The Blue Jays made the perfect choice by naming Ricky Romero as the Opening Day starter.
DUNEDIN-- "Fearlessness, to me, is taking the ball, going out there and pitching in front of 40,000-50,000, and quieting the whole crowd."
That quote, lifted from his recent Nike commercial, describes the Ricky Romero of today.
But there is much more to the boy who grew up in East Los Angeles, who on Friday became the 20th Opening Day starter in Toronto Blue Jays history. He gets the ball Apr. 1 at the Rogers Centre, no fool to what that assignment means.
"It means everything," he said of the honour.
"I remember playing in my backyard at the age of five years old, thinking I'm hitting a home run - even though I'm a terrible hitter now," he said, with a solid, self-deprecating laugh. "I definitely had that vision: 'I'm gonna get there one day.'
"What makes me (most proud), is this isn't something that was given to me. I worked every step of the way to get here."
Romero, 26, was Toronto's first-round draft choice in 2005. The young pitcher watched so many others from his draft class soar past him, that one day he walked past a magazine stand, saw the cover of Sports Illustrated, and did a double-take.
There was "five or six" faces on the cover from the stunning draft class of 2005, and his was not among them. "Inside was an article, and J.P. Ricciardi, the former Blue Jays GM, had said they'd made the wrong decision. I cut out that headline and put it in my locker.
"I remember reading it and saying, 'I'm going to prove everyone wrong one day."
That day has already come and gone for Romero, a left-hander who won 27 games over the past two seasons. But the assignment from new manager John Farrell serves as verification for Romero.
"He is a guy we look at as a leader on our staff," Farrell said. "He's earned this, and hopefully this is one of many he'll start for us."
"It's hard to put into words," Romero said, after emerging from his meeting with Farrell. "Where I was two years ago, being close to being cut, barely making the team. Even before that, through my struggles in Double A. Being considered a bust.
"Now I look back at those years of struggling and I thank God every day for them. It made me stronger mentally, physically, and helped me to where I am today.
"Those struggles definitely helped me grow up."
Romero is the classic American success story, born to 16-year-old Sandra and 21-year-old Ricardo, two Mexican immigrants trying to beat out a life on the tough streets of East L.A. There were four Romero kids and two Romero parents behind the wheel - dad driving the truck, and mom driving a school bus to help pay the bills.
"I'm hoping I can retire them here in the next couple of years. First thing was buying them a house," said the 26-year-old. "My dad bleeds baseball. My mom told me, a few weeks ago, 'I think if you start Opening Day, I'm going to be crying the whole game.'"
When your staff is as young as is the Blue Jays' is, it seems right to take a 26-year-old who is ready to make the progression, and make him your ace.
The projected rotation at this point in the spring goes like this: Romero, Brandon Morrow (26), Brett Cecil (24), Jesse Litsch (26), and likely the young Kyle Drabek (23).
There's no Roy Halladay here anymore. Not even a Shaun Marcum, who was traded away for highly touted Canadian prospect Brett Lawrie over the winter.
Long before the torch was handed down, Romero was watching and studying- particularly Halladay, who had seven straight Opening Day starts - carried the assignment.
"Composure," Romero said. "Doc did it for so many years in Toronto, Shaun got to do it last year. The way they handled themselves was tremendous. I'm a big observer. I watched a lot of the stuff they did."
"Opening Day is a special day, and there is honour attached to that," Farrell said. "You've got the abilities to lead a pitching staff from a physical standpoint, but equal to that is a guy who sets the tone with his work ethic. Not only holding himself accountable, but if the situation calls for it, holding someone else accountable as well.
"Ricky has those intangibles."
He does indeed. And he came by them honestly.
