Garbage

Game 1 - Red Sox

Kansas City Royals 7, Red Sox 1
Record: 0-1

My youngest daughter just poured a half-gallon of pee on our living room floor. And in the scheme of things, that was a more pleasant experience than watching/following the Sox' season opener in Kansas City. She's in the middle of potty training. I only wish I had as viable an excuse for the Red Sox.

On this beautiful spring afternoon, the worries of the Nation were in full bloom. Curt Schilling looked every bit his advanced age, getting in trouble from the opening frame, ultimately giving up 5 runs on 8 hits in just 4 innings to a middling Royal lineup. The bullpen did slightly better, but only slightly, allowing 2 more Royal tallies over the final 4 frames - with the final run scored on a particularly fat hanging breaking ball courtesy of erstwhile closer Joel Pineiro. And Jason Varitek, he of the .100ish Spring Training batting average, stayed in his - *ahem* - groove, going 0-for-4 and only getting 1 ball out of the infield.

While the fears of the Nation took center stage, the gotta-have hopeful elements of the lineup didn't do much to breed confidence. Julio Lugo debuted in Boston road grays with a 1-for-4, 3 strikeout effort. Coco Crisp, the much-hoped bounceback candidate opened up 0-for-3.

Even the givens kept their powder dry in this one, with Manny and Papi combining for 1 hit in 7 trips, though Ortiz' 1st-inning double plated the Sox' only run. J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia passed for bright spots in this otherwise bleak effort, turning in a 5-for-9 outing.

And despite all that, as my colleague notes just below, we don't know anything today that we didn't know yesterday. I just hope that my daughter hasn't graduated to tossing her shit around the room by Wednesday, when Josh Beckett makes his first start of the season.