Opening Day, folks!

Baseball fans, Happy New Year!

It's opening day and the Giants are facing the Milwaukee Brewers at AT&T Park. There was some rain earlier, but right now it's in the Top of the 4th and the Giants are up 4-3.

I'd love to be at the ballpark, but alas, here I am in the garage listening to the game on the radio. I listened to some of the spring training games in the last few weeks, it really calms me down while Brooke is Furminating me with the Furminator brush. It's kind of like a spa day (yawn). Photo credit: Flickr.

Anyway, let's go Giants! Our good friend Andy Baggarly wrote a good preview of the Giants in Sunday's Mercury News, if you haven't read enough of that already. Bengie Molina is in a contract renewal year, and Randy Winn can be a free agent at the end of the season, so expect production from them. If only we could get Aaron Rowand to get his .170 average up.

This season's all about starting pitching and reaping the Giants' farm system, which is ripe with players (need I mention Lincecum, Sandoval, Buster Posey). If the Giants can get through April without a backup catcher (Sandoval is playing third base and catching when Molina can't) and the relief pitching is decent, and they can sweep the dooomed Padres, I think the Giants can set themselves up for a good season.

Opening Day lineup/batting order:
RF Randy Winn
SS Edgar Renteria
LF Fred Lewis
C Bengie Molina
3B Pablo Sandoval
1B Travis Ishikawa
CF Aaron Rowand
2B Emmanuel Burriss
P Tim Lincecum

Also, here's a kind of funny economic argument for the Giants winning the NL West with an 85-77 saeason. Bernie Madoff took the Mets owner for half a billion dollars, and other financial calamities that means less money's flowing in to trades and player acquisitions for other teams. Maybe Manny will have a lackluster year in LA, who knows?

Go Giants!