Opening Day Heroes

I think back to Opening Days past and wonder if anybody’s going to have one of those career-defining days this year.

It’s a big deal, Opening Day. The spotlight, the energy and excitement in the air; some guys buckle under the pressure and others thrive on it. Put the two together and the heroes of the day might be the guys you least expected.

If you have one great day and it’s in August, you might fade into oblivion. But if you’re Willie Smith or Tuffy Rhodes, and your day happens the day the bell rings, you have a little piece of history.

For the stat junkies, every Opening Day brings impossible projected statistics. Tuffy was on a pace for 486 homers after he rocked Dwight Gooden in 1994. Even the beleaguered Corey Patterson was on pace to hit 324 homers and drive in 1134 just two short years ago.

Day by day the numbers trickle down, and the standard deviations become less deviant. The last undefeated team loses, the last hitter drops below .500, talk of Ted Williams slows to a stop, and things fall back to normal.

But for a couple of weeks every April, it’s fun to think about.