It's Opening Day - all is well in the world again (for now)

Appropriately, the sun is shining brightly in our little part of the world today. Even though the local major league team -- the Minnesota Twins -- are about to start their last season playing indoors in Minneapolis -- there is an extra bounce in a lot of people's step today.

For today is Opening Day - the official start of the major league baseball season. (Yes, I know there was Sunday night game in Philadelphia. But that was simply to give ESPN2 something to do.)

No, today is Opening Day. All athletic teams have season openers. But only one sport -- major league baseball -- has an Opening Day. It is as is spring has officially sprung. Never mind that the scheduled high today is 38 degrees. The sun is out, baseball can be played again and, for one day (well, at least one afternoon), we can forget bailouts and overseas summits.

Here in the Midwest (and, I suspect in the East), Opening Day means we can officially go back outdoors and play again. Accordingly, most teams play their first game at home in the daytime. (The Twins and the Blue Jays, both of whom have roofs over their heads, do not. Time is insignificant when you are under the Big Top.)

Granted, it is generally a little nippy but that's okay. I remember going to an Opener at old Met Stadium in Bloomington. Nolan Ryan was pitching for the Angels and there was snow piled up outside the stadium. On a warm summer day, Ryan was a handful to face. On this day - with the wind blowing and the temp about 40 degrees, the Twins didn't have much of a shot and went down easily, 7-3. Didn't matter. It was fun anyway.

On Opening Day, it is usually your team's best pitcher against their team's best pitcher. It didn't matter if the starters were Bob Gibson vs. Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford vs. Sam McDowell, or as was the case when the twins faced the Mariners at Met Stadium in 1978 (a better weather day, it was 85 and gorgeous), Geoff Zahn vs. Tom House. It was just fun to sit outside and watch baseball again.

Of course, the game doesn't mean more than any of the other 161 the teams will play. In 1968, when the Detroit Tigers lost the opener, 9-1. The next day, they rallied in the ninth inning for the first of their 103 wins en route to rolling to the American League pennant.

As mentioned, this is the last Opener at the Metrodome. Next year, the Twins move to Target Field, a smaller facility on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. There is a large incinerator nearby that doesn't smell great. Parking could be a big challenge. The place will not have a roof. The wisdom of this idea has been debated back and forth but the matter is closed. We'll just have to deal with it.

There will be a few issues to handle. Yesterday, we had two inches of snow on the ground. So, if the Twins opened outside this afternoon, you would see a lot of parkas in the stands. On such a day, an inventive vendor could probably retire after selling hot chocolate all day ... provided he was smart enough to add a little extra "seasoning" to the drink. (Naturally, the "seasoning" would not be recorded on the books.)

As a country, I think we need the concept of Opening Day more than ever this year. The constant battles over the economy, the war in Iraq and other assorted issues has worn us all out. For a short time it takes to play a game, we can put those weighty issues out of our minds. They will be there for us tomorrow. The arguments over them can return then. Today, it is simply time to relax and play ball.

Even if it is indoors.