Gen. Richard Neal, recently returned from the Persian Gulf, didn't exactly throw a strike--but he did please the fans when he tossed the first pitch of the 80th season at Fenway Park.

"I thought I was magnificent," joked Neal, who served as the primary spokesman from military headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the Persian Gulf War.

The fans yesterday appeared to agree with Neal, who left the field to rousing cheers. But the crowd wasn't as pleased with the Red Sox, who were overtaken by the Cleveland Indians 6-4.

Neal, dressed in fatigues and signing scores of autographs, said throwing out the game ball was an honor, not just for him, but for the gulf troops.

"Did you hear that applause? That was for all of us," he said.

After Neal's pitch, the game slid downhill for the Red Sox as the Indians built an early 6-0 lead.

The crowd booed newcomer Danny Darwin in his Fenway debut. Darwin, who signed for $11.8 million as a free agent, gave up six runs in the first two innings.

"You can't buy success. You have to earn it," said Eddie Walsh, a retired police officer who has been selling baseball cards outside Fenway for three years. "But I still hope they win."

Walsh said his business was "lousy" on opening day.