That Awkward moment when…

We  made it!  To opening day!  That’s fantastic!  But…what happened to the fields in Arizona?  Florida?… What happens next?

Truth be told, I love Spring Training.  Whether it’s in Florida, or in Arizona, for some reason, the excitement and anticipation just bleed through every pitch.  From the veterans who’re just working on their swings, to 18 year-old rookies who are trying to make their dreams come true.  It never disappoints.  However there is one thing that bothers me.  The fact that it just…stops.

The start of the regular season is great and fantastic, but I always feel unfulfilled, and almost abandoned.  I understand that once ST wraps up, the bags are packed, and extended ST begins.  So really, there is no end to it.  Though I would appreciate some sort of “final game” or “final ceremony” to cap it all off.

I am not saying there needs to be a nationally syndicated program all about the final game like the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, but something would be nice.

No?

The thing is, I highly doubt I am alone in this thought process.  To me  it was always confusing.  There is so much lead up to the beginning of Spring Training, such as social media campaigns.  But when it’s over, it’s almost like people just abandon the parks overnight.  You’d think they’d want SOME sort of closure.  Or maybe not.

Maybe it’s just better to move on, and not dwell about the warm weather of our past.

OPENING DAY!…in the cold(?)

Ladies and gentleman, the day has FINALLY COME!  That day… is OPENING DAY!  I will give you a moment to collect yourself.

…..Good?

….Okay.  Good.

Now that you have that out of your system, let’s go over the checklist of everything you’ll need for the big day.

1.  Tickets
2. Money
3. Jersey
4. Hunger
5. A smille
6. ….a jacket?
7. ………snow shoes???

Wait a minute… does something seem weird to  you?  Oh yea.. the winter apparel.  But why would you need that?  Baseball is the game of summer!

That, right there, is the question I have been trying to answer for years now.  As a huge Indians fan born and raised here in Cleveland, Ohio, those last two items have been an all-too-real need for me.  Which is the topic of this post.

For most of the fans, even though they live in colder areas, they at least have a dome, or roof, so it can be 72 and sunny year round.

Not Cleveland…or Boston… or New York…

But why?

I understand, domes and roofs are very expensive, and can be technically difficult.  However, I would prefer not to turn purple from frostbite during the 7th inning stretch.  It’s miserable.  Even the players hate it, that’s why some carry a “warm weather” clause in their contracts.

Lucky guys.

So if you live where it’s warm year round (I hate you) enjoy it.  Not all of us will be in T-Shirts on opening day.  Some of use will have to huddle together in our overpriced seats covered in snow.  Though I am used to it by now.

P.S.  Please build a roof, Cleveland.