The Lantern

Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Sports

Unless you're an avid baseball fan or happened to wake up at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, you probably didn't know the Major League Baseball season has begun.

Now I know what you're thinking: Yesterday was only March 25, he must be talking about a spring training game. Unfortunately that's not the case, as Oakland and Boston kicked off the 2008 season with a non-exhibition game in Tokyo, Japan.

And I say non-exhibition so as to not confuse it with the exhibition games every other major league team is still playing in their respective Florida and Arizona spring training sites.

And I say non-exhibition so as to not confuse the two-game regular season series with the three-game exhibition series that will take place this weekend between the Los Angeles Dodgers and - you guessed it, Boston.

I'm still trying to figure out why officials would schedule a couple of regular season games between weeks of exhibition games, but alas, I gave up on trying to understand scheduling theories when I witnessed Cleveland's home opener take place in Milwaukee last season.

I understand Commissioner Bud Selig wants to spread MLB across the world, and used this series as a way to promote the league's defending world champion, but why Japan? This is AMERICA's national pastime, is it not?

I just don't see the point of celebrating the beginning of the season in another country.

I mean you'll never see the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan open its season in America, because it just doesn't make sense. Why not just have two MLB teams play in Tokyo in place of an interleague series? This would not only allow Selig to promote MLB, but it would also allow Boston or Oakland fans to enjoy their team's home opener.

I know first hand what it's like to watch your team to play its "home opener" on the road. Cleveland fans were treated to a home opener in Milwaukee last season because snow had already forced a three-game series with Seattle to be postponed. I don't even feel right calling that the home opener, because it takes away everything that makes it such. If I were a Boston or Oakland fan, I would be annoyed to see two home games swiped away for the amusement of fans who could care less for the name on the front of the jersey and only cheer for the guys with Matsuzaka woven on their backs.

I suppose I probably don't have much room to complain, as a lot of players enjoyed the experience. Though there were some who didn't think much of the idea, the majority of them liked the trip - aside from some conflicts over players and coaches being fairly compensated. I'll even admit the game yesterday probably had a significant impact on Japanese onlookers, because the 6-5, 10-inning win by Boston proved to be a tremendous baseball game - but it still offered nothing more than a mid-season extra-inning affair would have.

I, for one, think the whole idea is a joke. With the image of baseball already taking a major blow with all the steroid allegations and inflated stat lines, why compromise it even further by taking away the glory that comes with Opening Day? I'm sorry, but between classes and two jobs, I personally don't have the energy, or motivation, to wake up at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday morning to watch the season opener. Furthermore, I think I can speak for most fans when I say yesterday was not truly Opening Day. That won't come until Sunday night - when two MLB teams play at home, in America.

Matt Gottfried can be reached at gottfried.35@osu.edu.

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