New Era's advertising used to end with the tag line of "It's not a cap, it's a flag." It seems that sometimes you wonder how many people wear their "flags" not actually knowing the history of the cap it represents.

We know how much baseball is beloved in this country and in other parts of the world. The baseball cap is a fixture in casual wear in various places on Earth. For most of us, a cap from a ball club represents our love of the game and the team we represent our allegiance to.

Then, there is everyone else. For example, if I was a Yankees fan and saw some guy rocking my team's cap, I would give him the thumbs up. That's where it ends, I'm afraid. If said person is wearing the Yankees cap does not know who Robinson Cano or C.C. Sabathia is, then I have to wonder. A Yankees fan will tell you: It's not just about A-Rod and Jeter.

So, I wonder if the baseball cap has become more of a fashion accessory than a "flag." I wonder if these same fashionistas think that the stylized interlocking "NY" of the Yankees cap is viewed as iconic on the same level as the interlocking C's of Chanel or the Napoleonic interlocking "LV" of Louis Vuitton.

Maybe people like the look. It is headwear after all, the fastest growing item in the garment industry. This piece of fashion began right in the game of baseball and has spread across many communities and fashion tastes worldwide. Heck, we baseball fans are all a part of this trend that has lasted from the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Does the baseball cap translate well with non-fans? I joke sometimes about the proximity of Wrigley Field to Boystown on Chicago's North Side. If I were to conduct a door-to-door survey of the residents of Lakeview East (the formal name of Boystown) and ask if they support their neighbors on the other side of the Red Line "L," I'd get more complaints of parking violations during Cubs games and post-game behavior by some of its fans. Ah, but what's that's hanging on your coat rack just inside the door? A Cubs cap! Do you wear that cap to Roscoe's or Sidetracks when you know there's a home game at the friendly confines a few blocks away? I bet you went to Wrigley for a game once, didn't you?

Still, the iconic baseball cap has taken a strange twist from the turf to the asphalt to the runway. Here's another trend I'd like to discuss with the marketing staff of New Era: Authentic 59/50 caps in "fashion colors." I get it. I mean, you can't simply have a Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs or a Twins cap in its official colors. You have to a green one to sell for St. Patrick's Day. You have to have a black-on-black one for the urban cool dudes. What I don't get is a Twins cap made in the original colors of the San Diego Padres. Is there is a former San Diego resident running around the Twin Cities wanting a piece of his past with the present ball club's logo on it?

This is not just about Major League clubs. Granted, some minor league teams have some creative and whimsical logos, however if anyone buys these caps in, say, the Midwest, do they know what these teams are? Take the cap of the Lake Elsinore Storm with those evil eyes on the front panels. Real cool, huh? Now, walk up to a guy at the mall (anywhere in the Midwest) wearing a Storm cap. Ask him (a) what team that cap represents, (b) where the club is located (exact location would help tremendously!) and (c) the class/league/Major League affiliation of said club. One would hope he would get at least one of those right.

As a fan, I have to know that when I go to the ballpark, I'm going to wear something in support of the team I root for. I know that wearing a Los Angeles Dodger cap into AT&T Park will mean getting my butt kicked and thrown in front of a MUNI Metro train. A non-Red Sox National wearing the iconic cap around Manhattan would be better off staying at the hotel than venturing off on the subway towards The Bronx. Wear a White Sox cap into a coffeehouse along North Broadway past Diversey and forget getting any service from the barista.

Sure, the baseball cap is a flag for the team we salute and support. However, before you put on that cap, know what went into it. Not just the fibers, stitching and petrol-chemical enhancements that goes into a cap, but the history, legend, the blood, sweat and tears that embodies it. "Fashion" caps may have a variation of the theme of the ball caps worn by our favorite players, but there's still the essence that poseurs can't grasp even when pressed with a few beers and a shot of Patrón.

Photo by Randy Stern

A word to anyone bringing their camera to the game: Check your megapixels and your zoom range before attempting this kind of shot. You can set your aperture, recheck your focus, your shutter speed, etc. - but, even those of us with halfway decent equipment can't truly capture the moment, especially from the Upper Deck of a ballpark, nine rows from the edge of the deck and off-center from home plate.

This was the best result of a game that I had mixed feelings about. My first game in attendance for the season during this final campaign inside the Metrodome for the Minnesota Twins and I clearly witnessed two ballclubs in play: A weakened one and a baffling one.

Weakened, as in the Twins, that showed it needed more than just Joe Mauer to get things going. Squandering men on base is not how you support your pitcher. If your running game was working, there needs to be batting to capitalize on this strategy! Pitching that was strong at best; dubious at worse. If R.A. Dickey can't break 83MPH, then why was he acquired from Seattle in the first place? Why is still pitching in the Majors?

Baffling, as in Rays, when Joe Maddon likes to yank pitchers as the reliever did not give up a run during a five-run lead. Pulling Jeff Niemann seemed to be an OK move to bring in Grant Balfour in middle relief. Niemann had some rookie moments that were indeed ugly to witness such as the accidental hit-by-pitch on Justin Morneau. However, pulling Balfour for Joe Nelson, then Dan Wheeler was a bit much. If it was me, I'd keep Balfour to set up J.P. Howell for the save. Then again, I'm not Joe Maddon. As for Jason Bartlett, I am now convinced that he is having the last laugh for last season's trade that sent him and Matt Garza from the Twins. I left before he smashed his ninth-inning solo homer. Otherwise, I found him to be more appealing as a key element in the Rays' success instead of an afterthought of the Twins' fixation on Mauer-Morneau-Cuddyer as the key strategy of Ron Gardenhire.

It was indeed a 7-1 Rays victory in the end. Niemann is now 2-2 and is showing promise. As for my argument regarding him and David Price, I'm still not convinced it was a good move on the Rays' part. As for the surprising 17,988 crowd on hand - a lot of fans may have missed a Twins team that did not look good for the most part. However, if this is an indicator as to how Target Field will look next year crowd-wise, I know a lot of us will have a good shot at seats for next April - whether it is cold outside or not!

Consider the good folks of Scranton, Pennsylvania for the moment. Dunder Mifflin Paper is doing just fine. Michael Scott runs things like no other manager in business. His team: Simply impeccable.

If Michael was a baseball fan, he would've celebrated last year's Governor's Cup, the championship trophy of the International League, like a rock star with his team. We would be dancing around the office even more with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees amazing 14-2 start after winning their first 11 games of the young IL season. I'm certain he has taken some of his co-workers and some clients to PNC Park over the past few seasons, telling them how much he loves the New York Yankees and how fortunate they have chosen Moosic as their home ballpark.

So, you wonder, while Michael, Andy, Jim, Kevin, Pam, Kelly, Stanley and Angela (did I forget a cast member or two here?) are in their luxury boxes at PNC Field, Dwight...well, he's probably out in section 301 at the extreme end of the Upper Deck not having a good time.

A 14-2 start, or something more extreme, has happened before in baseball. In 1984, the Detroit Tigers started off with a dominating 35-5 record. Other Major League clubs had 10-plus wins from Opening Day on a few occasions. It has been years since a club dominated from then start as the "Bless You Boys" did 25 years ago.

What is it about the SWB Yanks? These Pinstripers are moments away from being called up from Moosic to the Bronx, a mere 130 miles along Interstate 80. If you consider this a dress rehearsal for playing time inside the new Yankee Stadium, perhaps it's time to get acquainted with the next Derek Jeters, Joba Chamberlains and Robinson Canos.

You may already be familiar with the likes of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, both played at the old Cathedral last season. To make way for C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, these two young Yankee pitchers were reassigned to Moosic. The result is that both pitchers have yet to lose a game, with the more experienced Hughes at 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

Another familiar name also appears in Triple-A pinstripes: Brett Tomko. You may recall that he used to pitch in the Major Leagues for Cincinnati and several other ball clubs before landing a minor league contract with the Yanks. It looks like the journeyman is resurrecting his career nicely with a 1-0 record in relief with a 0.96 ERA at age 36.

At bat, the SWB Yanks have the top slugger in the IL in Shelley Duncan. Duncan already accomplished 5 home runs and 20 RBIs in this young season, while batting .344. Obviously, these numbers pale in comparison to the current Major League leaders of Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays with 8 homers and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and his 25 RBIs. However, performances such as Duncan's at the Triple-A level are nothing short of attention getting. A player that hits as many home runs as Cano and batted more runs in than anyone on the current roster in the Bronx is certainly looking good on Brian Cashman's radar.

There are a couple of catches to the SWB Yankees' incredible start. For one, as Hughes, Kennedy, Duncan and Tomko experience success in the IL, there will be doors open readily for these players to move up to the Bronx or be used as trade fodder for Cashman and the Steinbrenners to swap for pennant race insurance at the big club.

The other catch would be fan support for the club. For tickets reaching only $14.00 per seat, you would think that the seats would be filled for a chance to watch a hot team perform, Though the home opener brought in 8,268 people, attendance so far has not reached above 5,300 per game since. Keep in mind the capacity of PNC Field is 10,982.

For fans of baseball, we love seeing how teams can start off strong and witness how they will manage for the rest of the season. Considering that a Triple-A season is shorter than a Major League one, momentum will be important to monitor for the SWB Yankees. The fans in Northeast Pennsylvania, all they can do is sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Maybe the fans will come to support these Triple-A Yanks and, maybe, Dwight won't be so lonely in section 301.

April is simply too early to determine a clear pennant runner. Yet, we can't avoid talking about the early leaders and how last year's big teams are doing during this first month of the regular season. Where's your favorite team at as the month closes into May? What drama has unfolded in this young campaign?

HUH? WHAT? So, a peek at the standings shows a few surprises...for most folks. I wasn't surprised at who's sitting on the top of each division. The St. Louis Cardinals? No, I expected them to make some noise in the division, but, gee, it's certainly becoming very competitive in the NL Central. The Cards have the best record in the NL so far. How about those Florida Marlins? Considering the strength of its core players in Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez and Jorge Cantu, this is a club that was bound to break out anytime. Maybe it's too early to give them any cred, but they have jumped out where they can be noticed.

In the AL, all shocks, but no surprises. The Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in the AL after offloading A.J. Burnett to the Bronx. However, this club needed leadership and to call on Cito Gaston lat year to provide direction was indeed a great call. Gaston knows there's a strong mix of youth and experience waiting to gel at the right moment. Now, he's got them out front for all to see. Joining the Jays in the "shock and awe" movement are the Kansas City Royals, another young ballclub with veterans that have seen postseason duty. If I were a betting man, Trey Hillman would be an early favorite in AL Manager of the Year. Those who knocked him when he arrived last year are probably reconsidering their words about now.

Out west, there seems to be a huge paradigm shift in the Seattle Mariners. Is it the return of Ken Griffey, Jr.? Maybe. Is it a healthier lineup from last year? Possibly. Is it a different approach to on-field management by Don Wakamatsu? Could be. Many fans in the Northwest have been waiting a long time for this team to get back into favor with them and this club is set to deliver. Though, I wonder how long these same fans will have to worry about Carlos Silva pulling his own weight on this club. Otherwise, Mariners fans, everything looks fine so far in the early part of the season.

The big question for all of these clubs will be endurance. Can they maintain the same level of play for another five months? Historically, that remains to be seen, because in the Major Leagues, only the strong will survive. Ask the Tampa Bay Rays.

BEAN BALL 2009: The Boston Red Sox' Josh Beckett plunked the Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Arbeu earlier this season. The Cincinnati Reds' Edinson Volquez threw a ball at the Atlanta Braves' Yunel Escobar. What a way to start a season! In the Beckett-Abreu affair, suspensions and fines were handed out, which were extended to Torii Hunter - wait, what did Torii do? Yeah, I saw the video and I knew that Angels coach Mickey Hatcher was in an umpire's face. But, Torii? He was jumping around doing what? Well, Beckett needed to know when time was called and Abreu stepped out of the box, that means he should stop the delivery. Hell, aim the ball to the catcher, not at Abreu's head!

LET THE RIVALRIES BEGIN! Speaking of the Sox, it's going down at Fenway this weekend. The New York Yankees fire off on the Nation in a three-game tilt and have found themselves in a 0-2 hole. They have been pretty tight games relying on late game heroics to finish up. If it wasn't Jason Bay's tying shot on Friday evening, it was Kevin Youkilis' game ender in the 11th the same night. Then, there was Saturday's match that began with Yankees' dominance and ended the score-a-thon with a Sox victory, thanks to multi-run innings from the fourth to the end.

Ah, but lest we forget about the Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. These two clubs exchanged pleasantries at Wrigley last weekend only to pick up where they left off down at Busch Stadium. What the Cubbies didn't plan on was giving Albert Pujols his 1,000th career RBI on Saturday. It simply took a grand slam to do it. So far, the Redbirds have dominated their visitors so far, while in the midst of a five game winning streak.

THE DEBATE CONTINUES: Did the Rays made the right decision regarding sending down David Price for Jeff Niemann during Spring Training? Let's take a look at the numbers: Niemann is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA for Tampa Bay and Price is 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Durham. Still, I'm convinced that the Rays screwed this decision up. Price had the momentum through the postseason last year. What happened between the World Series and the day Price packed his bags for the Durham Bulls locker room is still unclear to me. Was Price's spring that bad? Was Niemann's better? To find out, I get to see Niemann take on Scott Baker and the Minnesota Twins on Monday evening inside the Metrodome.

I was supposed to be at US Cellular Field tonight. Actually, I was supposed to be in Chicago yesterday. Eh, well...this is what happens when economic choices had to be made.

About the tickets, I had no takers. Not even my company's Chicago office wanted them. Instead, I sent them to the White Sox Community Fund as a donation. I figured there will be some altruistic value in sending unused tickets in time for the game for someone worthy who can use them.

Tonight's White Sox-Toronto Blue Jays tilt was supposed to be my first game of the season. Not that I'm lamenting the loss of a trip to Chicago and decent seats in the Upper Deck of the ballpark on the Southside, but something was missing this week. Until now, I would have taken in a Twins home game inside the Metrodome. Instead, I missed out on some pretty good home stands to watch.

To make matters worse, I would go on my Facebook or my Flickr account and find some other friends enjoying their trips to the ballpark. One group of local friends had some extremely nice seats on the Lower Level near home plate at the Metrodome. Another couple in Los Angeles took their friends from out of town to Dodger Stadium for an evening with Manny and Company. I think there may have been another group of friends that went to a Twins home game, but I doubt if I'll recall whom and when.

Well, all is not lost here. My first actual game of the season is this coming Monday evening at the Metrodome when the Twins host the defending American League Champions Tampa Bay Rays. I'm taking a co-worker along for the occasion - a Twins fan not thrilled with the extra tier of pricing for tickets this season. We often complain about the Twins, so I may end up with a night of possible bitterness in the Upper Club seats. I'll remember to bring my camera.

To make up for the cancelled Chicago trip, I am slated to be in the Windy City next month over Memorial Day Weekend. Since my originally intended purpose fell through, I gave myself another shot with the Southsiders and procured another seat at US Cellular Field to fill my open Saturday evening. The White Sox are in for an Interleague Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, so this should be an entertaining match-up. Besides, everyone else can wait until the end of the game...and the rest of my time in town.

The only other thing I have on my docket during this part of the season is something I never envisioned ever doing in my lifetime. I took a chance and booked another weekender in New York City yesterday. In the process of this trip, I will take my first Yankees home game in the new Cathedral just two weeks after my Chicago weekend of potential "fun" and White Sox baseball.

Granted, I'm not a Yankees fan, but to get an opportunity to visit the Bronx and take in that new ballpark smell is indeed worth the trip. Besides, I can be a Yankees fan for a few days...and, I'm sure my friend Art in Las Vegas will have a conniption when he reads this part of the post.

I guess I better find another topic to write about other than talking about my upcoming adventures in baseball.

There are no reminders needed for that baseball is wrapping up its second week of its 162-game adventure.

As cynical as I could be, I must admit to a degree of awe in the opening of the two new ballparks in New York City. Citi Field, the Mets' new home, is absolutely stunning. By incorporating a façade reminiscent of Ebbets Field, perhaps the place to start your Citi Field experience is the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. It just seems appropriate to honor one of the city's finest baseball legends and the history of the game on that side of the East River in a place dedicated to maintaining a National League presence in New York.

On the other hand, The Bronx now embodies a new cathedral in the guise of a 21st century Yankee Stadium. Again, history is recalled from its façade with the monolithic marbleized face recalled in the golden years of the New York Yankees franchise. Once inside, it is very clubby and way too pretentious to be a ballpark. Still, Monument Park and the unusual outfield dimensions were carried over with compliments. The South Bronx will never be the same after tonight.

As New York City experienced the grand openings of their vaunted new ballparks, the venerable Metrodome welcomed its last Minnesota Twins home opener. The buzz of the coming of Target Field has anxious neighbors and Twins fans wanting to end the reign of Teflon-covered baseball. Perhaps it is time to enjoy another year of Cheap Seats, dollar hot dogs on College Nights and the Home Run Porch before it's too late. Still, an early April slush-fall and temps nearing the freezing mark are reminders that outdoor baseball in Minneapolis will be indeed an adventure.

It was also an adventure for 2008's "Story of the Year." The Tampa Bay Rays' opener saw two pennants hoisted into the rafters of the Trop. Just think about it: A lot of baseball people written off this franchise just a year ago when they were not given a chance for a post-season shot. After Gov. Crist's ceremonial first pitch and the pennant hoisting, it was business as usual. The Rays made sure everyone knew they were no fluke by embarrassing the Yankees in front of a packed house in St. Petersburg.

The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly had their adventure prior to their home opener in Chavez Ravine. Signing Manny Ramirez was an adventure in itself. The McCourts and Ned Colletti started from scratch only to sign Manny in a matter of hours. Then, the McCourts finally put on a home opener that would send the graves of the O'Malleys spinning. The players were introduced by entering the field from the stands, including the Pavilions! Manny was introduced as he came from the Left Field Pavilion only to step onto a jetBlue stairway from Long Beach Airport. Did someone forget the red (or, perhaps, blue) carpet?

Somehow, we missed the parade: The 90th edition of the traditional Findlay Market Opening Day parade in Cincinnati, featuring Frank Robinson as Grand Marshal of the longtime tradition down Race Street. It was capped by Nick Lachey throwing out the ceremonial first pitch...wait a minute, is he still around? I mean, does he still matter after he divorced Jessica Simpson? Talk about an adventure!

Last, but not least, no season opener recap could not be complete without the impact of the death of Harry Kalas. It was the Nats' home opener that began with a moment of silence for Harry the K. It simply seemed appropriate for a surreal turn of events along the Anacostia River when the veteran broadcaster died of a heart attack, just moments away from going on-air. There was a print out of the remembrance card that was posted on the Phillies' dugout. This served as a reminder that Harry was still in the ballpark.

Harry Kalas was the voice of Philadelphia Phillies baseball. He was also the voice of NFL Films and the Philadelphia Eagles. He delivered his duty to Philadelphia sports and the NFL with a voice that was deep, soothing, and extremely knowledgeable. When appropriate, he showed emotion - preferably at the right moment.

He lived to call both of the Phillies' World Championships.

We can agree that since the early 1970's, Kalas was Phillies baseball. He was a fixture in a time when no one stayed for a long time on the team. Only a few front office personnel worked as long as Kalas down in South Philly. Yet, Kalas bore witness as a once downtrodden ball club blossomed into a contender...and twice champions. He called a vast majority of the games in the span of 38 years.

There were times when I would tune in on a game via XM Radio and the voice of Harry Kalas would come through crystal clear from the car audio system. I would be somewhere in the Upper Midwest cursing at another miscued terrestrial broadcast of a Twins' game to punch in one of the play-by-play satellite channels. Kalas would sit you down, set up the scene and get you right into the action. No nonsense, no embellishment, no fake rah-rah. Though you can pick up a slight bias in his inflection on occasion. It may be something your ears may not be used to in years of NFL Films programs and Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial voice-overs. He is one of the few broadcasters that you can forgive for his minute rooting of the Phils.

Some broadcasters want to live forever. They want to live until they can't talk anymore. Kalas died at work, just moments away from caling today's Phils-Washington game at Nationals Park. A strange fulfillment of destiny, I suppose. I believe he wasn't done. Something stepped in Kalas' way.

I, among many, was privileged to listen to him call our game. He will be missed.

Mark Fidrych came at the right time in my life. I was 12 and baseball began to permeate into my psyche. The curly-haired Detroit Tigers star was an enigma. He was not only a fantastic pitcher to watch, but you had to wonder what he would do next.

Was he the prototype for pitchers of that era? At 6-foot-3, no one would ever stand next to him for comparison. He was a country kid from New England. He was eccentric in the way he psyched himself on the mound before getting set for a wind-up. We remember the quirks, but we also remember that magical season before his career began to unravel in Spring Training in 1977. From then, he just wasn't the same "Bird."

Still, Detroit fans knew he was a "rock star." Anyone who have seen him...or heard of him...also knew he was, too. Even if it was a short time we witnessed his brilliance amid the eccentricity, his impression lasted even longer.

Photos by Randy Stern

Have you checked out the Commissioner's Fan Initiative program? Nifty, eh? It seems that Major League Baseball truly cares about fans that are going through tough economic times with lay-offs, home foreclosures and tighter credit availability. As forecasts for attendance points to lesser number of people in the seats, MLB figured it was time to do something and keep baseball accessible to all the fans, not just the fortunate few who can sit in the best seats at the ballpark.

The Fan Initiative gives individual teams to find out ways to attract the most number of fans through discounts on tickets, concessions and merchandise, along with promotions involving families, children and students. Though all 30 teams have promotions in place that involve kids and/or families, the numbers get interesting on other initiatives. To start off with, 26 teams offer tickets priced $10.00 or less. Out of these 26 clubs, 16 of them have tickets prices $5.50 each and less. Lastly, 25 teams offer discounts for concessions and merchandise.

This is fine idea. I'm glad that the Commissioner's Office and the 30 ball clubs decided to do what they can to hedge against current economic conditions. Yet, I also find some interesting twists. Obviously, the New York ball clubs may not need to load up on these promotions as they have a large debt load to tackle for their brand new ballparks. On a recent check for tickets, I found the lower priced tickets at new Yankee Stadium sold out. The Steinbrenners certainly do not need to cater to fans going through economic straits. You will also find ticket availability extremely limited for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets. Although, the Mets have yet to sell the remaining schedule of home games from June onward.

Again, it comes down to the haves and have-nots. The most seats you can sell for the season with high capacity ratios per game, the less apt a ball club will be to follow through on the Fan Values program. Of course, all the clubs will offer something to the fans. If you check on what each team does offer through this program, it is obvious that the clubs that need to fill the most seats are the ones that have been the most creative with their promotions.

A good example of a team that offers the best values for fans is my home ball club, the Minnesota Twins. On every Wednesday night, college students can show their ID and punk $4.00 for a Cheap Seat in the Upper Deck of the Metrodome throughout the season. This is one of the most successful promotions the Twins offer. The gauge of its success is seen through my commute, which just happens to go through the University of Minnesota and by the Metrodome. My bus from the office usually gets packed with students from The U in Twins gear, especially on Wednesday nights.

These college discount games have picked up momentum to other places and sports. The Timberwolves of the NBA began college discount nights this season, giving students in the Twin Cities a chance at a good discount on professional sports entertainment during the winter months. The Kansas City Royals also offers a Wednesday collegiate night discount to the tune of $7.00 per seat in either the View Level or in the Outfield Boxes. I'm certain there are a few more.

The Twins also offer a somewhat complicated promotion. The price of a Home Run Porch seat, the left field seats on the Lower Level, for a Monday game is determined by the closing Dow Jones index on the previous Friday. If the Dow closes, say, at 8,029.4, on a particular Friday, the Twins will charge you $8.03 for a seat in this popular section the following Monday. Not bad for seats normally priced at $21.00-26.00 each.

There are certainly some other complicated promotions, such as the ones where you buy a voucher at a low price and redeem them for tickets at the box office 15 minutes before game time. Then, there are some promotions where you bring in part of the packaging of a fast food item for a discount or similar that requires effort to save something you consumed prior to going to the ball game. These promotions work except for the box office personnel that has to accept the greasy packaging or empty soda pop can that happened to be dripping all the way from the parking lot.

Speaking of food and drink, there is one promotion that usually sends my head exploding. There are now all-you-can-eat sections at the ballpark. For one price, each all-you-can-eat ticket holder gets to gorge all the hot dogs, soda pop and God-knows what else is at the concession stand. Let me say for the record that you will never find me in these seats. I'm a big person, yet I prefer to eat a healthier menu at the ball park other than the standard hot dog and soda pop meal.

Still, there are values abound throughout the Major Leagues. If you find yourself in even a greater bind, there's always one other option: the Minor Leagues. Ask any MLB player that needed rehabbing before coming back to the club, there's nothing like being sent down to the Minors. Not that it is a bad thing - in fact, they're heaps of fun to go to.

Still concerned about the economic and how it is affecting you? Think you can't afford to go a ball game? Think again! There are good promotions and values at your local ball park. All it takes a good look online or a call to the club's front office to find out how to enjoy a game without breaking your credit rating.

Just remember, this game survived even worse than what you and I are experiencing today.

There are a lot of us that are doing our own Snoopy Dance for the coming of the 2009 regular season.

Opening Day has that affect on everyone. In this country, no other sporting event, save for the NFL's Kickoff series of regular season openers, that a multitude of people collectively anticipate the start of a six-month campaign that might go on for another month to the select few that achieve the best during the season. This feeling is infectious as it floods over borders and bodies of water. Baseball is truly a game that is American and global at the same time.

When we love this game, we often forget about the rest of the world. Off seasons are spent trying to fill the voids. In my case, I took in two Minnesota Vikings games, two Minnesota Timberwolves game, a Minnesota Wild game and a Washington Capitals game on a recent trip to DC. I also went to work, collected paychecks, entertained friends and survived yet another frigid Minnesota winter.

With spring comes renewal. Spring Training camps and the World Baseball Classic are simply teasers for the feature attraction. Opening Day is the grand ball. It is the opening of the opera season without the tuxedos and fancy dresses. It is a parade in Cincinnati before the first pitch inside the Great American Ball Park. It is the stars coming out in Chavez Ravine, Anaheim, the Bronx and in Queens. It is a guaranteed sellout for all 30 clubs.

Even in the minors, Opening Day is a big to-do. Whether it is Burlington, Iowa or Manchester, New Hampshire, the wide eyes of the Opening Day crowd are a common sight. A ticket to a magical evening in the hands of fans - regardless of age, race, nationality, gender, social strata, or sexual orientation - is a ticket to immortality. It is worth memories that supersede triumphs and tragedies, both personal and universal.

The game of baseball is a three-hour escape set to the rhythm of hurry-up-and-wait. We wait patiently for the next move, sometimes surprised by a ball's trajectory or a runner's sudden gamble on an open base. It is art, when you see Tim Lincecum pitch for the first time in person. The same art that appreciated Fernando Valenzuela as his eyes rolled upward on a pitch's delivery or the sidearm mastery of Kent Tekulve in a uniform of bright yellow crowned with an old pillbox cap.

The game is immortal as Opening Day floods more memories to the young and old. The sight of immortals is beholden, such as a Rickey Henderson home run blast on his first at-bat of the season. It is Jimmy Rice cutting through an impatient Fenway crowd with a long one over the Green Monster. It is Dave Stewart and his death stare, followed by Dennis Eckersley and his flowing long hair to close out Dave's dirty work. It is a long succession of connections by Steve Garvey, Dusty Baker, Ron Cey...somehow ending sometime after Steve Yeager showed up at bat.

Today's scenes should be no exception. After the parade, Dusty settles into his place in the Reds dugout hoping his guys, named Bruce, Volquez and Votto, will rejuvenate the old club on the Ohio River. Similar scenes will be repeated for 29 other clubs next week, ranging from Joe Girardi's Yankees to Bud Black's Padres.

We're all a part of this game. The fans. Recession be damned, it's time to play ball.

The Metrodome, March 7, 2009. Photo by Randy Stern

Next year, the Minnesota Twins will return to the great outdoors in the Minneapolis' North Loop. Target Field is shaping up as a destination for roofless baseball just across the way from its namesake arena, home of the NBA's Timberwolves and the WNBA's Lynx. The ballpark is attached to a series of parking ramps that border the city's downtown core and the weather-proof Skyway second-floor walkway system.

This will be a season of lamenting the fact that the Twins never played in a ballpark that was built for them. Old Metropolitan Stadium was a slapdash configuration of a former minor league stands with specific seating sections the Vikings and additional seating to accommodate Major League crowds. Now, the infamous Mall of America sits on top of what was the home of Mudcat Grant, Harmon Killebrew and the 1965 World Series.

Then, the Metrodome opened for business. It was a nice idea at the time for the Twins to be play in warm conditions while keeping the elements out. In practice, it was an even bigger mess than the old ballpark in Bloomington. The problem was again the seating. You had seats that retracted underneath the Vikings press box that needed some sort of protection from outfielders looking for a fly ball. Instead, a "baggie" was draped over those seats and various rule changes were made to make a distinction between a home run, a ground-rule double and a base hit. Let's not forget the "ground" rules considering the white roof and any sound and lighting attachments to said Teflon monster. If an outfielder had issues determining what to do with the baggie, try tracking a ball against the roof!

This season, fans in The Cities are torn between saying "good-bye" and "good riddance" to the Metrodome. I hope they learn towards "Good-bye." After all, you don't win two World Championships outdoors in the snow.

In 2009, the main story will not be the exiting of baseball from the Teflon monster in Minneapolis. Nor will it be the opening of two new ballparks in the City of New York. It will be the relentless pursuit of being the "next Tampa Bay Rays."

One word uttered regularly last year was "parity." If the Rays taught us anything is that a ball club with raw talent and the right leadership can accomplish if everything is firing on all cylinders. The American League Championship, for one.

What does it take to top last year's big story from St. Petersburg? It's simple: A young team, fearless leadership and the ability to win over 50% of your games.

If last year's Rays are a benchmark for trumping great surprises, such as the 1967 Boston Red Sox, the 1969 New York Mets, the 1997 Florida Marlins and the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, then perhaps we ran out of teams that never reached the postseason in our memory (including the Washington Nationals, when they played as the Montreal Expos). The "next Tampa Bay Rays" will be an established ball club that has been away from postseason play for an extended period of time. A team that had been down on their luck for an extended period of time but have a pool of talent and a manager hungry to unleash it on the competition. Moreover, a team that did not spend the kind of money had thrown around by the Steinbrenners this past off-season.

Two teams already come to mind: The Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals. On the riverfront, Dusty Baker knows he has the tools to create havoc upon the NL Central. His credentials alone speak volumes as he took a Chicago Cubs club on the brink of a World Series. What Baker has is a young team with some added veterans bolstering the core talent. In the rotation, you have Edinson Volquez on one hand, Bronson Arroyo on the other. Bookends, I might add, in a rotation with the potential to out-pitch its immediate competition. Add last year's sensation Jay Bruce in the field and at bat, and you have a Reds club that can rival in talent to the Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs. In a tough division, it will take standouts to take the team to the next level.

With Trey Hillman's Royals, they are faced with another tightly-wound division: The AL Central. Eric Wedge and Jim Leyland can tell you how difficult playing in this division can be. Still, since the inception of the three-division-per-league format, the Royals never won the division nor reached the postseason. Hillman's advantage is the combined roster of proven veterans and excellent young ballplayers. Show me a roster that features Alex Gordon, Jose Guillen, Gil Meche, Mark Teahen, Coco Crisp and David DeJesus and I'll show you a team that has the skills to become a division champion. The smartest move the Royals made was retaining Hillman. In this game, it all starts with consistency, not a revolving door. The Royals may have locked that door for a while.

What about the Rays? Will they repeat? It is a tall order, but Joe Maddon said it best at the end of the World Series: "This is just the beginning." However, I need to question the reassignment of phenom David Price to the minors. After what this young pitcher from Vanderbilt did in the stretch run and in the postseason last year, how can a team demote their next young star (after Evan Longoria) before the start of the season? On the other hand, the rest of the team is still in tact, despite sending Rocco Baldelli up to Boston.

Perhaps the name of the game in 2009 is how recession-proof is their lineup. How much savings will be made by retaining almost everyone on their roster, grooming their best young talent and instilling a consistent leadership group to guide them through another tough 162-game campaign? The smartest guys in the room are those that did exactly that. The clubs that make it to the postseason will be the result of this economy-driven strategy. As the Rays pointed out last season, it doesn't take greed and fat wallets to accomplish the impossible.

Play Ball!