We Need A Hot Start

Opening Day is beautiful. Opening Day brings a new season, a clean slate, and an opportunity for every club to win the World Series. Every team has a spotless record and there is a sense of hope and optimism in the hearts of every baseball fan. But for some odd reason, every year in April, it seems that I am let down and any optimism I may have had before the season began is replaced by a sense of confusion. Why? Because I am a Phillies fan, and the Phillies for aslong as I can remember, have always been notorious for getting off to an extremely slow start. Now when I say extremely slow, I am being generous. I remember rushing home from school one year on Opening Day only to watch my beloved Phillies lose to the lowly Pirates. And who can forget 2004 when the Fightins lost the Inaugural Game at Citizens Bank Park to the Reds. Talk about dissapointments. Lets take a look back at the team's records in the month of April in the past 6 seasons. In 2004 the Phils went in 10-11, in 05 they followed by going 10-14, and in 06 they repeated that performance by going 10-14 once again. Should I even go on? In 2007 they improved to 11-14 during the month of April and finally in 2008 they had a decent record of 15-12. Last season they did OK going just 11-9 in April. And in Opening Days in the past 6 seasons the Phils have a record of 1-5 winning only in 2005. I could go into batting averages and pitching stats but I think you get the picture. Basically the Phils suck in the month of April. The slow starts that the Phillies have put together in the past few seasons have resulted in big holes that can take practically the whole season to dig out of. In 2007, after starting the season 11-14, the Phillies were working all the way into the last weekend to secure a playoff spot. Thats why to save us fans from any anxiety in September, the Phils need to get it going from the very first pitch. A hot start is imperative for the Phils because they are already looking ahead to October. A hot start not only helps in the win column, but it also helps boost the morale of the players and fans. I think that this is a veteran team and they realize the importance of winning early on. I also think this team is capable of starting hot its just a matter of executing now. Now what todo about the 1-5 record in Opening Days. It is a pathetic and ugly record and it has to improve. Lets make the first steps at improving it this Monday when Roy Halladay will go for the Phils their first contest of 2010. Opening Day is just days away, and this year its time to get excited!