Opening Day

March 30 2005, Grantham, PA. It's that time of year again: The birds are chirping, the sun is out, my bike needs tuning, and my glove needs oiling. Ahhh - Nothing like spring. It's spring when new plants grow and bloom, when animals give new birth. Sure you've heard spring is the time for new life, it's also time for life to begin again; all those animals that have been dormant over winter months peak their heads out again slowly at first and than show in full force.

That's right - you can see where I'm going with this: yet another analogy of the world and baseball.

Spring. Baseball peaks out for spring training in the late winter months and than BOOM spring hits and it comes out in full force.

It's this full force in which baseball will begin this Sunday April, 3rd when the Red Sox play the Yankees in New York. It is impossible to say this is just the first of 19 games they will play and has no meaning. It is also impossible to say this one has the most meaning because no one knows which game is or was the most important. Some may say Game 7 of last years ALCS was, while others will contend Game 4, Game 5, or Game 6. Still others, such as myself hold strong to the belief Bill Muellers walk off Home Run against Mariano Rivera was the most important game.

Sure the match up this Sunday isn't the much anticipated Schilling vs. Johnson, but it is still Red Sox vs Yankees Opening day. We all may know the outcome of this one game really wont define the rest of the year, but all the same we will treat it as if it is and it will be one that will stick in our minds forever, along with the Fenway opener when the Red Sox receive their Championship rings in front of the Yankees.

Many things will be told by this game as the inner workings become slowly untwined. Can the Yankees continue their 7 Year Opening Day win streak? Can the Sox break their 3 Year Losing streak? How will Wells do against his former team? Will Johnson be all he's cracked up to be? Can the Yankees put what happened last year behind them and move on? Will the Red Sox keep composure and still be the dirt dogs they've always been even though they achieved the impossible?

Perhaps not all of these will be answered this Sunday, but some may be. Perhaps most importantly, we the fans will regain the excitement, joy, and heartbreak we’ve lacked these long winter months.So is it just another opening day? Or even just another ordinary game? No way, because any time the Red Sox and Yankees meet it goes deeper than just an ordinary ball game; you can be sure this Sunday will be no different.