Play Ball

Today is Opening Day. Those two words give baseball fans from coast to coast a shimmering sense of optimism and a jolt of positive energy.

It’s Morning in America, again, and it’s the first day of a new baseball season! 

Spring brings a sense of newness in our world and no where is that more profoundly evident than in our ballparks and fandoms. On this day, all 30 teams are undefeated - not counting last night’s game or those two outings in Australia last week – and every team can point to its offseason plan, acquisitions and spring training results as evidence that things are moving in the right direction.

I read through ESPN’s pre-season picks yesterday and if you are a fan of the Cardinals, Dodgers, Nationals and Rays, you should be especially happy this morning. Representatives of the World Wide Leader in Sports has picked your team to be the top of the heap.

If you are fan of the Tigers or Red Sox, you were picked less often in Bristol but you are still considered a strong candidate for postseason play. 

Closer to home in Braves Country, there is probably less optimism than six weeks ago because of the rash of spring training injuries to Atlanta pitchers. Still, an aggressive front office made some last minute moves and took other steps in the offseason to secure a core group of young stars to long-term deals.

The Bravos open the season on the road but will return to the south next week for a home opener in their soon-to-be-former home.

Everywhere, it seems, baseball fever is catching. Yesterday, I drove by the ballparks of Farragut Baseball, Inc. and I saw a few teams-worth of youngsters practicing the game on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon on the hill by the lake. Meanwhile, friends everywhere posted online references related to the start of the 2014 season.

After the long, cold winter, it’s time to dust off those scorebooks and tune in for the game. Ol’ Blue’s about to roll out a ball and say those famous two words: Play Ball!

Today is Opening Day in America. What a wonderful thing that is!

JG

Originally posted 3/31/2014