Welcome to Opening Day 2014

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."

- Earl Weaver

In years past, our old friend Jon Marthaler posted a poem to commemorate Opening Day. It's a beautiful time of year, because for a few brief moments we have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. Story lines will develop throughout the season and a number of things you'd never have thought possible will occur, but today - right now- our guesses are all splattered upon an empty canvas.

And that's beautiful. Because no matter how things look on paper, the favorites have to go out there and win their games and the teams that everyone likes to dismiss have their opportunities to get on the field, play the game, and prove that those predictions were nothing but words. Maybe that team is the Twins this season. Maybe they pull off 77 wins, because let's be honest: 77 wins for the Twins this season would blow the predictions of every major "pundit" out of the water.

With that in mind, what would you like to see happen this year? Whether it's baseball-related or Twins-related, what's your favorite thing about this time of year?

Personally, it's the symbolism of Opening Day. It's the promise of new starts, of immaculately manicured outfields, of a hot dog and a beer on a warm night, of that feeling of walking through the concourse, of coming up the stairs and then hearing the ambiance of the stadium as the ballpark opens before you like the portal to a new kind of cathedral. In that moment it's a new world, and I love that.

Happy Monday, everybody. It's Opening Day, and I can't wait for first pitch.