ST. LOUIS: Leave it to Madison Bumgarner to get baseball off to a smashing start.
Before the World Series champion Chicago Cubs took the field and after the New York Yankees lost their sixth straight opener, Bumgarner struck.
The San Francisco ace, known for his dominant pitching in October, provided an opening day jolt by hitting not one, but two home runs Sunday for the Giants.
Not exactly what Henry Sands came to see at Chase Field. After watching his team lose 93 times last season, the Diamondbacks fan — every fan, really — hoped this would be their season.
"It is the beginning of the year, it is baseball again. It is something I have to look forward to, it is home," Sands said. "The Diamondbacks are tied for the top, then they work their way down. But first is the goal."
Exactly where the Cubs finished last November, winning a Game 7 thriller in Cleveland to capture their first World Series crown since 1908.
The Cubs opened Sunday night at St. Louis, and fans of the longtime rivals mixed and mingled outside Busch Stadium before the Cardinals rallied for a 4-3 win on Randal Grichuk's RBI single in the ninth.
Ted Summers and Katie Moll, both from Manchester, Missouri, walked hand in hand along the concourse. He wore a Cubs shirt, hers featured St. Louis star Yadier Molina — earlier in the day, the Cardinals catcher added $60 million and three years to his contract.
They were still coming to grips with the Cubs wearing the crown.
"It was weird," Moll said. "I don't know how to explain it. It was just, hard to believe, I guess. Never going to happen again. It'll take another 108 years."
"I get that all the time," Summers said.
There were three games Sunday, with all the other teams in action Monday.
San Francisco wound up losing 6-5 at Arizona as new closer Mark Melancon blew a ninth-inning lead.
From Fenway Park, where snow from a weekend storm was cleared away, to Dodger Stadium, where Vin Scully will be absent from the broadcast booth for the first time since the 1950 opener, it was time to get back to business.
A sellout crowd was expected at Camden Yards, 25 years after the stadium opened in Baltimore and began a boom of retro-style ballparks.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter already envisioned a perfect ending.
"I just want the weather to be good, the beer to be cold, the baseball to be good, everybody has a great time, the Orioles win and they want to come back," he said. "In that order."
For all the optimism and excitement, there figured to be a somber pregame tone at Target Field. Before Minnesota hosted the Royals, the Twins planned a tribute to Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who died at 25 in a car crash during the winter.
"Obviously it's going to be tough. He's been on your minds ever since it's happened," Royals star Eric Hosmer said. "We'll see if we can lock it in for a couple of hours, try and get a win and get done with the game and continue to live out his legacy and celebrate his life."
The first game of the 2017 Major League Baseball season was in Tampa Bay, and the afternoon at Tropicana Field began with a minor glitch when the Yankees' replay system was a bit blurry.
Not much went right for New York once play began. Showing that spring training stats often don't mean much, the Yankees — who had the best record in exhibition play — and ace Masahiro Tanaka — who had the top ERA — got roughed up by the Rays, 7-3.
"It happens. He's human," Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild said.
Corey Dickerson of the Rays singled for the first hit of the new season and teammate Evan Longoria launched the first home run.
With baseball searching for ways to speed up the action, the Yankees and Rays didn't add much pace to any pace-of-play approach. Their game took 3 hours, 21 minutes.
Tom Giordano didn't seem to mind. At 91, the former big leaguer enjoyed his 71st pro opening day, now working for the Atlanta Braves as a special assistant to the general manager.
"I see my old buddies again," he said. "I just love what I'm doing."
Major League Baseball: Bumgarner shines, Cubs lose to open title defense
Major League Baseball: Bumgarner shines, Cubs lose to open title defense
Expressions of disquiet concerning cricket’s power base
- Increasing number of players, coaches may be prepared to oppose overconcentration of power in game
Last week’s crisis over Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup ended with the International Cricket Council’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland. In a show of support for Bangladesh, the Pakistan Cricket Board indulged in saber rattling by suggesting that it may boycott the tournament.
This is unlikely and would invite severe repercussions, effectively creating a schism in cricket. The stance may be interpreted as a continuation of Pakistan’s ongoing challenge to India’s hegemony of the game.
In a sign of the way in which views have polarized, Jason Gillespie, a former Australian cricketer and international coach, posted the following on X: “Has there been an explanation from the ICC why Bangladesh could not play their matches outside of India? From memory, India refused to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan and were allowed to play those matches outside of Pakistan. Can someone make this make sense?”
Among the plentiful responses were many from Indian sources, who were not kindly disposed towards Gillespie’s question. He took the post down, saying: “I got abused for asking a simple question.”
On the surface it may appear to be a simple question, but it hits at the heart of a complex issue. Gillespie’s critics have been quick to seize on the fact that he was, for six months in 2024, coach of the Pakistan national men’s Test team and that he will be the coach of the new Kingsman Hyderabad franchise in the Pakistan Super League in April. This involvement has been interpreted as evidence of bias against India.
Another respected player, Jason Holder, former captain of the West Indies, expressed some forthright thoughts in a podcast earlier this month. One of these related to the selection of Pakistani players in franchise leagues. He commented that it was sad that “certain Pakistanis can’t be involved in certain teams because they are owned by Indian owners.” Holder also expressed his sadness at the impact on cricket of relations between India and Pakistan.
Separately, Moeen Ali, of England, went further in an interview given while playing in the Bangladesh Premier League in January. His view is that the ICC does not act like a neutral guardian of the game, effectively serving the interests of “one cricket nation.” Ali added that everyone inside the game knows “who actually runs things,” but few are willing to say so publicly.
Neither did he directly, but we are safe to assume the glaringly obvious — that he was referring to India. It is understandable that many within the game are reluctant to rock the boat, partly out of fear about the opprobrium which follows, and to which Azeem Rafiq can testify.
Gillespie has been the source of social media abuse and Holder has also been subject to negative comment. He has played for franchises owned by Indians in India, South Africa, the UAE and the Caribbean. Ali has done likewise and it is noticeable that in December 2025 he announced that will play in the Pakistan Super League in April 2026, rather than the Indian Premier League, where he has represented three franchises since 2018. The league is now adopting an Indian, youth-driven strategy, which is reducing opportunities for experienced overseas players. In a surprise announcement this week, Ali announced that he will play for Yorkshire in the T20 Blast in 2026. This reverses his decision during 2025 to retire from English domestic cricket.
Opportunities for cricketers to play in franchise leagues are still on the increase. Almost 11 months ago I was fortunate to interview Abhishek Bachchan, who had been revealed as a co-owner of the European T20 Premier League. The league, which is approved by the ICC, consists of a partnership between the national cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. At the time of the interview the intention of the owners was to hold the first edition of the event between July 15 and Aug. 3, 2025.
In my column, following the interview, I suggested that the ETPL’s promoters had their work cut out, given that there were only five months to go until mid-July. It was clear that discussions with players and their agents were underway, as were those with potential franchisees and investors. At the time that space was crowded because the focus of these stakeholders was on the sale of equity in The Hundred. Postponement of the ETPL was announced in early June 2025. In the intervening months, time has been well spent leading to last week’s announcement that the ETPL will launch in August 2026.
Exact dates and format have not been revealed, but it is understood that late August to mid-September is the preferred option. The original idea was to hold the league prior to The Hundred, which occupies most of August. Instead, it is now planned to open after the 2026 Hundred concludes on Aug. 16. Originally a six-franchise league was proposed, based on teams in Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. This remains the case and, to date, three teams have been confirmed for Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh.
It was a surprise to learn the identities of the owners. The rights to own the Amsterdam Flames have been acquired by a trio consisting of Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain; Jamie Dwyer, one of Australia’s greatest-ever male hockey players; and Tim Thomas, former CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations.
Another Australian cricketer, a current one, Glenn Maxwell, will own the Belfast-based Irish Wolves franchise, along with Rohan Lund, formerly CEO of the NRMA Group in Australia. In Edinburgh, the rights for the Castle Rockers lie with two former New Zealand cricketers, Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum, older brother of Brendon McCullum, the current coach of the England men’s cricket team.
None of these individuals appear to have had any previous involvement in the ownership of franchise teams. Indeed, Waugh said that he has “always been selective about where I invest my time and energy in cricket. In many ways it marks a return to the game for me — but in a very different role. This is about helping uphold the standards and spirit of cricket while supporting its growth into Europe, which remains the game’s last great frontier.”
A stated aim of the ETPL promoters is to develop local talent. This was echoed by Kyle Mills, who referred to a partnership with Otago Cricket Board in New Zealand. This is intended to bring a pipeline of young talent through to the Rockers, along with the potential to develop local players and inspire the next generation to take up cricket. Each of the three franchises has secured big-name Australian and New Zealand cricketers for the inaugural competition.
So far, there is a different feel to the ETPL. As yet, the franchises are not funded by existing franchise owners in other leagues, some of which are dependent on Indian money. The Big Bash League is heading for privatization in Australia and there is little doubt that there will be strong interest from Indian investors. However, if an increasing number of players and coaches are prepared to express their disquiet about the overconcentration of power in the game, and alternative investors emerge, then the engulfing of cricket by one nation may be challenged.
