The Yankees played their home opener on Tuesday afternoon and a lot of the local media coverage in the city focused on the huge ovation for former Yankee Hideki Matsui, who received his World Series Ring as a member of the visiting Angels. (There was also an impromptu group hug with his old teammates, which you can see about to happen in the picture above.) Granted, I’m not a Yankees fan, but I live in New York and I’d completely forgotten where Matsui had ended up. And he’s not the only familiar face showing up somewhere new in the first weeks of the new season:
One of my all time favorite Cardinals, Jim Edmonds, has returned to baseball after a year away. After signing a minor league deal with the Brewers, Edmonds played well enough during Spring Training to make the roster — purportedly as a back-up outfielder, though he started 5 of the club’s first 7 games. I’m not exactly happy to see him on a divisional rival, but as long as it means my last memories of him as a player don’t have to be his stint as a Cub, I’ll take it.
I actually saw Cliff Lee pitch in person for the Phillies at Citifield last year and, like Matsui, completely forgot he’d relocated to the West Coast. Of course, Lee, hasn’t actually pitched for Seattle in a real game just yet — he’s currently rehabbing from an abdominal strain, and after that will have to serve a five game suspension for throwing over a batter’s head in Spring Training. Maybe the Mariners, who recently ended a 20 inning scoreless drought, will have figured out how to get him some run support by then.
Matt Stairs is a Padre now, but more importantly, Matt Stairs looks like this now. This is one of those times when a player says he’s in the best shape of his life coming into the season and I totally believe him.
And finally, he didn’t change teams, but Joe Mauer and his fellow Twins are playing outdoor baseball in Minnesota again for the first time in decades. (Joe wasn’t even born yet when the Metrodome opened.) I like the above picture because it’s a good view of the stadium, but I can’t end a post with Joe Mauer and not show that gorgeous smile of his, so:
You’re welcome.
Ladies... 
Oh, GM, thanks for the Matt Stairs love! He looks terrific! I still regret not seeing him when he was home in New Brunswick this summer, but I was sooo under the weather the day of that autograph signing.
I miss you, Godzilla! *sniff*
I’m trying not to think of someone else who changed teams this year…ah hell, with it. I miss you, Doc!
Joe Mauer is the only thing that can get me to watch baseball. So yes.
I swear that if someone doesn’t do something about Mauer’s hair soon, I will personally kidnap the man and cut it myself. It’s so 5th grade home haircut I can’t even stand it.
aw… but that’s part of the charm
Oh, seriously. I adore Joe and yes, it is sorta charming that he doesn’t feel the need to update his hairstyle ever, but come on. Surely there’s SOME other style besides the Buzz-‘n-Gel that will work under a catcher’s helmet.
Hilariously, if you saw the “Homecoming with Rick Reilly” episode about Joe, his brothers have the exact same hairstyle. So apparently there’s no family pressure to change things.