Days are beginning to get longer, the suns seem to be getting hotter, and bees are out buzzing. It means one thing, baseball is back. Baseball goes hand and hand with summer like peanut butter goes with jelly.

The baseball gods were smiling down  Sunday, March 30^th. Why? Someone might ask–it was Opening Day for Major League Baseball. Which to some people, is a sacred day. Opening day featured the Dodgers versus the Padres. The Dodgers are coming off of a playoff year and the Padres who are coming of a disappointing season. The rest of the Major League began play the next day, with games such as Braves vs. Brewers, the Cubs vs. the Pirates or the Red Sox vs. the Orioles.

Opening day revamped the diehard baseball fans’ spirit, as now they can watch their favorite teams and players, almost on a daily basis.  Fans of the game have waited since last October to see baseball. Some have waited even longer than that to watch their favorite team play. But this season already seems different than prior seasons. It seems as if something remarkable may be about to unfold this year, maybe a new record being broke or a Cinderella team winning it all. I will cross my fingers that the remarkable action will be the Braves winning the World Series. (A fan can dream right)

We will see new faces, faces that are finally seeing a boyhood dream come true as they take the field for the first time. These young men (such as Jim Adduci or Johnathan Schoop) are hoping this day is more than just a dream coming true, they hope is only a stepping stone in the start of a luxurious career. Speaking of a luxurious career, this will the last season fans will ever see Derek Jeter. The Yankee great and future Hall of Famer has decided that this is it, as he will retire at the end of the season. Leaving Yankee fans and women in tears and Boston fans glad his golden glove will be out of the infield.

Opening day saw some teams begin a road to playoffs and other teams begin the road to an early offseason. Chicago Cub fans are already making excuses for this season. Teams like the Braves, Diamondbacks and Mets (no surprise here) experienced their first loss of the season and they hope their only loss. But teams like the Marlins and Phillies experienced their first win of the season, hoping it’s a sign of a bright season. History however has already been made this season, with the Pirates. The Pirates were deadlocked in the tenth inning at 0-0 with the Cubs. Neil Walker, the Pirates second baseman, hit a walk off homerun to win the game. This is the first opening day walk off homerun for the Pirates since 1965.Proving that something just seems special about this season.

As an avid baseball fan, I was pleased with opening day. Not really with the results because the Braves lost. The play, however, was good and not super rusty as some may expect. In my opinion, if this season is as good as opening day was we are in for one great summer of baseball. So tonight, if you the readers are not studying, flip the TV to a baseball game and take in the art that is America’s pastime.