Play Ball!

The past two mornings were good ones. It's nice when something you enjoy interrupts your daily routine. Especially when it's a surprise.

Getting up in the morning (I wake around 5 AM most mornings) can be a daunting task as I've explained in the past. However the payback to getting the day started bright and early is always worth it. Being able to collect some thoughts, read, or just accomplish a few things before I head off to work is always rewarding.

The last couple of days I was rewarded in a different way. The baseball season began on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan of all places. The games were in prime time there, but here it was bright and early. I got to watch the first few of each morning as I sipped on some water and ate some cereal. I liked being able to go to work and have a couple of co-workers talking baseball as soon as I walked in the door. It was a nice change of pace.

Most people complained about the season starting with Oakland and Boston in Japan. But there were a number of Boston Red Sox fans there from America. Think of the great stories you could have when you got back home if you had been able to see the first pitch of the 2008 season in Japan? That's a once in a lifetime experience, if you ask me.

For everyone else the season begins next week. I've been a life long St. Louis Cardinals fan myself, and I still get excited about the beginning of the year. No matter the outlook of the season at hand. And this season's outlook keeps pointing toward doom and gloom for us Cardinal fans. I'm cautiously optimistic myself.

So here's to baseball. Here's to a hard fought season (for all teams). Here's to baseball in Japan, where they are probably more avid about it than us. Here's to peanuts, hot dogs, and Cracker Jacks. And most importantly, here's to nice surprises at five in the morning.

Play Ball!