This is what it’s all about, folks. One of the most magical days of the year. The one day that every single team and fan across America is in the same place. Some rosters are better than others, some fanbases are more optimistic than others, but everyone’s record is exactly the same: 0-0.

This day also starts a 7-month-long betting journey that can drive even the sanest man into the looney bin. Personally, I will be in the sportsbook with Ippei Mizuhara just absolutely firing live bullets all day. Opening Day also brings with it the start of spring which means warm weather, hot dogs, and ice-cold domestic lagers.

Today, anything is possible. Hope springs eternal. Everyone is capable of doing the impossible, winning the 2024 World Series title. Everyone believes that THEIR TEAM could be the underdog that shocks the world or that their team is the powerhouse that will steamroll the rest of the league. Anything. Is. Possible.

Whether you are a fan who watches your team play all 162 games, a casual baseball fan, or someone who thinks it is the most boring sport ever created, I hope you feel the optimism radiating across America today. Don’t be afraid to take off from work early because of a “stomach bug” or to use that last skip day you’ve been saving in your class just to sit on the couch with a hot dog and a beer and enjoy your one day of true, unimpeachable hope.

The expression “hope springs eternal” has become synonymous with Opening Day but most people don’t know the expression’s origin. It comes from a 1732 poem An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope. It really is a beautiful piece of work and one of the points he is trying to make is that innate human ignorance is what allows us to have hope.

Learning the origin makes the expression even more perfect for baseball fans. Our ignorance allows us to live a full and happy life without the burden of understanding our fates. Instead of consuming ourselves with what we don’t know and what we can’t control, we should focus on hoping for a peaceful life to come.

Now I understand why we use this term on Opening Day. No one knows what lies ahead, and chances are that things will be grim from your team. For 29 ballclubs, the season will ultimately be a failure. But for one team, there will be a peaceful life to come. And maybe, just maybe, that team will be yours. Hope springs eternal.

So enjoy Sons and Daughters of Spring. May your hope shine as long as your team allows it. And as always, #LFGM.

Bonus: Here is my Opening Day Betting Card:

Rays ML (-134)

Reds ML (-147)

NYY/HOU F5 u4.5 (-106)

Nico Hoerner o0.5 hits/Jose Ramirez o0.5 hits (-106)