Apr. 3 2011 - DET v. NYY - Colon a Stinker

Couldn't have picked a more different game than Opening Day despite matching up the same two teams.

60 degrees and sunny vs 30 degrees and rainy. Home run derby vs. Pitchers duel. Huge fat pitchers I love vs. huge fat pitchers I hate.

I am of course, talking about the one and only Bartolo Colon. Like most Yankees fans, we spent the spring hearing about Colon's 94 mph fastball and his surprising success he was having against minor league hitting.

We knew better.

So with the heart of the lineup coming up in a 1 run game, and Miguel Cabrera having already mashed two balls into the State Farm seats in left, Joe went to the Bart.

6 pitches later, the game is 7-4.

Another 2 runs in the 6th, and the Yankees are again down 9-6, and Bartolo's reputation in the Bronx is forever smeared as a fat goon.

Here were some impressive heckles tossed on the field:

"Hey Colon! Even your name's an a**hole!"

"You fat slob, I bet you have Type III Diabetes!"

"You still weigh more than your ERA you bum!"

All Colon bashing aside, this was a game full of heroes and goats. Jorge proved early that he's got plenty of gas left in the tank, and while he'll never get the keys to the catching castle, his two dingers left no doubt that he's still a premier hitter. Also, the way Russell Martin has played in his first weekend as a Yankee, we don't NEED Jorge behind the plate. I'm not going to start calling for heads on the first weekend of the year, but Brett Gardner, consider yourself on notice.

Other notes and musings:

We'll see how fast the grumblings for Posada catching or a Montero call-up comes once Gustavo Molina debuts behind the plate. The bar has been set pretty high.

Texiera bashing his 3rd home run in 3 days has all but squashed concerns of a slow start

A-Rod only went 1-5, but sent a ball to the warning track in the 1st. He's putting a great swing on the ball

Gardner couldn't get the ball out of the infield and outfielders play him so shallow that bloop singles will come few and far between. And he's supposed to be stronger against RHP.

For all the talk about Hughes' lifeless fastball, his only hits he gave up were to Osh-Kosh B. Boesch and Miguel Cabrera, two hitters that were seldom retired all weekend, and a weak single by Jhonny Peralta. 79mph cutters to Miguel are not encouraging though.

Miguel Cabrera was particularly irked by the question "When's you're court date?", tossing an angry glare and some extra vicious swings in the 9th inning. Here's to hoping he's in jail by the next time the Tigers come to town, because he was unstoppable all weekend.