The Season Has Started

Baseball season has finally started and the Void is over.

Now that the season is going, I'd like to ask, does Major League Baseball have its collective heads up its own posteriors, or is it me? I happen to think that most baseball fans revere the traditions of the sport, while the powers that be seem to relish killing them.

For example, the Cincinnati Reds are the oldest team. They used to be the team that opened the season. They had earned that right. Today we open the season in Japan. In a city in a country that has no major league teams. Why? Opening elsewhere is a travesty. Today we opened in DC. An affront to fans everywhere (except, perhaps, Japan and DC).

Why does baseball think that we should fly teams half way around the world and open the season in an entire different country? Are the Japanese going to start watching games? Unlikely. Did they turn some Americans off? Possibly (me for sure). Did they lose money? You bet. Was the expense of flying teams to China and playing pre-season games there a good investment? Doubtful.

How long until we have lots of games out of country? Why would I care about The Game once that happens?

I hold season tickets to the Padres. I'll be at their opener tomorrow. Every year I wonder if I really care enough to buy the tickets. Every year it gets harder to say yes. Every year I feel that The Game is becoming less The Game I grew up with, and care about, and more some other game, one I don't care so much about.

If that happens enough to me, I'll stop going. If that happens to enough fans, Baseball will stop going. That might be something worth thinking about.