Opening Day

As I sit at my computer and scour the internet for stories this morning, I feel an almost unnerving calmness. My morning routine went better than usual, which is saying something considering I have four children ages five and under to get ready to go to school/babysitter’s house before I leave for work. My daughter insisted on cereal today instead of pop tarts and managed to dump the entire bowl of it onto her lap. Even the mad dash for clean clothes didn’t really get to me. Not today.

No, unlike most of my days, today has been productive thus far. Not only that, but I’m in a good mood despite the unseasonably cold temperatures outside. Even the usually annoying co-workers haven’t really annoyed me today. It’s not something I really noticed until just a few minutes ago and when I did, I began to wonder what the reasoning could be. Why is today so much better than a normal day for me? Then it hit me and a smile crossed my lips.

Oh yeah, it’s Opening Day.

Of course I knew it was Opening Day long before a few moments ago. I’ve had this date circled in my mind’s calendar for several months now. But for some reason, I didn’t put the two together; my good feelings and the start of the baseball season. But that is most certainly the biggest reason why today is better than others.

Opening Day means that there are no six game losing streaks, not yet at least. There’s no slugger mired in a 1-for-19 slump, no set-up man who walks the bases loaded with a two-run lead, no chopper up-the-middle that just eludes a diving shortstop, no missed call at first base. Today, for the few hours or so, every team is in first place.

Every pitcher can exceed expectations this year, every hitter will figure out how to lay off that slider in the dirt, every fielder will be flawless. Today is all about the hope that engulfs each baseball fan, no matter how big or small the market of their team. Today isn’t about $30 million payrolls or $200 million payrolls. The Yankees and the Pirates are on equal footing right now. And anything is possible. Anything can happen.

Of course we realize that there are things that are very unlikely, but none of that matters just yet. Today is the start of something special, something that can carry our clubs to a pennant. Today every prospect can live up to their potential, every five-tool guy can become the next Willie Mays, or at least the next Carlos Gonzalez. Today we get to bask in the warm sun of the summer, no matter the actual weather.

Today is Opening Day; a should-be national holiday. Today our favorite players will have great seasons and our club will rise to the top. Royals fans feel the same hope and optimism today that RedSox fans do. There will be time enough for fret and worry, time for complaining and armchair managing, but today makes everything okay, at least for now.

The Boys of Summer are back as of today. And if that doesn’t make your day better, I feel sorry for you.

If you’ve read this rambling this far, I certainly appreciate it. I wasn’t sure I should post this (and I’m still not sure), but then I figured “hey, it’s my blog and what’s the point of having a blog if I can’t be free to post some mindless, pointless drivel every now and again?” So here it is.

Welcome to the best day of the year. Let the games begin.

Like what you see here and want to stay informed on the happenings at MCB? Make sure to follow us on Twitter, friend us on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed.