OPENING DAY

I've waxed poetically about Opening Day for years. I know, technically the Sox and A's opened in Japan last week and the Braves and Nats teed it up last night. But everybody knows that Opening Day isn't official until the Redlegs play the first game of the season to honor the first game played by them back in the 1800's. And, I know it's the Reds, but I'm a purist in some areas; the ones I choose.

So what do you say about Opening Day in Major League baseball? It's a great day because it means warmer weather is on the way. Especially for Midwesterners and Easterners who both had rough, rough Winters. For the Southerners, the Spring rains and storms unfortunately will continue. But in between, the weather takes on that indiscribable Spring feeling in the air.

Things are still good at the old ballpark. New ones are opening all the time. They try to resemble the old parks and that's a good thing. The cookie cutter, multi-stadiums with astroturf have fallen thankfully by the wayside. Unfortunately, one that needs to go--Wrigley won't, and the one that needs to stay--Yankee Stadium is leaving after this season. At least Fenway is staying, though their fans are getting more obnoxious all the time. I liked them better when they never won.

So for my team the Cardinals, it looks somewhat bleak, but it could be exciting with a lot of unprovens and comebacks from lingering injuries. And, as they proved in 2006, all you have to do is make it to the playoffs and then anything can happen. As for my second faves, the Diamondbacks, I'm afraid they'll have a tough time repeating. It seems almost no teams do anymore. Even the big spending Sox spread out their championships by two years.

What about the Cubbies and their 100 years of futility? Will this be the year? It could. But I don't think it will. Again, it's so tough to repeat.

So, Mr. Predictor, who's it gonna be in '08? I'd say the Tigers over the Mets. But as Andujar used to say in one word "youneverknow".

But when that first, "Play ball!" is spoken to inugurate the season, it takes me back to the Little League fields just off Broadway and 20th Street in Mt. Vernon circa 1957-62.