Opening Day is Upon Us
Can you smell that? The beer, the peanuts…the pine tar? That’s right, it’s time for baseball season. Opening day for most teams is Monday, but the first game in the league is tomorrow night with the Cards taking on the Mets. I guess the real question though is...did you even know?
With the Madness still in full swing and the NBA playoffs right around the corner, baseball seems to take a back seat in the early months. Baseball season for most people these days starts in June or July. These people, who say they are “fans,” miss the first 2-3 months of the season (well not miss, they still have their fantasy teams I’m sure) and then follow the second half. By the time they start watching, teams have already fallen out of the playoff race. How can your season start with teams already eliminated?
The real baseball fan knows that spring training started a month ago. Pitchers and catchers reporting is a great day. It is a great day because soon to follow is the day when the rest of the players report to camp. Do you know why that day is a great day? It’s because not too long after that, the preseason games begin. I know some people frown on preseason baseball because it doesn’t matter who wins, but it’s not about that.
Both the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues are about finding the starting rotation, figuring out whom that platoon at third base is going to be, and deciding if trading that future star is really worth it for an aging veteran who just might put you over the top this year. That is why real baseball people care about preseason baseball - it sets the stage for the season and gives those psuedo-fans the time to realize the season is about to begin.
Opening Day is upon us and I for one couldn’t be happier. What other event finds more people taking off work or cutting out early than opening day in baseball? Some will tell you that’s only because they want to miss work. Maybe that’s true, but I choose to believe that at least some of those souls just really couldn’t wait for the season. They have waited since October for this and now they just can’t wait any longer. They need that first homerun, that first spectacular double play, that first save for the home team. They need the beer, the peanuts, and the pine tar. They need it all.
Opening Day is just around the weekend. Monday afternoon I will be missing work to show my support for the home team. I will be missing work to get my yearly fix of that first trip to the ballpark. And I will be missing work for the beer, the peanuts, and yes, even the pine tar. So come on, who’s with me?
With the Madness still in full swing and the NBA playoffs right around the corner, baseball seems to take a back seat in the early months. Baseball season for most people these days starts in June or July. These people, who say they are “fans,” miss the first 2-3 months of the season (well not miss, they still have their fantasy teams I’m sure) and then follow the second half. By the time they start watching, teams have already fallen out of the playoff race. How can your season start with teams already eliminated?
The real baseball fan knows that spring training started a month ago. Pitchers and catchers reporting is a great day. It is a great day because soon to follow is the day when the rest of the players report to camp. Do you know why that day is a great day? It’s because not too long after that, the preseason games begin. I know some people frown on preseason baseball because it doesn’t matter who wins, but it’s not about that.
Both the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues are about finding the starting rotation, figuring out whom that platoon at third base is going to be, and deciding if trading that future star is really worth it for an aging veteran who just might put you over the top this year. That is why real baseball people care about preseason baseball - it sets the stage for the season and gives those psuedo-fans the time to realize the season is about to begin.
Opening Day is upon us and I for one couldn’t be happier. What other event finds more people taking off work or cutting out early than opening day in baseball? Some will tell you that’s only because they want to miss work. Maybe that’s true, but I choose to believe that at least some of those souls just really couldn’t wait for the season. They have waited since October for this and now they just can’t wait any longer. They need that first homerun, that first spectacular double play, that first save for the home team. They need the beer, the peanuts, and the pine tar. They need it all.
Opening Day is just around the weekend. Monday afternoon I will be missing work to show my support for the home team. I will be missing work to get my yearly fix of that first trip to the ballpark. And I will be missing work for the beer, the peanuts, and yes, even the pine tar. So come on, who’s with me?
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