Hand wringing. Sleep walking in the morning. Attention diverted from work. If you think I am talking about the NCAA Tournament, you are correct. All of the above conditions are the feelings felt by sports fans and the rest of the population that believes they will win their office pools. It truly is March Madness. There is another period of time during this month that can also be described as March Madness. However, unlike the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat that comes with the Tournament, this time of March is just………maddening.
I am referring to the beginning of Major League Baseball’s regular season.
For the second straight year, there is no real Opening Day. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs open the season in Japan on Tuesday, a full nine days before the rest of the league begins playing games that count. Madness. Two teams play regular season games and then don’t participate in another meaningful contest for close to a week and a half. Madness. The first important games of 2025 and they begin at 5:10 AM CST and 3:10 AM PST for the two fanbases they affect. Madness. As you can tell, I am not a fan of this first series being played an ocean away. I’ve long given up on the idea that MLB would restore Cincinnati as the rightful place to play the first game of every regular season. To begin a season where 95% of fans who love a sport (like my family and me) will watch no more than two innings of a game in a country that needs no introduction to baseball is sheer madness.
To be sure, we will be watching Cubs-Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading off to school and work. Some baseball is better than no baseball. I get that Major League Baseball is trying to spread its product worldwide. But to do so at the expense of the cherished traditions of Opening Day is………..complete madness.
Threeunassisted 