Jake was shaky. But he’s still awesome though. Don’t worry about it.

Nice day for a ballgame.
Many people appear
to have had the same idea.

Know what’s not shaky? Camden Yards. Camden Yards is not shaky.

Local star
irradiates field
at game time.

Speaking of the heavens, Chris Davis was otherworldly. So good, in fact, his performance led Blog of Team to resort to profanity. Sorry about that, kids. Don’t use bad words!

Flacco? Obama? Ray Ray? Nope!
Nobody threw out the first pitch.
It was a fitting tribute to No. 4.

Buck said it was “one of those ‘I really want us to deliver’ days of the year.” (His comment, incidentally, was a copy editor’s quote-marking dream.)

Didn’t get a triple peanut this year.
Had to settle for the next-best thing.

The Nats gave up a 15-spot in Cincy. LoL Nats!

This is why people hate America.
Because we’re free to double dog dip.
Just try and stop us, Freedom Haters!

Team’s defense was good in spots. Lengthy discussions ensued in stands about how MLB infielders make tough plays look routine.

The whole time, I had this feeling
that somebody was watching me.

A profusion of Manny love was expressed.

He’s hitting a buck sixty seven though.

Great men, gone and departed, were remembered.

Earl. Brooks. Aubrey.

There was some lingering sadness about Brian Roberts not being in the lineup. But at least the prognosis isn’t completely bleak.

This kid tried hard
to win Fan of Game honors.
Next time, kid.

Afterwards, happy fans chose to put off fretting about Pedro Strop’s control until another day.

High fives and low fives.

Somebody had to lose.

The Hulk before the Hulk.

And all was well in Baltimore…

Clean up in aisle four please.

Another perfect Opening Day.

Many of us simply could not express our full optimism, after the last few years, that Brian Roberts would just be part of Team again. But the spring was good. And things had been going so well, until …

Image via Sun Sports

Guess the final word isn’t in yet on how bad the injury to the back of B-Rob’s knee and/or hamstring is. But that simply didn’t look good. Said Roberts:

I don’t have a whole lot of words for it right now. Frustrated, but we’ll get the results and hopefully move forward.

I wouldn’t have a lot of words either, not if I were him. Not after everything else.

Picking the AL East used to be easier. Now there are no weaklings in this division — but some are stronger than others. For the record, this is an emotionally difficult division to pick for Blog of Team. But Blog of Team has attempted to do so with a cold eye toward the truth.

Baltimore Orioles - The pundits may be right in doubting the starting staff but, with so many young pitchers, I see a race to the top instead of any real danger. The offense, meanwhile, should be the class of the AL East. And there’s no real reason to doubt the bullpen, oft-repeated and seldom understood notions of “regression” notwithstanding. Will they have six guys eclipse the 20 home run mark? Do I hear seven? Bad years by Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen could derail ‘em but put it this way: A lot would have to go wrong for them to be bad and there’s a real possibility they will be great.

Boston Red Sox - Middling free agents are stoking false hopes for some of their fans. Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Dempster and Shane Victorino probably don’t translate into greatness. Can the surgically repaired John Lackey help pitch them above the .500 mark? You have to figure one or more of Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Felix Doubront will turn in a sub-4 era (none did in 2012.) And Will Middlebrooks might just be a star.

New York Yankees - The Yankees have at least two major problems. First, many of their stars are hurt. That won’t last forever, though I think Derek Jeter is in worse shape than has been let on. They also have players who are going to play this year under suspicion of using banned substances. Even with the adversity, there is enough talent here to make them dangerous. Outside of the base-paths the Bombers have another problem: a growing reputation in greater NYC for having a bad stadium that nobody wants to sit in. How do they fix that? It’s strange to hear the Vernon Wells rumors when they should be down-cycling and trying to get younger. It all just smacks of a bad year.

Tampa Bay Rays - 2013 is the year Evan Longoria re-emerges from injuries with an MVP-caliber effort over the full year. The Rays were outpaced for a playoff berth in September by Baltimore last year. But they’ve polished around the edges and made shrewd deals. Also Luke Scott looks ready to put up huge numbers. Can Alex Cobb step up and replace James Shields in the rotation? They are the team to beat in the AL East.

Toronto Blue Jays - Will R.A. Dickey’s knuckler dance indoors the same way it did in the irriguous flats of Flushing? If Melky Cabrera lasts the season without another ‘roid fiasco, that’s just gravy for the Jays, with all the talent they’ve brought in. Jose Reyes should be a thorn in the side of the AL East, assuming he stays on the field. But that fake turf is rough on the ol’ calves, dontcha know. Quite the FrankenTeam. We’ll see how it translates. I see them pushing 90 wins but that might not be good enough.

Predicted Order of Finish
Rays
Orioles*
Jays*
Yankees
Red Sox

* wild card mix

Detroit is still king in the AL Central, but KC is aspiring to royalty and Cleveland may have something to say about this division as well.

Chicago White Sox - They were close to the playoffs in 2012 and they’re hoping free agent third baseman (and on-base guy) Jeff Keppinger, hitting second, will result in a more disruptive offensive attack. But Keppinger has battled shoulder problems and they have other injury concerns as well. Two of their key pitchers, sometime starter John Danks and reliever Jesse Crain, are hurt. They have the makings of a decent rotation topped by Chris Sale and Jake Peavy. Can Tyler Flowers make a meaningful contribution to the offense in his new role as starting catcher?

Cleveland Indians - The Tribe has undergone a transformation that should see them moving upwards in the standings. Mark Reynolds, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn should drive a run-scoring carousel. Can Ubaldo Jimenez and Drew Stubbs regain their 2010 form from Colorado and Cincinnati, respectively? If they can, Cleveland can push for a playoffs berth. Also I wonder if Mark Reynolds will get significant playing time in the field or whether it’s just destiny that he’ll be a DH for the rest of his career.

Detroit Tigers - You have to like their chances not just to win the division but to return to the World Series, having added Torii Hunter to their stacked squad. How will the closer situation work? Right now 22-year-old Bruce Rondon, who had 29 minor league saves in 2012, is listed as the closer but manager Jim Leyland says he has lots of veterans to choose from if he wants to do closer by committee. You have to figure that will get cleared up prior to the playoffs.

Kansas City Royals - This is the first time in a while the Powder Blues appear to have a full team, with decent pitching, lots of bats and no huge holes in the roster. If it weren’t for the Tigers I’d have ‘em winning this division. They might anyway. Can Eric Hosmer return from a sophomore slump year and become the force he’s predicted to be? SUPER BONUS QUESTION: Will Miguel Tejada get into some games?

Minnesota Twins - They’ve parted ways with so many established players over the past few years: Jason Kubel, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Francisco Liriano and Ben Revere to name a few. They’ve suffered through two horrible seasons and likely will struggle again in 2013 with an untested pitching staff. Will 23-year-old Aaron Hicks begin the work of establishing himself as a real major league center fielder? Ron Gardenhire is working the last year of his contract, but like Buck Showalter, doesn’t see what’s the big deal. Ron would do himself a solid by keeping the Twinks out of last.

Predicted Order of Finish
Tigers
Royals *
Indians
White Sox
Twins

* wild card mix