What's in a Name?

The star of the Oakland Athletics' opening-night 5-0 rout over the Seattle Mariners was beyond any doubt the new designated hitter Erubiel Durazo.

Durazo batted in all five of the A's runs of the night, the first two when he hit a home run with a runner on second base in the second inning, and the other three when the bases were loaded in the fifth inning — Durazo fired off a double off the wall in center field, and all the runners on base made it home.

It was the most impressive debut for an Athletic since Matt Stairs, fresh from the farm team in Edmonton, hit a grand slam on his very first at-bat.

Even before he took his first pitch, though, when the announcer called his name, I knew that Durazo filled a vital role on the team. Not since Geronimo Berroa was traded away have the Athletics had a player whose name could raise a cheer in the stands simply from the relish with which the announcer would say it, rolling those wonderful Rs.

Miguel Tejada, Terence Long, Eric Chavez, yeah, yeah, yeah, people cheer them on when they come to bat. But those cheers won't be so loud if they slump.

But the very sound of the announcement, "Now batting, number forty-four, designated hitter Errrrrrrubiel Durrrrazooo!" will bring joy to even the flintiest hearts of A's fans. I've missed Berroa; and I'm really glad we now have Durazo. This man was meant to be an Athletic.