Is Major League Baseball's opening day a special day in this country? Why, of course it is. It would be un-American to say otherwise. One could produce a sizeable list of Rockwellian clichés to paint a fair picture of what the first day of the season is all about.
Every team is 0-0, so the underdog is still in the hunt. The crowd is full of patrons who, on any other day, would be at work or in class. The patriotic bunting is in place as avid fans await their heroes' return.
The defending world champions open at home, eager to unveil a new banner or pennant for their grateful fan base to gawk at in the years to come.
The Boston Red Sox, the reigning World Series champion (as if we needed a reminder) did not open their 2008 campaign at Fenway or on the continent of North America. No, the Sox kicked things off at 6:05 a.m. EST inside the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
No pennant, no bunting, not even the sun (in the dome or on the East Coast) was present. Boston squared off against the Oakland Athletics for a pair of games in the Land of the Rising Sun, a split for the record, before heading back stateside for more pre-season action.
Doesn't that just sound wrong? Why is a great Americana game being played halfway across the planet? Is it to spread the universal language of baseball (or whatever Selig calls it)?
It would be as easy as it would be cynical to suggest that MLB is able to turn a great profit by playing regular season games overseas, but if that weren't the case, why not make them exhibition games? Granted, this misstep by Major League Baseball is not as egregious as the National Hockey League's opening weekend this season. The Stanley Cup champions the Anaheim Ducks started their season by playing their cross-town rival, the Los Angeles Kings, in that hockey-hotbed of London, England.
Frankly, MLB sending two teams halfway around the world to start their seasons is disrespectful. The players, the fans and the game all deserve better.
Major League teams can and should play exhibition games in foreign lands - it is good for the growth of the sport - but opening day is sacred.
Here's to hoping the 2008 World Series champion gets to open up '09 the right way - in front of their fans.
