TurN YOUR RADIO ON
The baseball season begins today.
No purple prose here. The temptation to wax grandiloquently is strong, but it does baseball no favors. This is a great game, a wonderful sport to experience on the radio, and often a beautiful expression of athletic ability. No need for more.
Today begins a 162-game run through Sunday, September 27. Ahead are six months of daily installments of a story not yet written.
That’s the promise.
There’s a larger reality as well. It’s a slog. Day after day of wins, losses, injuries, triumphs, disasters, and often mundane activity.
It begins, for reals, tonight in San Francisco with the Yankees facing the Giants. It is shown on Netflix, a new trick for an old dog. But it is also, importantly for my purposes, broadcast on KNBR and streamed audio on the MLB app.
Jon Miller and Dave Flemming – and, I assume, Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow – will be on the home team’s call that has the TV sidelined for the Netflix crew. The Yankees booth will be on WFAN as well.
Time begins
Boswell’s classic.
The Cactus and Grapefruit leagues have concluded their schedules and in the next two days all 30 teams will begin the season with games that count in the standings. Here’s the lineup of broadcasts I intend to at least dip into, the aces on the mound, the stations I’ll tune in, and my reason for listening.
Wednesday, March 25
8:05 p.m.
Yankees @ Giants. Max Fried v Logan Webb. KNBR WFAN
First game. You gotta tune in.
Thursday, March 26
1:15 p.m.
Pirates @ Mets Paul Skenes v Freddy Peralta KDKA
Skenes pitching
4:15 p.m.
Red Sox @ Reds Garret Crochet v Andrew Abbott WEEI WLW
A nod to the Reds former tradition as the Opening Day openers
Rays @ Cardinals Drew Rasmussen v Matthew Liberatore WDAE KMOX
Red jackets come out at Busch
10:10 p.m.
Guardians @ Mariners Tabber Bibee v Logan Gilbert WTAM KIRO
Late-night baseball featuring Big Dumper
Friday, March 27
7:07 p.m.
A’s @ Blue Jays Luis Severino v Kevin Gausman KSTE CTCL
Defending AL pennant winners
7:15 p.m.
Royals @ Braves Cole Ragans v Chris Sale KCSP WCNN
KC’s stellar booth, Sale pitching