5 reasons to be excited for Opening Day

After winter's bluster, it's nice to welcome spring. With spring comes baseball, Major League Baseball. Officially the season started on March 22 when the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Arizona Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia. The Dodgers won both games. (I'm sure you set your alarm to wake up for the 3 a.m. start.) However, most clubs will begin the 2014 season Monday, including the Cardinals and Reds in Cincinnati. St. Louis hosts its home opener April 7. Here are five things to like about Major League Baseball Opening Day.

5. Bunting: No, not the small-ball tactic of moving runners over or bunting for a hit. Bunting, as in the decorations all around the stadiums. Red, white and blue. This patriotic pomp and circumstance is usually reserves for holidays or playoff games. However, the start of the baseball season is often a time when teams put their best foot forward to spruce up the stands, making the inaugural game of the season a special event.

4. Stories: You won't be surprised to know that news folks like stories. We make our living sharing facts, giving perspective and capturing news with photo, video and the written word. There will be plenty of stories to follow this year in baseball. MLB has implemented instant replay. Purists will object. But those who have watched their team lose, in part, because of a missed call (i.e., 1985 World Series with the Cards and Royals) will likely be excited to see Major League Baseball take this step. Questions: How will this affect the length of games? Will there be fewer ejections? How many times will replay make a difference? Another storyline is the collision policy. Major League Baseball has considered the implications of collisions between base runners and catchers. We know this can shorten careers and possibly link to lifelong issues. Redbirds manager Mike Matheny's career as a catcher was shortened due to collisions and concussion issues. I am pleased to see the changes come.

3. Unbridled hope: It's a new season. All 30 teams have a fresh start. Any team could pull off a fantastic season, go to the playoffs and win the World Series. Even if you like a small market team or organization that has struggled for years, Opening Day starts a new chapter.

2. Pomp and circumstance: I touched on this previously with the comment on bunting. But there are so many other aspects to Opening Day worth celebrating. Some stadiums will have flyovers. If you've never been to a professional baseball game when this has taken place, you don't know what you are missing. There's a chilling effect to watching and hearing a flyover of jets. Other things: The national anthem, God Bless America, members of the Hall of Fame (at least in St. Louis) return, lineup announcements and more.

1. Clydesdales: No other team does Opening Day like the St. Louis Cardinals. Many of the festivities noted above happen around the league. But there's one unique to St. Louis: The Budweiser Clydesdales. These amazing horses usually take a lap around the field before the game, with drivers and dog riding along. I remember seeing the Clydesdales several years ago at the SEMO District Fair. As much as I like baseball, it is seeing the Clydesdales make their signature lap that tells me baseball in back.

Play ball!