I applaud Ozzie Smith who made news this week by announcing his campaign to make Opening Day a national holiday. He started a petition Declare MLB Opening Day a national holiday, and as of this morning the petition is half way to reaching it's goal of 100,000 signatures needed to trigger a response from the White House.
"MLB Opening Day is more than just the beginning of the season. It’s a symbol of rebirth. The coming of spring. The return of America's national pastime. It’s a state of mind where anything is possible. You can feel the electricity in the air. Opening Day brings with it the promise of a new beginning. Every fan is in good spirits. It’s a day of celebration. It’s a day of hope. It’s a day that, for generations, has been looked forward to by baseball fans every off-season. It’s an American tradition, and it deserves to be recognized as an American holiday. Join us in our quest to make sure every American can exercise their inalienable right to celebrate the day those two magical words are uttered for the first time: “PLAY BALL!"
Two years ago I blogged about Opening Day and suggested it should be made a national holiday, while also questioning MLB's decision to begin the season in another country (in 2012 it was Japan; this year it's Australia) So yes, I'm on board with Zach Greinke of the Dodgers on his thoughts about opening the 2014 season in Australia, "I would say there is absolutely zero excitement for it. There just isn't any excitement to it. I can't think of one reason to be excited for it."
Who wants to wake up at 4 am on March 22nd to watch these games (assuming the MLB Network will even be televising the games?) I'm OK with ESPN marketing their Opening Night game on March 30th, but let's hope MLB can stick with a traditional Opening Day in America and join the movement to make it a national holiday.
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