Spring is Here - Baseball has Started - Bush gets Booed

For a moment, all is good in the world. One can almost smell the hot dogs on the grill, the roasted peanuts in the air and hear the vendors shouting "ice-cold beer here"! It is the beginning of the professional baseball season and dreams loom large for fans who hope this is the year for their team.

Even President George W. Bush was on hand last night to throw out the traditional first pitch for the Washington Nationals in their brand new park. However, he was nearly booed out of the stadium as he ran out to the mound. You can watch it here: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/30/bush-booed-nationals/

Although I am not a Nationals fan, it was an opening day baseball game and I was enjoying watching a pitching duel, an unusual occurrence in baseball of late. In the top of the ninth, the Braves tied the game 2-2 with a double and a passed ball that allowed the pinch runner to score from third base. In a script written for the home team, the Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman hit a game winning home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for the 3-2 final score.

The Baltimore Orioles, a team I have followed since I was thirteen in 1966, begin their season today at 3:00 pm at Camden Yards. I have been to numerous opening day games but alas, I will not be there today. Instead, I will be resigned to watching at home or trying to catch a live stream on my computer.

While this year will be the beginning of a rebuilding effort of the Orioles, my hopes will be high when they meet Tampa Bay today. After a decade of losing seasons, the Orioles have decided to go in a new direction, concentrating on youth with potential instead of trying to plug holes with free agents. So watching the new players may well add excitement and raise expectations for the team.

On second thought, I may just sneak over to a friends home for a dog and a cold one. For all you baseball fans out there, best wishes for your team and let's hope for a great season.