Instead of days or months until Opening Day, there is less than four hours to go before the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox take the field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to open the 2012 campaign as the Rangers and their fans are hoping the third time is the charm after the Rangers have come out on the wrong end of the World Series the past two seasons.
Today at the ballpark, there will be a flyover, a grand National Anthem, the wonderful Chuck Morgan on the PA announcing the rosters, including the biggest off-season acquisition of them all, Yu Darvish.
Brave souls will partake in the two-foot, $26 hot dog. Some will succeed, others will fail.
Fans will without a doubt be graciously jeering new White Sox manager Robin Ventura as the Rangers have disappointedly declined to show the video of the team's owner and president Nolan Ryan putting the smack down on Ventura decades ago.
Colby Lewis will take the mound as an Opening Day starter for the first time in his career after two great postseasons for the Rangers the past two seasons. Is he the team's best starting pitcher? Not close. But today is about pageantry and nothing better exemplifies the pageantry of Opening Day than naming a ceremonial Opening Day starter.
Yeah, today is technically MLB's fourth opening day, but it's the only one that counts around these parts.
Red Fever begins today, folks.
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Here's a look at today's Rangers lineup:
1. Ian Kinsler (2B); 2. Elvis Andrus (SS); 3. Josh Hamilton (CF); 4. Adrian Beltre (3B); 5. Michael Young (DH); 6. Nelson Cruz (RF); 7. Mike Napoli (1B); 8. David Murphy (LF)/Yorvit Torrealba (C); 9. David Murphy (LF)/Yorvit Torrealba (C); Colby Lewis (RHP).
There you go. Enjoy.
