Welcome Back, Baseball
You look a little off. You okay?
For the first time in three years, the MLB regular season opened on American soil. Though, in the interest of those who prefer a foreign feel to their baseball, Netflix broadcast the game.
I thought I had gotten lucky; there was no need to wake up at 2:55am for first pitch. It didn’t take long to realize, however, that middle-of-the-night baseball is free from the usual evening distractions. And, man, I missed that quiet time with my coffee.
Aaron Judge struck out in his first four at bats, but his teammates got the best of starter Logan Webb, as the Yankees cruised to a 7-0 Opening Day road victory against the Giants. In the top of the second, six consecutive Yanks reached base. Trent Grisham capped off the rally with a two-run triple, and that was pretty much it for the debut of Giants rookie manager Tony Vitello.
I’ve been thinking about Vitello lately. He had a rough start to Spring Training, highlighted by a downright odd media session. It seemed reasonable to wonder if he had cut the cord from the University of Tennessee, where he had spent the previous eight years as the head coach. (Did Vitello say “Go Vols” while making his way down the line during pre-game introductions?)
But then exhibition games began, followed by the World Baseball Classic, and the attention on the new skipper died down.
Vitello. Vitello. A familiar name to some not because of baseball but from the dinner special at your favorite Italian restaurant.
Just last week, Da Flora Restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach posted that Vitello Tonnato was back on the menu. The veal dish is served at many other restaurants around the city, including A16 and Acquerello, two restaurants I remember well from my days in food and wine journalism.
Vitello. Veal. The controversial meat that comes with both ethical questions and a lemon-butter-caper sauce. I think we are all familiar with the issues — malnourished veal calves confined to tiny living spaces that restrict movement, only to make a date with the butcher well in advance of their first birthday. And we think managers are on the hot seat.
Yankees starter Max Fried neutralized the home team’s lineup throughout his 6.1 innings of work. Even when Giants batters took good swings, the results didn’t follow. Fried located pitches and fooled hitters just enough to stay off the barrel. He was efficient. He was rarely stressed. He only faced three batters without having anything less than a five-run lead. You could say Vitello and the Giants were sent to slaughter early.
The Giants manager was barely a part of the evening, though. The score removed any high-leverage managing from the equation, and the broadcast seemed — let’s say — distracted.
If you’ve ever listened to the SmartLess podcast, you know that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos comes up in conversation with the three hosts somewhat regularly. He’s even been a guest on the show. In the game’s early innings, the thought occurred to me that the gang from SmartLess might have more control over the production of the game than the commissioner.
Then came the seventh inning stretch.
Narrated by Jason Bateman.1
The campaigning has likely already begun for the Emmy for Best Spoken Word/Voice Over in a Live Sporting Event.
This past Saturday, my family and I saw the Savannah Bananas play at Petco Park. That’s a story for another day, but for now I’ll say that it left me ready — very ready — for Opening Day. The Netflix game left me ready for today’s games.
Baseball is back, and it’s a good day. Tony Vitello will have the day off to wrap his head around his first big league game. Then he’ll be back at it on Friday. A controversial choice, I hope he’s given more time than his name would suggest.
Bateman, along with actors Will Arnett and Sean Hayes host the show.