totally in american and maybe even in Canadian these Days too the baseball season opened yesterday and Only someone with a heart like Scrooge a could utter _ a Humbug or in this Case gumball a in san Francisco it would be Humm Bug baby if you even suggest that maybe the opening of the baseball season is not All that great a thing you risk a rap in the Mouth. That a the Way it has become in America a place that is supposed to have Freedom of speech first amendment rights and All that. We be been calling baseball the National pastime for -4 so Long that it has integrated itself into our collective bloodstream forget that the people who began calling baseball 91 commentary bleacher bum Ronnie a woo Wood Wilkins can Start using his prize tickets at today s opener against Arch rival St. Let Ouis. It the National pastime were primarily the owners of the professional teams and the league officials who had a grub stake tied to the propagation of this game. We be bought it. And forget that besides the players salaries the prices of tickets parking and hot dogs sushi and bean sprouts in los Angeles Are All up at most ballparks. Opening Day of the baseball season has come to mean More than simply hearing those first stentorian words of Spring a play Ball a to academics opening Day begins the Symbol and the metaphor of baseball it represents what the nation is All about a combination of the old time far like individual Effort the Batter must do it alone and Industrial teamwork the double play or hitting the cutoff Man for a pay at the plate. To environmentalists opening Day begins the sowing of the seeds of trades and minor league development arid tasting the fruits of Spring training. To politicians who always Wrangle a Good seat for the opener and try to put the muscle on the club owner to throw out the first Ball it is a new Deal a new Frontier and most recently a new world order. To optimists opening Day is the perfect moment of the year everybody has a Chance for stardom. Every team has a Chance to win the world series. Every team in fact is tied for first place with a 0-0 record. To pessimists meanwhile opening Day is also a perfect moment every team is tied for last place but you done to hear much of that in mixed company. The reason is opening Day mirrors As much a sense of How the nation views Itsel fas anything in our Public lives. The crack of the Bat the cries of the crowd the smell of the grass in those Parks where the turf is not bogus represent the Start of springtime with probably even More certitude than your average Crocus or Robin and americans Are first in line when it comes to embracing the arrival of the Vernal Equinox. For All its problems this is still a sunny country believing that anything a possible if you work hard enough and Long enough and that the game is never Over until the last Man is out or until our most famous philosopher Yogi Berra pronounces that its not Over till its Over you doubt that Yogi Berra is our most famous philosopher name another living american philosopher Quick and if you have to go into extra innings Well that Sall part of the game of life As played in our local pastures Isnit it. Several years ago i met a Young woman from Poland who had been in the United states for one Day. I asked her what the difference is Between Eastern Europe and America. Quot in America a she said a people Are i done to remember if it was opening Day or not but it could have been. Or it could not have been. It seems though that if you took a Survey you just might find that there Are More smiles on opening Day in America than on any other Day of the year. Some people have said that sports is the opiate of the people because sports is like a religion. When they talk about that however a they mostly mean baseball. For neither the opening of the football season which is like the Start of acceptable warfare or the opening of the basketball season which is exciting but not deeply rooted in our consciousness from sea to shining sea or the Start of the hockey season which is like football on skates none of these is like opening Day. Ujj act opening Day Means just one thing baseball. And Here i make a confession. Like the general run of the populace i am also a sucker for baseball for All its Beauty and newness and rebirth and rejuvenation and refurbishing and remembering remembering the openers when you were a Schoolboy remembering the openers when you were like a Schoolboy. Yet for All that Mush there is a negative thought i have about opening Day. And i will stand up and throw caution to the winds and risk verbal and physical abuse and say it. Opening Day pal never comes soon enough. Sex surprises seek Tim a Ines looks to be in race again. By Tom Verducci. A new Day. A v the White sox and expos defied most expectations last year by emerging As contenders. Both i teams had a Chance to win their respective divisions at the Start of september. Now the difficulty begins to contend when they Are expected to. Chicago and Montreal Are Young teams facing that pressure for the first time. White sox manager Jeff Torborg saw what that did last year to the orioles who took a step backward after leaping Forward in 1989. A a there a something about that second year that a probably a mental thing a Torborg said. A it could happen to us. But if it does it wont be because of a Lack of enthusiasm or Torborg admits to some wariness because his team played 83 games last season that were decided by one or two runs. It won 52 of them. And the White sox had remarkably few injuries. None of their positional players missed significant time because of an injury. A a we la be a legitimate contender a Torborg said a unless we have injuries. We re not As deep As the expos were 4vi games out of the no East Lead with 13 games to play last notes season but faded with a 4-9 finish. It was a remarkable season considering the club had lost Mark Langston pascuit Perez Bryn Smith and Hubie Brooks to free Agency and was up for Sale. A i think last year saved the franchise in Montreal a manager Buck Rodgers said. A if we Hadnot played so Well and stirred enough interest to draw 1.5 million people i done to think local people would have come out to buy the after similar seasons Montreal and Chicago turned to each other for refinement. The White sox needing a Lead off hitter obtained Tim Raines from Montreal which filled its need for a no. 3 hitter by getting Ivan Calderon in the Exchange. The expos also obtained reliever Barry Jones in the Deal. A i think player for player we did real Well plus we got Barry Jones to Boot Quot Rodgers said. A a it a going to be a Good Trade for but Montreal already is discovering the difficulty of following a Surprise season especially in regard to its Young pitchers. Rodgers is concerned about Chris Nabholz who has done poorly this Spring 11 runs 12 hits and six walks in nine innings. Jirian Barnes has a Scire shoulder and was scratched from his last Start. Mark Gardner Hasni to regained the strength in his shoulder after undergoing off season surgery. A a it a a concern Quot general manager Dave Dombrowski said. A your bullpen May have to bail us out a to Jackson s injury has moved the braves to lean on Deion Sanders to give up football. A a it a Safe to say he a been reminded of that a few times in Camp a general manager John Schuerholz said. The braves had Sanders Bunting More than 200 balls every Day during an impressive training Camp. A a in my own baseball opinion Quot Schuur Holz said Quot he a going to lie an Impact National i eague Quot scouts and executives Are aghast alter getting their first Lookout the cubs George Bell in left Field. Said one a the is bad. I mean really bad. Your Advance scouting report is going to say a wait until you get something to hit to left Field. Hit whatever you can to a
