Toe to Toe: Hodes versus Schmidley
Opening Day is an American tradition. And for this writer, spring doesn't begin with the vernal equinox, despite what I've heard in my astronomy class. No, spring truly begins when the tarps are first rolled back in ballparks all across the country Monday afternoon. For argument's sake, we're just going to pretend "Opening Night" doesn't count. After all, if Major League Baseball wanted people to seriously consider Sunday night the start of the season, the Mets wouldn't be involved. The NCAA tournament, on the other hand, represents winter. Millions of barbecue-loving Americans would love nothing more than to shed all remnants of winter and embrace spring, making Opening Day a more attractive event.