Opening Day has now come and gone. The first games have been played, and the games finally count. (Of course, in all honesty, the first games of the season were played a couple of weeks ago in Japan . . . but I’ll get to that.) Baseball is back. But, not everybody is happy.

The newly named Miami Marlins opened up their new ball park in grand fashion. A new stadium, a new name, and new players means things should be done in a big way. And the Marlins went all out. As one spectator had put it, they thought they were watching an SEC football game until they saw they baseball diamond.

As you can tell, this was far from the Opening Day that you would find at the Texas Rangers Stadium, Shea Stadium, or even Fenway. Many baseball purists have complained that this is far too flashy from what fans are used to. However, you must take into consideration that Miami is far from considered a baseball town. Maybe a town to go dancing, or even a town to get some cocaine but not a town to go see a baseball game. So, a little flashiness is called for. The Marlins spent a lot of money, so even if they have to put dancers in cages along the outfield wall to bring in fans, it should be done to bring the people in to watch baseball.

As for the purists, what would they have to say about baseball starting off early in Japan? Also that the first game was played by the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics? The first game used to historically belong to the Cincinnati Reds, the first professional baseball team ever brought into existence. Baseball is about change. For many people, baseball can be a boring game, so change is needed to bring people back into the seats. After all, if we’re talking about tradition and purity and enforcing it, then America’s past time would be still very monochromatic.

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