Best Opening Day ever? I say yes.

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Does it really need to be explained that better talent that is young and has all their service time is a better bet than aging middling players that are going to be expensive and on the wrong side of 30?

It doesn’t mean they will be better..it just means that it’s a smarter bet to make.

That sounds a little different from what you said before.  You were talking about who’s more talented, not who’s older or more expensive.  Honestly, this is a better argument than the one you made previously.   

My point is that guys who appear very talented when facing minor league competition sometimes turn out to be not as talented as people thought when their flaws are exposed in the majors.   And it’s tough to predict which guys it will be.   
 

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

That sounds a little different from what you said before.  You were talking about who’s more talented, not who’s older or more expensive.  Honestly, this is a better argument than the one you made previously.   

My point is that guys who appear very talented when facing minor league competition sometimes turn out to be not as talented as people thought when their flaws are exposed in the majors.   And it’s tough to predict which guys it will be.   
 

Disagree with a lot of what you are saying here. Your love for guys like Hays clouds your judgement of the legit talent the Os have imo.

But we agree that talent doesn’t mean production will occur..but I’ll take my chances with the level of talent these guys have.

And btw, age, service time and salary ALWAYS is part of any of these discussions. It’s like saying, “if you get enough in trade….”  That should go without saying.

[SteveA]

8 hours ago, Frobby said:

In my mind, how the rest of the season goes has nothing to do with how good Opening Day was.  How the season is expected to go does have a lot to do with it, however.  

I have to say, I wasn’t alive for 1954, but having a new franchise had to make that OD awfully hard to top.  
 

I get that... but several have mentioned that the memorable 1989 Opening Day was great.   Beating Clemens after being so awful the year before.   But I'll bet it would be a lot less remembered if we had gone out and had another 100 loss season in 1989 instead of the Why  Not turnaround.

[SteveA]

8 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

I haven't read through the whole thread, but the one opening day that's always stood out to me was '82. Really good team, I was 11, and on the first day of the season rookie Cal Ripken and Eddie both homer in a 13-5 win.

But yesterday was up there...

Yep, that was a great one.   Went with a bunch of high school friends, snuck out of school early.   Beautiful day out in the LF bleachers.   And Cal and Eddie homered, I think Dan Ford and maybe Roenicke too?   And one of them was a grand slam.   The first Opening Day I ever went to.