Friday was opening day at Tropicana Field, and of course Kelli and I had tickets. We actually ended up going to all three games over the weekend...the Saturday game was a giveaway of a miniature Tropicana Field (so how could I pass that up?) and Sunday was mascot day, which was a draw for Kelli. Plus, obviously, there was some major league baseball for the first time in months.

The Rays looked fantastic Friday: solid pitching from Shields, decent power from the middle of the lineup, and an amazing comeback in the bottom of the 9th. I've never heard the stadium quite as wild as it was when Delmon Young hit the HR to tie the game. And all of this happened in spite of the top of the lineup going a combined 0 - 12.

Saturday's game was pretty forgettable. Fossum didn't have it, and Frank Thomas did. I've always been a big Frank Thomas fan, so, it could've been a lot worse, but, it was a lousy game for the Rays.

Sunday's game was Scott Kazmir's first start at home, and it was a beauty. He struck out 6 in a row, and 8 of the first 9 batters. Unfortunately, he also let up 2 HRs, including a 3-run shot to Reed Johnson. That was all the Jays would need.

All-in-all, an interesting, but disappointing, opening weekend. I have pretty high hopes for the Rays this year -- sure, they're not going to contend, but, I also don't think they'll finish last. Ideally, they'll be somewhere around .500, will trade some of their excess hitting for pitching, and be poised for a run next year.

One last note -- Akinori Iwamura. When I auctioned him off at our fantasy baseball auction this year, there were more than a couple people saying "who?" And to be honest, I didn't have high hopes for him either. I saw him a couple times in spring training...his arm looked weak, his range at third looked lousy, and his hitting was, well, non-existant. Now that the season has started, he's looking fantastic -- hitting for power, hitting for average (he's still at .500 or something as I write this), playing terrific 3B. Of course the true "Aki" is somewhere between these extremes, but the Rays may turn out looking very smart on this pickup.