Monday, March 31, 2008

The Best Day of the Year



What would you consider to be the best day of the year? For some it is Christmas. For others it is a personal milestone like a birthday or an anniversary. For me, it’s today...March 31, 2008! Why? Because today is the first day of the Major League Baseball regular season.

I know, I know…the season officially started last Tuesday when the Boston Red Sox played the Oakland Athletics inside the Tokyo Dome in Japan. I actually got up early so I could watch the first few innings before having to head into the office. It was the earliest start to the season in Major League history. Pretty strange if you ask me. After playing two games that counted, both teams had to travel back to the states for several more spring training games before they go back to playing games that matter. Can you say "ridiculous"?

I also realize that there was another game on ESPN Sunday night that is part of the 2008 schedule. But for me, the first day of baseball is when my beloved Cleveland Indians play their first game of the new season and that day is today (Monday) as the Tribe battles the Chicago White Sox. My Indians look primed to once again compete against the powerful Detroit Tigers for the American League Central crown and hopefully to be able to avenge last year’s game seven loss in the American League Championship Series to the Red Sox.

But I am more excited about this season than ever. Here’s why. For my birthday I was given a subscription to Major League Baseball's Extra Innings. What’s that? That is 14 live major league baseball games on television every single evening all season long. That’s right folks. Every evening I can choose to watch between up to 14 different Major League Baseball games so I can follow the season pitch by pitch and be able to see more Indians games in one season since my childhood days growing up in Northeast Ohio.

But that’s not it. I used the money my parents sent me to subscribe to Gameday Audio on the internet. For just $14.95 for the entire season, I can listen to every major league game live over the internet. For each game I can choose either the home or away radio announcers. So each afternoon as I work in my office, as long as there is a Major League game being played somewhere, I can listen in as I work. So this season I can listen to baseball most afternoons over the computer and then watch multiple games each evening at home. And it all begins today!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m somewhat fanatical about baseball. I’m like a little kid on Christmas Eve when I know I’m going to a major league game the next day. In fact, come April 25, my family and I have been graciously given 4 tickets to Jacob’s Field in Cleveland to watch my Indians take on the New York Yankees while sitting in the club seats. I’ve already set our assistant over human resources to look at putting together a staff night at Citizens Bank Park to watch the Phillies and I have had discussions with a good friend of mine from back in Ohio to meet up in Pittsburgh to catch a Pirate’s game.

It’s going to be a great season which makes today the best day of the year!

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