PLAY BALL!

My all-time favorite SI cover is the one on the right. From my all time favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals.

As another season gets underway in just a few short days, I'm excited. Not that I think the Cardinals can win it all again as they did just three years ago, but there's always that chance.

Opening Day should be a national holiday. Seriously. Give everyone a day off and celebrate America's pastime. It's better than a lot of the holidays we have. Presidents' Day? Are you serious? Do you get excited about that? About a day off work in February?

Maybe if you got to pick the President's birthday you wanted to celebrate. Now, there's an idea. You'd get a day off and not shut down banks and the post office. Then if you wanted to celebrate Abe Lincoln's birthday on February 12, then go ahead. Not me. I'll take someone born in a good weather month whether I like him as Prez or not.

"Sorry, he/she is not available today. It's James Polk's birthday, you know." Not only would you not cause business to come to a stop, you'd be educating people and celebrating a President at the same time.

It could never happen. It makes too much sense. Just like taking a day off for the start of baseball season. Come to think of it, we could just call that President's Day, Wild Card Day.

But just in case the President's Day doesn't work out, and just in case the national Opening Day doesn't catch on, well, just call in sick. After all, it should be a holiday. Plus you don't want to miss the first pitch.