Hi everybody, and welcome to today's game thread.
I check the obituaries every day. My name was not listed so that means I have to keep my promise to write today's opening post. I do not include any kind of baseball analysis in my thread openers because there's plenty of that on this site already, done by people more skilled and more knowledgeable about such matters than I am. So I use a 5-topic format. Today I'm going to mention something from baseball history from 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years ago.
2012: Miguel Cabrera wins the triple crown.
2002: After the Twins survive the threat of contraction, Jacque Jones hits a home run in the first plate appearance of the season.
1992: Center fielder Andy Van Slyke of the Pirates records an unassisted double play, a rare feat for an outfielder.
1982: The first regular-season MLB game in the Metrodome registers an attendance of 52,279.
1972: 86 regular-season MLB games are cancelled as a result of the first players' strike in history.
No lineups have been posted at this time. That can be added later by anyone who wishes to do so.
Expected weather conditions at game time: Partly cloudy, 72º F, northwest winds at 2 MPH.