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Rank	Team	W	L	PCT	Division
1	Chicago Cubs	76	48	.613	C1
2	New York Mets	68	57	.544	E1
3T	Arizona	64	60	.516	W1
3T	Los Angeles Dodgers	64	60	.516	W1
5	Milwaukee	72	54	.571	C2
6	St. Louis	70	57	.551	C3
7	Philadelphia	66	58	.532	E2
8	Florida	64	61	.512	E3
9	Houston	63	62	.504	C4
10	Colorado	57	69	.452	W3
11T	Pittsburgh	56	69	.448	C5
11T	Atlanta	56	69	.448	E4
13	Cincinnati	55	70	.44	C6
14	San Francisco	53	71	.427	W4
15	San Diego	48	76	.387	W5
16	Washington	44	81	.352	E5

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Rank	Team	W	L	PCT	Division
1	Los Angeles Angels	76	47	.618	W1
2	Tampa Bay	76	48	.613	E1
3	Chicago White Sox	71	53	.573	C1
4	Boston	72	53	.576	E2
5	Minnesota	70	54	.565	C2
6	New York Yankees	66	58	.532	E3
7	Toronto	64	60	.516	E4
8	Texas	62	64	.492	W2
9	Detroit	61	64	.488	C3
10	Baltimore	60	64	.484	E5
11	Oakland	57	67	.46	W3
12	Cleveland	56	67	.455	C4
13	Kansas City	55	69	.444	C5
14	Seattle	46	78	.371	W4

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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Home of the Grouchy Old Man

2008-03-25 20:45

by Bob Timmermann

First it was Jeff Schultz, channeling Roger Kahn, complaining about the first game of the major league season being played in Japan, but now the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ups the ante: Furman Bisher is against it too!

Bisher, the author of one of my favorite childhood books, Strange But True Baseball Stories, is also in love with Cincinnati and its home opener tradition:

About Cincinnati and its dibs on opening day, that went on for years. Then the major leagues expanded from coast to coast, cramping the schedule. Television came in spreading money around like fertilizer, and things began to change. The Reds no longer had a monopoly on opening day. So they were allowed to throw the first pitch before anybody else. That privilege is gone now, but one priority remains — the Reds are always allowed to open the season at home. So much for tradition, of which about all that remains is that the baseball hides are actually sewed together by hand by ladies in some Latin American country.

Was Cincinnati always THE first city to host a major league game? We can check on this now you know.

I just picked a year in the past more or less at random, so we'll use 1930 and look at April 15, the first day of the NL season.

There were seven games played in the majors that day. The Reds were at home. So were the Dodgers, Giants, and Cardinals. Three AL teams were hosting their first games of the season that day: the Red Sox, Tigers, and Athletics. But the Red Sox were playing Washington. Washington had already played a game THE DAY BEFORE on April 14, 1930. And that was against the Red Sox. Then the teams took a train back to Boston to play again.

So why doesn't anyone weep for Washington? It's the nation's capital! Instead we get all weepy for Cincinnati? Cincinnati! Please. I say again, Cincinnati? Who cares about Cincinnati?

(Go West Virginia! Beat Xavier!)

Also - Jay Mariotti is angry too!

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Comments

2008-03-25 21:28:21

1. Greg Brock

Les Nessman will kill you in your sleep.

2008-03-25 21:33:30

2. Bob Timmermann

Is he going to beat me to death with his Buckeye Newshawk Award?

2008-03-25 21:39:41

3. Greg Brock

3 He won it five times, you know.

I think it was five times. It's walking a tightrope, making jokes about shows that were before one's time.

2008-03-25 21:40:17

4. Greg Brock

It's five! Hooray!

2008-03-25 22:57:55

5. Linkmeister

I won't quibble with Mariotti's description of Selig, but the rest of that column is downright xenophobic. He's channeling Lou Dobbs.

2008-03-26 01:13:01

6. Eric Enders

The Don Baylor part of Mariotti's story is actually pretty funny.

2008-03-26 01:46:23

7. Chiron Brown

1869! That is the year the valiant ballists of the sanguine hose vanguished the gamblers and skullduggerists forever by becoming the first all professional team. And the noble sport of baseball has been pure as the first snow ever since. Three cheers for the boys of Porkopolis:
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!

2008-03-26 13:19:35

8. Daniel Zappala

The Reds should play the first game of the season against the Nationals, splitting between Cincy and DC every year. There, problem solved.

2008-03-26 21:36:11

9. BruceR

Bob, are you sure that, under the surface, this isn't really an F. Robby thing for you ???

8 Daniel ... nice; beautiful in its simplicity. For your next challenge, how about the Middle East? Wait, never mind, if you solved it, you'd be the antichrist and you're too appreciated here at the Toaster for that to happen.

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