Brian Roberts, 2008 Upper Deck #782

One win, zero losses. It's the finest way to start the season. I didn't get to watch much of this game, and listened to little more; my girlfriend's stuff has been stubbornly refusing to move itself. But as I watch the Orioles' 7-4 comeback win over the Rays on DVR, there's so much to like. Jason Hammel breezing through the first five innings and hanging on to earn his first career win at Tropicana Field, after he spent the first three years of his career pitching for Tampa Bay. Manny Machado making several flashy defensive plays at third base, as he became the fourth O's player to start on Opening Day before his 21st birthday. (The others: Brooks Robinson, Ron Hansen, Boog Powell.) Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Chris Davis delivering game-breaking extra-base hits. The bullpen locking the game down over the final three innings, as they did so many times in 2012. Perhaps most meaningful was the presence of Brian Roberts, Nolan Reimold, and Nick Markakis, all taking the field in the same game for the first time since September 25, 2010. I've maintained that those who qualify the Birds as exceedingly lucky in 2012 have discounted the near-total absence of Roberts and Reimold (33 combined games played) and the multiple trips to the disabled list by Markakis. Good health for that trio would go a long way towards ensuring that the O's remain contenders in the American League East. In the opener, those three homegrown players combined to go 5-for-13 with a pair of runs scored. That's a start.