A thought-provoking opening day

What a dreary day to start a season that comes with such bright promise! It seems like only yesterday that Harry Kalas was singing (if you can really call it that) High Hopes, and then came Opening Day, and we all should have realized that it was going to be a bad day to be a Phillies fan just from the look of the sky. After a bright and sunny weekend, the Phillies trotted onto the field with gray sky overhead and a light rain sporadically falling throughout the day.
Now I'm not one of those crazy folks who is ready to throw away the entire 2008 season because of one bad game. And believe me, there are plenty of those people out there. I was actually handed tickets to Wednesday's and Thursday's Phillies games because a fan was so disgusted with how the events of Opening Day played out. Either that or he was really drunk. Regardless, I still think the Phillies will win the National League East, but the 11-6 loss to the Washington Nationals brings a few new questions to the forefront.
Why can't Tom Gordon pitch in April? More importantly, why can't Tom Gordon pitch in a tie game?
After the Phillies tied the game up in the seventh inning and then J.C. Romero shut the door in the eighth inning, was anyone really confident that Gordon was going to keep the game tied in the ninth inning? You could actually hear hearts stopping in the crowd when the bullpen door opened and Flash came out, especially after his horrendous April last season. I think Flash will have a good season, but even I said that we needed three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game. As it turns out, we actually need six, because Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter threw more strikes on Monday than Flash did. As far as the bullpen goes, I really liked what I saw out of Romero, and I truly believe that once Brad Lidge comes off the disabled list, Flash will forget about his 135.00 ERA and settle into his role as a setup man. Until then maybe Charlie Manuel should trick Flash into thinking that he's not pitching in the ninth inning.
What is Jimy Williams' purpose with the Phillies?
I know that Williams is officially listed as the bench coach, but this first game said that he's either too old to help with strategic moves, or he just wasn't paying attention. I know that when double switches and moves of that type backfire, Charlie Manuel seems to take the heat, but isn't that why Williams was brought in? On opening day, the Phillies entered the ninth inning with Tom Gordon, Tim Lahey and Clay Condrey left in the bullpen. In a tie game with Gordon about to come in for the ninth inning, did any member of the coaching staff wonder who was going to pitch the tenth inning? The coaches inexplicably forgot to make a double-switch and prevent Gordon from being due to hit third in the bottom of the ninth. Worse, they left just two pitchers remaining for a potential extra inning game, and neither of those pitchers belongs on a Major League roster. I get that Gordon is 40 years old and probably shouldn't pitch two innings on opening day, so then why didn't Romero pitch a second inning with a day off the next day? Aren't these the thoughts that earn Jimy Williams a paycheck? Heck, I'll do it for free! Charlie can just text me and I'll give him a good common sense answer. In all honesty, how are we supposed to trust Jimy Williams with the team's Xs and Os if he can't even spell his name right?
Who's going to be the team's MVP this year?
I know it's only one game, but Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley look ready to play. Utley probably would have won the MVP award last season if he hadn't missed a month with a broken bone in his right hand, and then J-Roll stepped up in his absence and carried the team into the playoffs. I think both will have MVP-caliber seasons, but in the end, Utley will probably have the better statistical year because he hits for a higher average, he can drive in Rollins, and he has the lineup protection of Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell behind him. (Just a side thought here: Has any team since the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 30s had three of the best players in baseball at the same time? Rollins is the best shortstop in the game; Utley is far and away the best second baseman; and Howard is probably in a three-way tie with Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols for the top first baseman)
How many fans will lose their voice booing Adam Eaton when he makes his first start of the season at Citizens Bank Park?
All of them...provided Eaton's outing lasts longer than one inning. I have never seen a guy get booed as mercilessly as Eaton was when he was introduced before the game. Statistically, he was the worst pitcher in baseball last year, and he deserved every decibel of booing that echoed throughout the stadium.
Now that those questions have been answered, remember that the Phillies started 4-11 last year and still won the division.
No worries...yet.