I took this quote from AN user Nick’s wonderful comment in the previous thread:
Obviously, baseball is meaningless in comparison with Nick Adenhart’s life. But at the same time, baseball is meaningful because real people invest so much of themselves in it. Baseball was anything but meaningless to Nick Adenhart — he played baseball for most of his much-too-short life, had to undergo Tommy John surgery and rehab from that before even becoming a pro, and I’m sure he had to work and work and work at his craft to reach where he was 24 hours ago this very moment.
Nick Adenhart’s life had meaning, and what Nick Adenhart chose to do with his life was to play baseball.
Twenty-two year old Adenhart was living the dream of playing baseball, and now twenty-one year old Brett Anderson gets the same chance. No matter how long you play baseball, you only get one Major League debut, and ready or not; great timing or not, tonight is Anderson’s chance, and he needs the support of A's fans.
As Ray Ratto points out, tonight's opener carries a very heavy theme, and a great baseball game could go a long way; at least as a serviceable distraction. For everyone that is going to the game, I hope you have a great tailgate, and a wonderful home opener; I wish I could be there!
Thank you for all the wonderful comments, personal stories, and great support over the last 24 hours, and I know the rest of the baseball community is grateful as well.
The A’s take on Seattle tonight in another battle of the AL West, as Brett Anderson makes his major league debut!
From Oakland Athletics.com:
OAK: LHP Brett Anderson (Major League debut)
Anderson, ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the A's organization and No. 7 in all of baseball, earned a spot in Oakland's rotation in his first trip to big league Spring Training. Anderson was a busy young man in 2008; he split the regular season at Class A Stockton and Double-A Midland, pitched in the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium, played for Team USA in the Beijing Olympics, and finished the year on Triple-A Sacramento's playoff roster. A second-round pick of the D-backs in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, he was acquired by Oakland in the December 2007 trade that sent Dan Haren to Arizona.
Anderson will be up against LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith (6-3, 3.55 ERA in 2008) and the Seattle lineup, minus Ichiro.
In other news, Geren is starting Outman and Cahill this weekend, and Braden Monday against the Red Sox. Also, Texas has scored a billion runs in their first three games, and I'm not sure I've seen anything like their offense.
The game is scheduled for 7:05 PM. A game thread will be opened when lineups are announced.
LET’S GO OAK-LAND!
