Why MLB Opening Day is the Best in Sports

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Baseball is all about tradition, and there's no better tradition than opening day.

Say the words "Opening Day" to anybody and they know right away that you're talking about baseball. For baseball fans, it's nothing short of a nation holiday. Whether your team last played in August or October, this is definitely the best kickoff event the sports world has to offer.

Now there is "Opening Night" which features the Houston Astros against the Texas Rangers. Even though the Astros are playing their first game in the AL, this still doesn't qualify as Opening Day. Opening Night is more of a media event. It's baseball's way to get one game on primetime Sunday Night television. The real magic happens the day after.

Some ballclubs raise banners on Opening Day, and others trot out stars from years past. A-list celebrities throw out the first pitch, and the pregame ceremony is the best all year. While all of these little nuances are nice and make the day just a little more entertaining, they're certainly not what makes the day special.

Mark Lyons/Getty Images

Case in point: the Findlay Market Parade. It's been carried out every year for something like a million years in Cincinnati to celebrate the return of Reds baseball. It can be considered an annual reminder that the Reds have been playing America's pastime for longer than any other club in the major leagues.

It doesn't happen every year anymore, but the President of the United States throwing out a first pitch on Opening Day is a tradition that dates back more than 100 years. William Howard Taft got it started in 1910, and Barack Obama officially made it a 100-year tradition back in 2010.

The NFL will have an answer to this tradition when the president takes care of the first coin flip of the season. The NHL when the president drops the first puck. The NBA when the president tosses the ball up for the opening tipoff. Good luck with that, guys.

Opening Day is also at the perfect time. Spring is a time that everyone likes. Warm weather is on its way for most of the country, and it's the time period where is perfect weather in the southern part of the United States. There's no football, college basketball is drawing to a close, and the horribly long NBA season is still dragging on. It's the day of the season where anything is possible, even the Houston Astros selling out or even beating the Texas Rangers on national television.

Another great thing is the pitching matchups. Being named the opening day starter means a lot to most starters, and they don't take it lightly. Pitching in front of a packed house against the other team's number one starter can really get the blood pumping, which makes for awesome baseball.

I may be a little bias toward baseball since I play it and it's by far my favorite sport. But the excitement and feel inside the ballpark, along with the competitiveness in every single game rivals no other sport. The stats in spring training, good or bad, mean nothing once the real season starts. Whether you want to see an up and coming prospect that might want to lead your team to the promised land, or your amped up to watch the star players, nobody will be disappointed (unless your team loses.) Opening Day is an unofficial national holiday, so just kick back, relax, and enjoy everybody.

-Wyatt Smith, Sports Editor of Clickege Media