It's very simple: today, life changes completely. For the last six months, the rhythm of life was set by other things - family, friends, food, sleep, etc.
But starting today, baseball, and more specifically, the Phillies, seeps into that rhythm and slowly takes it over.
It's a pernicious and curious thing, baseball. The virtually-daily games are all-consuming. There's the radio broadcast that replaces listening to music while making dinner or the afternoon game that "forces" you to take off from work. Life begins to revolve around when the game is being played.
Yet, it's also ubiquitous enough that it becomes mere background to life. You fall asleep to the West Coast game on TV or listen to the game while driving to/from errands. It's easy to catch only parts of the games and be satisfied. After all, who can watch or listen to all 9 innings of all 162 games.
Today, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell take over our lives for six months. Abraham Nunez, Rod Barajas, and Aaron Rowand finally have the chance to earn the move from being whipping boys to hometown heroes.
Opening Day is here. And it's all good.