Hochevar gets Royals opening day start — and a nickname

Cynics might say this falls into the category of "somebody had to go first" but the Kansas City Royals have announced their starting pitcher for opening day. And that somebody ... is right-hander Luke Hochevar. ("Hochevar," in case you are curious, is pronounced as awkwardly as it is spelled: HOE-shay-vur.) You also might assume Hochevar has inherited Zack Greinke's mantel, but Greinke has only started opening day once in his career (2010) before being traded to the Brewers. Before that, Gil Meche started three straight openers for Kansas City. Congratulations, Luke, for inheriting Gil Meche's mantel! Before Meche, there was Scott Elarton ('06), Jose Lima (Lima Time in '05!), Brian Anderson ('04), Runelvys Hernandez ('03) and Jeff Suppan (2000-03). It's like the Royals have been wandering around in a desert for the past decade. Or two. Earnestly, I'm thinking the opening day designation is the sign of something big for Hochevar and...