"The Dodgers lost three of their first five games?" Cecilia asked.

"Yeah," I said. "They still haven't resolved the starting pitcher situation."

"Who pitched tonight?"

"Some kid named James McDonald. Pitched two perfect innings, then gave up a homerun, three walks and hit a batter. Didn't finish the third inning."

"So..."

"So the Dodgers lost again." I huffed and puffed. "They tried to come back, but the bullpen couldn't hold on. NIne to four, Diamondbacks." 

"Oh," Cecilia said.

"And Kuroda went on the seven day disabled list because of a strained muscle in his rib cage. They call that an oblique injury, just so you won't know what it is. He pulled a muscle on his left side."

"Wasn't he scheduled to pitch tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but he won't. They brought up Stultz from the minors. He'll pitch tomorrow."

"Charley!"

"Yeah, I know."

Some people think the games played in the first month of the baseball season aren't important. "Oh," those people say. "The team is just getting itself organized. It takes time. It's still very early."

Okay, I say. Yes, it is still very early, and yes, the team is still getting itself organized. But the games you win early in the season count just as much as the games you win later. In some ways I think they count for more, because if you can win games before you know what you're doing, think how well you can do later!