And Away We Go...

Carlos Zambrano's last outing against the Houston Astros resulted in an iTunes purchase from Baseball's Best Games of 2008. For the low price of $1.99, you can watch Papa Z do something no Cub had done since the Nixon administration, which is staggeringly awful when you consider that Bud Smith threw a no-hitter for the Cardinals in 2001.

Yeah, Bud Smith.

Welcome to the world of a lifelong Cubs fan.

This time around, not too much was different. Papa Z wasn't flawless, but he was solid over six innings, notching his first Opening Day win and giving the folks in Chicago something to cheer about after his harshly-criticized Wrigley Field comments. A 4-2 victory over a division rival will do that, and so will six innings of one-run ball.

In other news, little Mike Fontenot played a lot bigger than 5'8" and Alfonso Soriano gave me one less reason to chase him into Lake Michigan with a lead off home run. Unfortunately, his hop survived the offseason.

But Milton Bradley high-fiving someone in the stands during the game? That ranks right up there with Papa Z's no-no, which also happens to be the best $1.99 I've ever spent. No,not really. But it was still great to see Bradley interacting with Cubs fans since we're going to be spending a lot of time together this summer. I just don't want to hear the letters "D.L." anytime before June. Please.

Seriously though, the bullpen still gives me the creeps.

But a win is a win, and there's no better way to close an Opening Day. Well, maybe with the Bears locking down a No. 1 receiver and Rock of Love getting another season, but a boy can only wish for so much. Now, for the three or four readers out there checking in to see if I'm already violating any of Google's standards or finding one more way to inexplicably incorporate Lisa Lampanelli in a post, I have one thing to say:

One down, only 161 to go. Stay tuned, potential heartbreak and/or ecstasy is just around the corner.