Every baseball season requires getting over a few humps. You’ve got to play your first game; play your first game in the US; play your first game in Canada; and (finally) play your first game at home. You’ve got to get your first Nomar injury. And of course you need to get your first win against the MFY. But like your first million, the first win is always the hardest. In this case, it only took an even six hours for the final out. Who waits two hours and eleven minutes to see A-Rod face Papelbon with the tying run on 2nd? I do. Fox doesn’t, but I do. And was it worth it to get to see Paps strike out A-Rod on 3 straight pitches? Is the Pope Catholic?

As I watch this, The First Series of 2008, I must admit that while I hate all the MFY I was never truly able to hate Joe Torre. I know he got the MFY all those World Series wins in the late 90s, but he always seemed like a good guy. Plus, who else could manage a team to a 3-0 lead only to blow four games straight.

On the other hand, screw Giradi. I don’t know why, but I hate his guts. He just looks like he’d be happy to instruct Phil Hughes to plunk Manny for the fun of it. At which point Hank “the pencil pusher” Steinbrenner would probably give him an extension. I hate the Yankees.