Baseball’s Opening Day is bad and it should feel bad
Look, baseball, I like you. I don’t love you like a lot of other people do. But I like you. A lot.
So I think that I can tell you that your Opening Day sucks. It sucks hard.
First of all, it’s not an Opening Day anymore. It’s an Opening Three Days. That would be fine if you were the NFL or college football, where teams play one game a week. But you’re not that because your teams play every friggin’ day for six months.
Sunday was Opening Day in the literal sense, and featured three games, as well as one spring training game, because that’s not confusing as hell. Then some more teams opened their season on Monday, which was also the same day as the NCAA title game, and then EVEN MORE teams opened their season on Tuesday. On purpose.
Look, I know that your sport is not resonating with the younger generation like it used to because their attention spans just aren’t there and the on-field product is slooooooow, so building as much excitement as you can is important. You need as many tricks as you can use to make any of the 162 games a team plays -- which is RIDICULOUS -- more enticing for fans.
But you’re screwing even that up.
Want a marquee game to open your season in primetime? I get it. But actually do it rather than play a couple games in the afternoon, as well as a spring training game, before the World Series rematch hits ESPN’s airwaves.
If you want games throughout the day, give us games throughout the day. This seems really simple. Start at noon or 1, and have every team play its first game on that first Sunday. Americans have shown they will waste an entire Sunday in front of the television watching sports. Take advantage of that.
You’re not dying, baseball. Your ratings may not be what they once were, but a lot of people still love you. They, and I, just want you to know that you look really dumb right now and you need to get your shit together.
Three Things to Read Today
Old guys really didn’t want slam dunks
ESPN is currently pushing their ‘Dunkementaries’ podcast series, which was just released and appears to take a look at the fan-favorite basketball shot from numerous angles. I’m sure it’s a fine piece of work, but it reminded me of a piece VICE Sports did on the variety of borderline insane ideas to eliminate the slum dunk from basketball.
Little guys need love too
Isaiah Thomas is a point guard for the Boston Celtics. He made his first all-star team this year. He is everybody’s favorite for most improved player. And, he’s 5’9, which is pint-sized in the NBA world. SB Nation ran a great longish form on the often literally and metaphorically overlooked star.
College sports compensation, from a different angle
Look, we get it, some people are very tired of hearing arguments to pay college athletes and feel a debt-free education is reward enough. They just want their sports to entertain them, not add more issues to the ones expressing themselves in an average day. If you’re not one of those people and don’t mind some thought with your sports, here’s a look at how what seem to be rules that equally shade revenue sport athletes in a blanket of unfairness actually result in drastic racial inequities.
Headlines
Best of the Rest
Stat of the Day
Not only are the UCONN women the first women’s basketball team to win four straight NCAA Tournaments, Breanna Stewart is the first player to win four straight Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards. Oh and it was their 75th straight win. This entire basketball program is a walking Stat of the Day.
Let’s Get Social
I wonder if there’s a good way to sum up the feeling of playing against UCONN in women’s hoops . . .
….yeah, that’ll work.
One of the best things about baseball being back? Watching Giancarlo Stanton mash baseballs into the stratosphere.
It’s the dream of every courtside seat sitter . . . and you totally blew it.
Some good jobs staying up on important sportsing happenings by these #cool celebs
It’s a little long (three minutes), but if you get some time at lunch today, come back and watch this video of Jack Nicklaus getting hassled by a security guard that doesn’t immediately realise who he is talking to.
How did Tim Tebow celebrate Opening Day(s)?
As a free agent.
NBA Scoreboard
Miami 107
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Detroit 89
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Philadelphia 107
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New Orleans LOL
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Toronto 96
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Charlotte 90
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Atlanta 103
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Phoenix 90
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Memphis 108
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Chicago 92
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Cleveland 109
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Milwaukee 80
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Oklahoma City 124
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Denver 102
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San Antonio 88
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Utah 86
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Golden State 117
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Minnesota 124 (OT)
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LA Clippers 103
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LA Lakers 81
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Portland 115
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Sacramento 107
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NHL Scoreboard
Carolina 2
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Boston 1 (SO)
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Buffalo 3
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New Jersey 1
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NY Islanders 4
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Washington 3 (OT)
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NY Rangers 3
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Tampa Bay 2
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Florida 4
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Montreal 1
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Pittsburgh 5
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Ottawa 3
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Nashville 4
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Colorado 3
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San Jose 3
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Minnesota 0
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Chicago 6
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Arizona 2
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Los Angeles 5
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Calgary 4
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Anaheim 1
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Winnipeg 2
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MLB Scoreboard
No, I’m not gonna do it. There are almost 5,000 baseball games every year. Here’s MLB.com’s score page.
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