It's Opening Day, y'all!

Oh my gosh, it's my absolute favorite day of the year.

I know there were games last night, but come on. That's not the real start of the season. It's today, when 11 games are played and the season for the whole of the league begins in earnest.

From now through fall, CNN broadcasts are largely bumped from my TV to be replaced by whatever game happens to be on. It's the sound of summer to me, the vague background murmuring of a game being called while I putter through chores or poke around on the Internet, interrupted by the crack of a bat or the roar of the crowd -- either of which will cause me to scramble to the TV, hit "rewind" on the DVR, and relive the excitement.

I just love baseball. I miss it all winter. And now it's back.