MLB Opening Day 2012: America's Pastime Misses Point of Hallowed Holiday

One day. It's really not that hard to understand. 

It's so simple that even Manny Ramirez could grasp its concept. It is as easy to understand as why Marlins Park will soon go from snazzy new to tacky old in the span of a year. 

It's Opening Day, and we have lost it forever. 

In the hopes to spread baseball fandom across the world and into the deeper reaches domestically, MLB has gone completely thin. They have destroyed a beautiful day that was once treated by fans as no less than an excuse to call in sick. Millions would stay home from work to take in Opening Day. National production would drop like it was March Madness. 

Simply put, it would be as perfect as a Justin Verlander start. 

Instead, we have been given a few games to start off the season. You know, because the mania of baseball action is so great that we have to temper it over a couple weeks. 

We got an "Opening Night" that took place in Japan between two teams most of the nation forgot existed. If ever there was a time to catch up on sleep, it was when the A's and Mariners began the season halfway across the world. 

And then, as if to get a start on the weekend, MLB kicked things off on a Wednesday night in what was a beautiful game played by the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals and a team that was just defending their sense of style in the Miami Marlins. 

I am not alone in thinking, hot damn, it would be great if we had a full day of this stuff.

Thursday is the real Opening Day, but it's been diluted like a Scotch with too much water in it. Bartender, could you possibly make this stronger?

Half the teams will play on Thursday, and the other half will play on Friday. The Marlins, who opened in Miami, are forced to travel to Cincinnati to play the Reds' home opener, after just a one-game series with St. Louis. 

I am going to make an assumption that is frighteningly close to the reality: Bud Selig gave the scheduling duties to a drunk chimpanzee this season. Or he just doesn't care about what really works. 

Imagine a world where millions across the nation would call off work for the one day that every single fan had an equal share in World Series hope. Those that wouldn't head to the stadium would hit the snooze button until the game was on TV. It would be better than Opening Day, because it would be a holiday. 

Well, wipe your eyes and sober up, because that is a daydream. What we have is an Opening Few Days, which is not as catchy and is not nearly as compelling. 

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