WHY MLB DROPPED THE BALL

Thursday is Opening Day! Did you know that? Thursday? Of course you did. Yankee fans are the greatest fans in the game, of course WE knew it. But guess what? If I were to walk out to Sixth Avenue in New York City and ask 100 people, I bet close to 3/4's of them would have no idea when exactly Opening Day is? That’s an abomination.

Opening Day used to be huge occasion. Now, it just seems to be another day on the baseball's calendar and it sickens me. It used to be a Monday, sometimes a Tuesday. It was heavily promoted. It was one of those, “lets play hooky and go to the ballpark” days, and everybody knew about it. Now, I know the Stadium will be packed tomorrow and I wish I was going – the warm breeze, the sunshine, the smell of freshly cut grass... Oh, that’s right, chance of snow showers this year... March 31^st. (For the sweet love of God, can winter be over already?)

Look, MLB has done a horrendous job of promoting Opening Day this year. That and it's also the THURSDAY BEFORE THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. Most sports nuts are quite engaged in the tournament this year to realize baseball is even here. Here's a brilliant idea MLB, why not make Opening Day the Tuesday after the NCAA championship game, this way you can steal their thunder like what you’ve allowed THEM to do to YOU.

Has anyone noticed there are only 6 games slated for Thursday? Six? Are you kidding me? Almost everyone should be playing... day games too. Now, I know they don’t make the Yankees & Mets open on the same day, I get that. But why? What Yankee fan is watching the Mets? I’m not even sure Mets fans are watching the Mets, now that I think of it.

Hopefully someone from MLB Marketing will see this and take heed next year. Let's go back to making Opening Day an EVENT, not just a day on the calendar. Everyone in the sports world is crying poverty, so here’s your chance to capitalize on it. Now let's Play Ball and go Yanks!

-- Lem Allen BYB Freelance Contributor

My email: bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com

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