COLUMN | Opening Day is my happy day

April 1 marks Major League Baseball's Opening Day, and my hapless Texas Rangers play at the Kansas City Royals at 3:10 p.m.

I have always enjoyed the time that baseball rolls back into season. It marks the end of winter and the start of spring. Spring for me is a time of rebirth and renewed optimism. The warmer weather usually puts most people in a better mood.

A lot of people complain about how long it takes to complete a baseball game. But that is a part of the beauty of the game. I take the time during the pauses to reflect on the game. Sometimes, the pauses allow a childhood memory of playing baseball to spark inside my mind.

What is cool is that sometimes I can engage in conversation with another spectator about the game. Different questions born from my thoughts race through my mind. 'Will the coach want the batter to bunt or will he give the green light? Will the runner on first try to steal second? I wonder if he will throw the fastball or the curveball?'

Baseball is fair in the opportunities it gives to each team. Baseball is void of a coin flip, and there is not a clock that will run out.

I have heard that baseball is a game of inches, but it is also a game of space. The players are spread out on the field. It does not require in depth descriptions in order to see the game in my mind. I can listen to a game on the radio, and I can see the plays unfold. The spatial aspect is what helps the most.

Baseball, with its long season, gives players a lot of time to prove themselves or, in some cases, redeem themselves. A batter may hit .170 before the All-Star break, but he can turn it around and finish the season with a .290.

America's pastime offers so much - stories, statistics and trivia. Jim Bouton's hat flying off his head 37 times in his complete game win in the 1964 World Series. Willie Mays making his famous catch while his back was to the field. I could go on but that's why books on baseball are sold.

The team concept is important in baseball. A player can not score a ton of runs unless he has a teammate to knock him home. A pitcher who relies on groundouts needs the defense to be solid.

I love baseball and am glad that it is back again, even if my Rangers stink.

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