Cue the Boys of Summer 2012

The Athletics and Mariners reportedly christened the 2012 regular season with two games at the Tokyo Dome last week, but since the games were slated to start at 6:10 a.m. EDT, no independent confirmation has yet been obtained. Stateside, big-league play that counts begins tonight in a gaudy new ballpark in Miami when the Marlins host the defending-champion Cardinals.

For those of you who took the winter off — hey, don’t feel bad: ESPN’s Skip Bayless seemingly mails in his baseball analysis year-round — here is a little of what transpired while you were in National Pastime hibernation.

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