Roche: Opening Day Observations
BOSTON (CBS) - Another good day at the ballpark Monday for your 2013 Boston Red Sox. A solid 3-1 win in their home opener vs the Orioles and here are some observations:
--Can't see enough good things happen to Daniel Nava. He's the poster boy for never, ever giving up on your dream. Washing the Santa Clara baseball team uniforms at 2am in a bad area of town one day to hitting a grand slam in his first-ever MLB at-bat. And Monday, a game-winning three-run bomb to break a scoreless tie in the 7th inning. Nava has never stopped and has been able to build a lifetime of baseball memories no matter what happens from here on out. Pretty cool.
--I also love to see a manager believe in a player and have the guts to keep throwing him out there. Hard to explain that relationship, but it's such an integral part of both individual and team success.
--Nava told me that he sees a team that is already pulling for each other. How impressive it was to see everyone out on the top step of the dugout on opening day in NY after Jonny Gomes scored from second on a ground ball to the second baseman. Guys pulling for each other. Nava says he hasn't seen that kind of caring on a team he's been on since his independent ball days. Again, it's early, but this team has shown a likable quality.
--Both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are doing exactly what they needed to do coming out of the chute. Quality starts.
--Great to see that John Lackey looks like he's going to be OK after a major scare Saturday in Toronto. I would still throw him on the DL and tell him we'll see him again around May 1st. Don't mess with a strained bicep and don't push it too hard. Nice to see he got a great cheer when he was introduced on Monday.
--Congrats to John Farrell on his first Fenway win as manager.
--Andrew Bailey continues to dominate. Clearly when he's healthy he's as good a reliever as there is in the game.
--Nice low key ceremony orchestrated by Dr. Charles Steinberg and Sarah McKenna prior to the opener as they honored the 60th anniversary of the Jimmy Fund.
Great to have the season underway, eh? Enjoy the games.
