Opening Day!

Baseball players and fans should expect to bundle
up in many parts of the country for this year's Opening Day.

Today is Opening Day in Major League Baseball...on March 31!  It seems rather odd that Baseball games are taking place in March, but it is Major League Baseball's attempt to avoid playing regular season games in October, which results in the possibility that the World Series will extend deep into November when weather can play a significant role in the outcome in many parts of the country.  In 2008, for example, a World Series game spanned three days thanks to extended rain storms in Philadelphia when the Phillies ended up besting the Rays for the World Series title.  However, if you were in cities such as New York, Washington, and Kansas City today, fans and players still had to endure 30 degree weather for 3+ hours.  On Opening Day, which is probably the most exciting day in the regular season, New York and Washington fans only filled their respective stadiums to only 92% capacity.  It is better that weather affect March / early April games than World Series games, but can't MLB figure out a way to play the majority of March / early April games in domed or good weather venues such as Florida, Texas, California, and Arizona? There is a reason Spring Training games take place in Florida and Arizona, right?   Unfortunately, the weather won't change just because the games begin to count.

CC Sabathia expects the Yankees to be
holding up the trophy in 2011.

Opening Day means a new sense of excitement for fans everywhere when all the teams are 0-0.  From Pittsburgh to San Francisco, the fans, players, and coaches dream of the possibility that this could be "Their Year".  The addition of the Wild Card playoff slot in each league extends that dream well into the season, but all teams with the exception of 8 will end the long regular season looking forward to next year's Opening Day.  So why was it such big news when New York Yankee starting pitcher CC Sabathia made headlines yesterday when he declared the Yankees the favorites to "win the whole thing" and that they might be able to "sneak up on some people" this year?  Shouldn't every team and player believe that?  Many experts are picking a Red Sox / Phillies World Series in 2011, so has the team with the $200M payroll become the underdog this year?  Apparently.  But that's what great about Opening Day: every team has a shot whether they are the favorites or not.  Injuries will happen, good teams will go through long losing streaks, and teams with high payrolls will underperform, but even a fan of the Chicago Cubs, who haven't won the World Series since 1908, can honestly say: "Our 103-year drought ends now!"

You know, CC?  He might be right....or not.