European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 8, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 8, 1992 the stars and stripes c Page 25 opening Day is something special by Ben Walker a baseball writer optimism was in the air. Heck even the Cleveland indians Hadnot lost a game yet. And of course there was Nice weather. There always is on opening Day. Baseball 1992 began a season of new faces new places and new chases monday at 1 09 . Edt in Tiger stadium when Devon White fouled off the first pitch from Bill Gullickson. By the time it was All done president Bush had thrown a wild pitch As Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened for business in Baltimore and Nolan Ryan had made his Best pitch in Seattle. Jack Morris and the Minnesota twins meanwhile picked up where they left off last year albeit in different cities. A crowd of 44,568, including Bush showed up in sunny Baltimore to see the new stadium. The Ballpark blends modern Day amenities such As fresh crab cakes at the Concession stands with old time flavor featuring the City Skyline beyond Center Field a bricked 94-year-old warehouse beyond right and a 25-foot scoreboard built into the right Field Wall. A this Camden Yards it is Beautiful a Bush said. A it was great it was a great Day and a wonderful Friendly crowd and a magnificent tribute to  Bush a ceremonial first pitch was in the dirt just like last year when he threw out the opening Ball in Texas where his son George w. Bush owns the rangers. A i wanted to keep it away. Down and out As they say a Bush said. Later the president visited the television Booth and did a Little play by play As Billy Ripken grounded out to shortstop. A what do we got. One and one. Here comes the pitch. Getting ready. Here it comes. And he a Down there to the shortstop and out he goes. Six to three. Him the series most valuable player award. A this is not the world series Quot Morris said. A opening Day is More festive. The bleacher creatures arc out there cheering All the time. 1 Don t know for what. Maybe they were cheering themselves. Who knows a there were big cheers for Lulu Devine. Miss Devine an exotic dancer and Morganna Wanna by became the first fan on the Field in 1992 when she jumped a i a a i int Over a railing in Detroit and ran up to Pat that a a a a i Blue jays. Borders in tie batters Box. A few pitches later Borders hit a Home run for the president Bush a delivery was smooth but he still one hopped the opening pitch. Easy play a Bush described. Rick Sutcliffe was the big Star in Baltimore pitching a 2-0 shutout against Cleveland which lost a team record 105 times last year. Sutcliffe was one of several top names to switch teams in an of season marked by spiralling salaries there Are now 271 millionaires in the majors 38 percent of All player pushing the average contract to More than $1 million for the first time. Morris last seen pitching one of the most memorable shutouts in world series history began this year with eight shutout innings for his new club the Toronto Blue jays. A Home run by Cecil fielder spoiled the shutout but not the Day for Morris who beat Detroit 4-2. Morris jilted his Hometown team the twins last Winter and joined Toronto for $10.85 million for two years. He signed soon after pitching a 1-0,10-inning Victory against Atlanta in game 7 that gave the twins the championship and gave a i done to know maybe she got my adrenaline flowing there Quot Borders said. In Milwaukee vice president Dan Quayle began the Day with an up and away toss before the game Between the Brewers and twins. Kirby Puckett then made sure Minnesota got off to a Good Start with a Home run and the twins went on to a 4-2 Victory. Later Montreal unveiled its new Blue uniforms at Pittsburgh. The expos Are one of several teams to sport a new look this season. And today Philadelphia was to show off its uniforms for the first time. Baseball was not the Only big game monday but it was the Only game that interested tigers announcer Bob Rathbun. Even though Duke and Michigan played at night for the Mcaa basketball title it Dinh matter to Rathbun. A there is no other event in professional sports that compares with opening Day he said. A nobody gets this excited about the first game of football season. When the pistons throw it up its just one of 82. This is a special Day. A mainly the Winter is Over. Spring is Here. Things grow from the Earth again a he said. A people come out and forget their problems forget about the Auto in Dusty. This is  giants Pound dodgers monday by the associated press los Angeles Bill Swift who came to san Francisco from Seattle in the Kevin Mitchell Trade made his first Start after 88 Relief ?1 winning one As the giants beat los Angeles 8-1 monday on opening Day. Swift who relieved in 71 games for the mariners last season blanked the dodgers until the eighth inning. Making his first Start since aug. 22, 1990, Swift allowed seven hits and one run in 7% innings. Ramon Martinez a Winner of 37 games Over the last two seasons had a horrible time in his first opening Day Start allowing seven hits walking three and hitting a Batter in 2% innings. Cory Snyder Robby Thompson and Darren Lewis had three hits apiece to highlight the giants 17-hit attack. In other games monday pirates 2, expos 0 Pittsburgh Doug Drabek pitched like the by Young award win Ner of 1990 with eight shutout innings As Pittsburgh beat Montreal. Drabek Winner of just one of his first seven decisions last year before finishing 15-14, allowed five singles and also drove in a run in the pirates two run second inning. Pittsburgh had won just four times in its previous 12 season openers and had lost six of its last eight on opening  4, cardinals 2 St. Louis a Bobby Bonilla the Metsy $29 million Man hit two Home runs including a two run shot in the 10th inning to lift new York past St. Louis. The victoj7 made Jeff Torborg a Winner in his managerial debut with new York and gave the mets their 16th Triumph in the last 18 season openers. Vince Coleman led off the 10th with a bunt single narrowly avoiding a sweeping tag by first baseman Andres Galarraga and advanced on a sacrifice before Bonilla homered off loser Lee Smith. 60,431 watch cubs beat Phillies Philadelphia a Mark graces two run Homer sparked Chicago As the cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 tuesday to make Jim Lefebvre a Winner in his first game As manager of the team. The Phillies lost their eighth straight opener and 17th in the last 21. The crowd of 60,431 was the largest Ever at veterans stadium for a Day  tuesday trailing 3-0, the cubs scored in the fourth when with one out Andre Dawson singled and Grace homered Over the right Field Wall. They added two More in the fifth on singles by Pitcher Greg Maddux and Shawon Dunston Sammy Sosa a double and a sacrifice  leads o s in Camden Yards debut by the associated press Baltimore a the Baltimore orioles moved into their new stadium in style monday beating the Cleveland indians 2-0 behind Bunting base running and Brilliant pitching by Rick Sutcliffe. A crowd of 44,568, including president Bush showed up at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and saw Baltimore become the first team since 1977 to win its stadium opener. Camden Yards with its modern Day amenities and an old time flavor was the focus of the Day rather than the team. But Sutcliffe stole the Thunder with a 5-hit, 6-strikeout Effort. In other games twins 4, Brewers 2 Milwaukee a Chuck Knoblauch a fourth single of the game scored Greg _. P. A Gagne with the go ahead run in the ninth inning As Minnesota opened defense of its world championship by beating Milwaukee. Athletics 5, royals 3 Oakland Calif. A Mike Bordicks two run bases loaded single capped a three run eighth inning that carried Oakland past Kansas City. Trailing 3-2, the a a loaded the bases and tied the score on came Lansford a infield single off reliever Jeff Montgom Ery that shortstop David Howard knocked Down. Bordick lined the next pitch up the Middle scoring Mark Mcgwire and Terry Steinbach for the deciding runs. Rangers 12, mariners 10 Seattle a Nolan Ryan added some Rick Sutcliffe. Impressive showing More history to his records although not another Victory As the Texas rangers survived an opening Day slug est in the kingdom by scoring nine runs in the eighth inning. The mariners broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the sixth and scored two More in the seventh for an 8-3 Lead before the rangers rallied. The big hit for the rangers in the eighth was a three run Pinch Homer by Geno Petralli off loser Mike schooler the sixth Pinch Homer of Petrallia a career to give Texas a 9-8 Lead