Today is a glorious day. Aside from being sunny and mid-40s—a sure sign of impending spring in Madison—it's the last day until November without Major League Baseball.
We've been wallowing in the repetitive, mundane, injury-riddled doldrums of Cactus League split-squads and Grapefruit League humidity for six weeks now. It gets so bad that, at this point, Ryan Braun and the boys are itching to ditch the mid-80s of Maryvale, Ariz. for rain and 40 in Cincinnati.
For the Brewers, a couple extra weeks of shagging fly balls and going through bunting drills in Arizona couldn't hurt. Corey Hart, Jonathan Lucroy and Zack Greinke will start the year on the disabled list, but 15 days or so might be enough to get them healthy. However, there's a big new video board at Miller Park, division title hopes and enough anticipation to understand why fans and players alike want to get this show on the road.
Still, not everyone shares in the excitement that opening day brings. Plenty of people I've talked to either speak indifferently about baseball or outwardly resent the amount of attention it gets.
Most say the game is too boring, there isn't enough action and the games last too long. I can understand that sentiment when there's six pitching changes in the seventh inning, but aside from that, our society's become too busy, too ADD affected, too hooked on everything that moves fast and holds your attention for fifteen minutes and then disappears into the digital abyss—yes, Charlie Sheen, I'm looking at you.
Baseball is difficult to appreciate without following it in some detail. But it also provides a look at the way professional athletes go about their business in a way that few other sports do. Sure, NBA teams play back-to-back nights from time to time, but the connection fans can make with a baseball team every day for six months gives it a feel that nothing else can offer.
Here's the only problem I can find with the game: Aside from the Brewers, there aren't many games that I'll go out of my way to watch. In the NFL, NHL, NCAA football and basketball and even the NBA, there are matchups that I will make sure I see. In baseball, not so much.
ESPN killed the whole Red Sox-Yankees thing for me long ago and I can only take so much of the Phillies, Dodgers and Angels. Unless somebody's three outs from a no-hitter or a brawl is likely, I'm probably not going to tune into a game that doesn't include the Brewers.
That comes with the caveat that, even if I don't watch other teams' games, I'll at least keep close tabs on what the guys on my fantasy baseball team are up to. This year, that list includes Hanley Ramirez, Josh Hamilton and Justin Verlander, among others.
I'm too competitive to not cheer for those players or teams I pick, even if the rational fan in me would never otherwise root for their success. Of course, that didn't matter much for my NCAA bracket this year, which was prodigiously bad.
Fantasy baseball might be a way to keep people tuned into the game. It's hard to convey the enjoyment I get out of watching a game develop, whether its 14-11 or 2-1, and the decisions that inevitably affect the result. But, if people keep watching to see how many total bases Joe Mauer racks up, they'll eventually find beauty in the game, too.
Are you excited for opening day? Would you rather watch paint dry? E-mail Parker at pjgabriel@dailycardinal.com
