I hate the fact that I have to preface saying "I love this team" by saying that it doesn't mean I didn't love last year's team, but...I love this team! I love that we went into the Classy Dome with pretty much every single guy sporting some sort of facial hair, as if to rub it in their smooth faces that they're not allowed to be human beings.

What was with the Yanks playing the Star Wars "evil" music for us and the "good" for them when the teams were announced? Didn't they just recently sue somebody for using the Evil Empire term because it's what they embrace and call themselves? It's like a double reverse. First they try to lessen its meaning by faux-embracing it, then they go and try to pass it off on somebody else--the team that coined it in the first place. Stupid Yankees. Go be old and shit. Of course Joba, trying to push his way into some other team's starting rotation, came out with the mustache going right to the Official Robot Limit and some half-burns. He's pushin' his luck!

You know a guy actually called the FAN after the game to say what a travesty it was that they didn't fly Jeter in? The guy legitimately thought that his mere presence would electrify the crowd and somehow make the team win. He really acted like it was a no-brainer, saying "come on!" That's how loopy people are over this person. Even Francesa basically called the guy a fool and hung up on him.

Castiglione is just as in love with Bradley though. It was awesome. "What discipline!" At one point Gomes slid into home and Joe called it as Bradley first before correcting. Joe, every guy can't be Bradley! I liked how in his post-game interview, Jackie's answer to Dell's standard "what have these last few days been like" question was "pretty exciting." Because my mom calls him "Mr. Excitement." My dad is going with the lengthier "Jackie Rogers Junior's One Hundred Thousand Dollar Jackpot Wad." Anyway, he did have a hell of a game for not getting a hit. On that catch, he said he took his eyes off the ball but found it again at the last second. He always makes it "look so easy," as humans say. He needs a helmet that fits though. All through spring training that thing was falling off. It might be because he wears the skull cap underneath. I'm worried he's gonna get hurt somehow. But he must like it that way. I'm glad his family got to see his first game. I hope I see that crew at Fenway this year.

CANO. I like it when he effs up more than that guy who played Mr. Bookman likes butter in his ass and lollipops in his mouth. This one wasn't quite as fun since it wasn't a case of pure nonchalance, he just kind of missed the ball, but it led to the runner being safe and another one scoring. Really fun stuff. At a key time in the game.

Youk did his usual "not come through and get all mad" all day, so that was good too. My mom: "He made such a fool of himself." My girlfriend: "He looks like such a jackass."

Lester came through in outing #1. Five innings, held the lead. The 'pen gave up nothing, and those three strikeouts with the tying run at bat were huge. About them, Francesa had the nerve to say, "we talked about it all winter: the Red Sox have a great bullpen." No, Mike, for three quarters of the winter, you dismissed the Red Sox as a 70-win team before someone finally whispered in your ear that we actually made some really good moves bullpen-wise in the offseason.

Overall a great job by everybody, and it feels good to get a win on day one when you've got a day off after that. It's been a while since we had the early good feeling. It's also great to see an empty Yankee Stadium as our team celebrates on their field. And it's good to have more than 20 baserunners in a Sabathia game.

Mistake report: Jon Rish isn't that great and isn't getting any better. Man on third, his call is: "Bunt attempt....and Middlebrooks dives back at third." Okay, I'm thinking he had come a little ways down the line and the catcher threw behind him, and batter had just bluffed a bunt. Then Rish casually goes, "suicide squeeze." What? First of all, you can't just add that in later, it's kind of important. Second of all, it's not a suicide if the guy's still standing on the bridge! This is what we in the baseball community call a "safety squeeze." But I guess this professional baseball announcer isn't familiar with his baseball terms. (PS I said that bridge line out loud in the car as Kim and I were driving over the Newport Bridge as she gave me a ride to pick up my car in the shop. It was perfect. You shoulda been there.) Oh and Rish also said "Boone Logan hasn't thrown a strike yet!" Sure, it was true. But Logan had only thrown two pitches at that point.

And one quick one from NESN. See if you can spot the misspelling. (If you can't, I'm sure you'll do what NESN didn't do: look it up. But come on, you can't expect them to know how to spell a guy's name who's been in baseball for only fifty years.)

That reminds me. Don was asking Remy which Yankee players he hated in the 70s. Remy played coy for a while, but finally described Thurman Munson as "a bit of a....person who's not very likable." Something like that, but the point was, he said asshole without saying asshole. I thought that was great.

Anyway, I'm glad the cat is out of the cupboard on the 2013 season on a good note.