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2009 Buffalo Bisons Opening Day Recap 
Posted on April 9, 2009 at 10:25 PM.
Today, I went out to the newly-named Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo for the 2009 Buffalo Bisons home opener, the first as a Mets affiliate. It was certainly a new era for Buffalo baseball, and I (as well as the rest of the stadium) was ready for the unexpected as an all-new lineup took the field and prepared to show the Buffalo faithful just what they had in store.

-Governor Paterson was announced and threw out one of the many ceremonial first pitches (along with Buffalo mayor Byron Brown, Senator Charles Schumer and Mets owner Fred Wilpon) and was almost booed out of the building. I guess this is the last time he's doing something like this for a long time.

-Highly touted prospect Fernando Martinez played cleanup at DH and was the Bisons' best hitter, going 2-4 with a double and a triple. I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do in the future.

-Starter and projected Bisons ace John Niese, before the game, complained about the frigid Buffalo weather while warming up in the bullpen ("f***, it's cold!") and didn't have his best stuff, striking out two and walking two in the first inning and quickly giving the PawSox a 5-0 lead. He was yanked after two innings.

-Ken Takahashi also impressed me today. Supposedly this was his first regular season appearance in North America, and he didn't disappoint. He was yanked much too early (he only pitched one inning of relief), but still got some applause from the fans in attendance before walking out. The Jays gave up on him before the regular season hit so it'll be good to see Ken succeed in the Mets organization.

-The fans near the Heron's Landing porch in right field were enthusiastic in their support of Bobby Kielty, showering him with chants and applause all game. He was more than obliged to return that favor, throwing some inning-ending balls their way and raising his glove in acknowledgment.

-Mr. Met made an appearance due to the Mets' away game at Cincinnati. I'm not too big into mascots, but his appearance got a few cheers from the crowd since he's one of the most recognized mascots in sports.

In general, it was an entertaining game, despite a 6-4 home loss to start the season. The pitchers were a large question mark but that could be due to cold weather. Buffalo had just come off some snow a few days before, so the cold weather and persistent wind coming from the lake could have wrecked havoc on fielders, pitchers and fans alike. The latter is extremely true from my standpoint, I was freezing despite having a winter coat and hat on. The fans seem to appreciate the Mets affiliation, which IMO could end up being a large benefit for this team in the future...I can't wait to see what this season holds in store for the Bisons.
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