Who had the worse hangover on Sunday: David Wells (from drinking) or the entire Boston Red Sox team (perhaps still a bit drunk on happiness from '04)?
Wells' affinity for drinking is well known (he claims to have been "half-drunk" when he pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees in 1998), but the Red Sox have not been in the position of defending champions in 86 years (something you might not have known). There was much anticipation of how both teams would react to their new dynamics.
With all of the hype surrounding their opening game with the Yankees, nothing particularly exciting occurred. There were no brawls. No trash-talking. Despite some sloppy play at times from Boston, this game went pretty much according to plan. After all, David Wells vs. Randy Johnson is not exactly a fair matchup (no disrespect to Wells, but Johnson is one of the greatest pitchers of all time).
Once the Yankees got out to a 4-1 lead, the game was pretty much over. That is exactly why New York acquired Johnson; they did not have a pitcher in the rotation who could completely shut Boston down at any point last season.
So have the Red Sox been celebrating too much and not focusing on baseball? Is their season over? Not so fast. Some of Boston's problems were on display last night, but it's far, far too early for Red Sox fans to panic.
One area of concern is the bullpen. Even though it's silly to base anything on the first game of the season, it is still notable that the Sox got a shaky outing from Matt Mantei, whom the team hopes could emerge as a top setup man. Mantei was throwing in the mid-90s, which is good news for Boston, but his control was shaky. If Mantei's problems are more than just early-season rust, the team might need to make a move. Mike Timlin and Alan Embree are decent pitchers but don't throw as hard as they used to.
David Wells looked a bit shaky at times, but he was able to throw strikes as he usually does. Because he is often around the plate, he will get hit on occasion, and yesterday was one of those times, but the Yankee lineup deserves a lot of the credit for the pounding that Wells took.
The Yankees swung the bat the way that one would expect from that lineup. Last season, Alex Rodriguez struggled at times, Jason Giambi had a parasite and a tumor, and Derek Jeter had an awful April and May. Although it's early, things seem to be clicking for the Bronx Bombers. They are healthy and players like Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui seem even more comfortable.
Bernie Williams might be the lone exception, as his bat looked fairly slow. Tony Womack isn't looking particularly good either, and Tino Martinez should be fine, but the other six spots in the lineup are all potential all-stars.
The Yankees also flashed some leather last night, something they haven't done consistently since the late 1990s. Rodriguez was an excellent third baseman last year in his first year playing the position, but he looks like he's getting even better with another year of experience at the hot corner. The addition of Tino Martinez should help significantly as well.
Still, Yankee fans shouldn't start celebrating quite yet. The Yankee pitchers won't always be dominant enough to keep the ball from sailing deep into centerfield and thus forcing aging Bernie Williams to do some running. Centerfield could become a serious problem for New York as the season progresses.
Yet the biggest issue for New York will be whether Johnson and Kevin Brown can stay healthy (Brown is already starting the season on the DL with back problems). This season for the Yankees, it may be that as Johnson goes, so go the Yankees.
