Hmm, where exactly do I start here? There were quite a few memorable moments on this Opening Day in the Bronx. Cory Lidle's family was honored at the Stadium as Cory's son Christopher threw out the first pitch after a ceremony held in memory of the late Yankee pitcher. Bobby Murcer made a surprising appearance in the broadcast booth and earned a standing ovation and chants of "Bobby Murcer!" from the crowd. And of course, there was the actual game.

Things started off quite nicely for the Yankees. The Yankees jumped ahead 2-0 in the 1st with a base hit by Jason Giambi that scored Damon and Abreu. A home run by Posada in the 4th put the Bombers up 3-1 before things started to get a bit ugly. Elijah Dukes led off the top of the 5th with a solo home run. Carl Crawford brought in B.J. Upton with a game-tying single. A throwing error by Jason Phelps allowed Crawford to advance to second, who would eventually score the go-ahead run on a base hit. Delmon Young singled to left with two outs, scoring Rocco Baldelli and giving Tampa Bay a 5-3 lead.

Pavano lasted 4 and 1/3 in his first game back since June of 2005, turning in a miserable/candid/kind of okay/who knows how to describe it kind of performance. He got out of a few jams in the early innings but showed signs of fatigue in the 5th, where he allowed 3 of his 6 hits and all 4 of his earned runs. For the most part I guess he was not bad considering he hasn't pitched in 22 months at the Major League level, but he'll have to go deeper than 73 pitches next time.

The Yankees climbed back into it, however, in the bottom of the 6th. Posada and Cano started the inning with back to back singles. Doug Mientkiewicz (quadruple checked for spelling) entered the game and bunted both runners over. Melky Cabrera (replaced Johnny Damon; some sort of calf injury) was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases for 2006 MVP runner up Derek Jeter. Jeter singled up the middle, scoring both Posada and Cano and tying the game at 5. The Yankees would take the lead for good in the 7th with a base hit by Giambi that scored Alex Rodriguez.

Of course we all can't forget the "Alex Rodriguez" portion of the game. A-Rod heard the boo birds early after failing to snatch a pop up on the foul side of third base. All of that was erased later in the game, starting in the 7th inning. Rodriguez led the inning off with a base hit to left and then came up with a key stolen base that would eventually turn into the winning run. In the 8th inning, he capped off the lineup's 9-run effort with a two-run shot to straight away center. Not that it counts. After all it did come in the 8th inning when the game's already over and the opposing team stops trying.

Enter the Great RIVERA...The Yanks had Mo warming up in the bottom of the 8th when it was still a save situation and I guess decided not to waste him as they brought him in with a 9-5 lead. Rivera turned in just another typical Mariano Rivera performance, striking out all three batters he faced (2 swinging, 1 looking).

And of course, I can't move on without mentioning some projected numbers based on the opening game of the season. A-Rod and Posada are both on pace for 324 hits and 162 home runs. Jason Giambi is on pace for 486 RBI. Mo is projected to fan a whopping 486 batters, and as a team the Yankees stand to score 1,458 runs and finish the season 162-0.

The Yankees and Devil Rays will take a break Tuesday and will resume the series, weather permitting, Wednesday afternoon at 1 ET. Andy Pettite will be making his first start in pinstripes since rejoining the team and will be facing righthander Jae Seo.