Sports Redux: Well Begun Is Half Done

1-0. Put your panic buttons away, at least for today; the Red Sox played to their strengths, and finally got Opening Day finished with a 5-3 win over the Rays.

By "play to their strengths", we mostly mean starting pitching, which was ably delivered by Josh Beckett. Josh gave up two hits and a couple of walks in seven innings, while efficiently mowing down the defending AL champs. He got into two jams: in the third, when the Rays loaded the bases with one out, Beckett escaped with just one run on a sac fly. In the sixth, two on, nobody out, no problem. Evan Longoria popped up, Carlos Pena whiffed, and new Ray Pat Burrell grounded out to end the threat. And those were the only Tampa Bay innings that weren't 1-2-3 against Beckett. Suffice it to say, he was good. Adam Kilgore and Amy K. Nelson have additional Beckett-related gushing.

Offensively, the Sox also looked in midseason form. Reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia (still fun to type that) took two pitches to get his first home run of the season. Eight of the nine starters got at least a hit, and the Sox got a welcome flashback to the old days when Jason Varitek wrapped one around the Pesky Pole in the sixth. Not dead yet, fellas. The bullpen chipped in: Okajima got tagged for two runs (gotta worry about something, right?), but Justin Masterson eventually got out of the eighth, and Papelbon blew through the ninth for the save.

Dan Shaughnessy recaps all the pomp and ceremony of Opening Day, which was highlighted as seen here, by Ted Kennedy throwing out the first pitch to new Hall-of-Famer Jim Rice. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon's stylish Elmer Fudd cap. You'll probably see it tonight, since the wind chill will be around 12 below.

The Bruins lost to Ottawa, but don't seem that troubled, since (a)they just clinched the East, and (b)Phil Kessel scored in his first game back from injury. Their home finale tomorrow night against Montreal should reawaken them, since the Habs need every point possible to stay in the playoffs. The Celtics are happy to see everyone back at practice, in one shape or another. The C's' three remaining wounded (Scalabrine, Leon Powe, and of course Kevin Garnett) are all expected to make the team's final road trip this weekend; nobody knows if or when or how much any of them will play until the playoffs start.

Photo by Elise Amendola/Associated Press.