Opening Day 2009 in Texas

Hello everyone and welcome to the first edition of Indians Inside Pitch for 2009. With so much great information out there regarding the on field exploits of the Tribe from reporters like Anthony Castrovince from MLB.com, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal (just to name a few), I'll try to focus on some of the other aspects surrounding the ballclub as it makes it's way through the 2009 schedule.

Let me just say there is nothing quite like Opening Day in major league baseball. After 6 weeks at spring training, the players are ready to go for the first game of the year. I'm always amazed at how much things change for the fans as well. Yesterday (Opening Day, Monday April 6th) I took the team bus to the ballpark in the morning. In many cases players will walk to the ballpark or take some type of public transportation. Here in Arlington, the Indians hotel is about 30 minutes away from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington so most players take the team bus. As the bus made its way through the stadium parking lots, you knew it was a big day for Rangers fans. A good 4 hours before the first pitch, tailgating was going strong. It looked more like an NFL or college football game as you had a wide array of tailgating staples like campers, barbecue grills, and plenty of beverages. Most fans were decked out in football jersey's touting there favorite Texas college teams, and oh yes, there were some Rangers and even Indians jersey's as well. It was a great atmosphere and didn't go unnoticed by the players on the bus.

Once batting practice was underway, the amount of television reporters and camera people, writers and other media types was similar to what you would see at a playoff game. The Indians blended in on a day that was all about the Rangers for the home fans. It's been a lengthy playoff dry spell for Texas and hopes are as high this season for the Rangers as they are for the Tribe.

Opening Day usually features something you just don't see that often. President George W Bush, not only threw out a first pitch, but also visited the Indians Clubhouse about an hour before the game. Many players secured autographs from our 43rd President and to a man all said it was a once in a lifetime experience.

Unfortunately for the Tribe, President Bush's clubhouse visit was the highlight of the day. A rough outing for Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee and a quiet day for what should be a high powered batting order resulted in a 9-1 Rangers win.

Off day today and then it's Game 2 of the season Wednesday night. Toyota Indians Warm Up gets it started from Arlington, Texas at 7:37 PM Eastern Time. Fausto Carmona throws for the Indians. Judging by the way he threw the ball this spring, and more importantly, made adjustments when he ran into trouble, this could be a big year for Fausto. Veteren Vincente Padilla is on the hill for Texas.