I’ve been contemplating Superbowl Sunday the last few days (mostly since, well, it’s this Sunday). I will be attending a Superbowl party of sorts, though it’s just pizza with my girlfriend and her parents (HUGE Steelers fans). Now, I’m not a huge fan of football, but I do quite enjoy the Superbowl, simply because I LOVE parties. Not the kind of parties where you just go out to get drunk, but parties with some kind of purpose, you know, Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July, Superbowl. Super Sunday has become it’s own unofficial holiday, evidenced by the fact that all the food shows and magazines have been running Gameday recipes for two weeks now. However, I’ve realized that there are very few opportunities to have baseball parties.

Part of the reason that you can’t have a Superbowl style baseball party is the format of the championship. The only game that guaranteed to end the season is Game 7, but what if there isn’t one? That’d be embarrassing. You could either schedule a party around an event that isn’t definitive, say, Game 5, or one that never happens. Yet I think there are some great opportunities for parties that aren’t being taken advantage of because of scheduling. This year, for example, the Official Opening Day for the League is Sunday, April 5th. The Primetime game is the Phillies and the Braves, which makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is that the day game on that day is the Dogders and the Giants. Those are all NL teams. I don’t understand why the day game isn’t the AL Champion Rays, so you have both League Champions opening the seasons. I’m sure there’s some reason for this that lies beyond my expertise, but that’s not really my point. My point is that the season starts on a Sunday. Ok, good. Another 13 teams start their home seasons on the following day, Monday.

Wait, what?

Here’s an idea, have the season openers play on Saturday and then the other teams can play on Sunday. That way 15 teams have had their home openers in the same weekend. The other 15 were the “away” teams, obviously. The next weekend, the 15 teams that were the “away” teams will have their home openers on Saturday. Or split up between the Saturday and the Sunday. Viola! All 30 teams have opened their ballparks for the season on a weekend. Let’s party! Sure, people could have a party on the 5th for the Phillies, but most people wouldn’t hold a baseball party for a team that wasn’t theirs.

Now, I know that MLB isn’t going to do anything simply for the convenience and happiness of the fans; but have they thought about the money they’re missing out on? First of all, more people would watch the Opening Day game on television. Sure, Opening Day always sells out at the ballpark, but who’s home at 1:05 on a Monday to watch the game if they don’t have tickets?  If the fanfare around Opening Day was increased, it may well become a mini holiday in its own right. Maybe not to the same degree that the Superbowl has, but it would sure be bigger than it is now. And there would be parties, I garuantee it. Parties with paper plates and cups and napkins and score cards and party favors and hats and noise makers and streamers and invitations. Most fans would want all those party accessories to have their beloved team’s logo on them. Meaning they would have to be Officially Licensed by MLB. A swell in television viewers and merchandise? All for moving the Openers up ONE DAY? Come on, Bud, you guys are missing an industry the size of Rhode Island.

And while you’re at it, move the All-Star Game to a Sunday, too, with the Home Run Derby on Saturday. Another party. And always make sure that Game 1 or Game 7 of the World Series are both on the Weekend and schedule them so that an EAST COAST game doesn’t go past Midnight. How about a day game? Huh? Just one?

P.S.- I’m making football shaped brownies for Sunday and I’m very excited. Though that’s not really relevant.

70 days until Opening Day (which is, by the way, a Friday…at 1:05. When most people are still at work and school. Except me, ’cause I’m skipping.) GO TIGERS!