The Friday Five: Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

Let's Play Ball! Yes, ladies and gents, it is that time of year again, probably my favorite time of year. March 31st is officially Opening Day for MLB (though there's a game on the 30th) and I am so ready. One of the best and worst things about spending my Spring Break in Florida is that I get a taste of baseball and warm weather again, only to have to come home and anxiously await it's arrival in Charlottesville.

Before I go any further though, I just want to make sure that all y'all are going to tune in to see the Virginia Basketball Team beat Michigan State tonight! The game is at 9:57 (late, I know...) and everyone should be in their best blue and orange ready to cheer on the Cavaliers! Anyways, in honor of Opening Day, today's Five on Friday is baseball themed to get you ready for the season ahead.

1) The Captain Says Farewell

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Is it even remotely surprising that I am kicking off this list with my main man? Nope. Well, this is Derek Jeter's last season as a professional baseball player and my Yankees are going to rely on him pretty heavily in that infield with weak support at 2nd and 3rd. (hopefully Teixeira has a good season at 1st though). This farewell tour is going to be rough since we are just getting over the loss of Mo, but I'm confident that I speak for all Yankees fans when I say that we are so grateful for all the years, rings, and memories with him! #2 on the field, but #1 in our hearts!

2) Make Opening Day a National Holiday

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This was actually a White House petition and it received its 100,000 signatures much faster than anticipated. As a result, President Obama's White House will have to decide if the Opening Day of America's Favorite Pastime is worthy of a national holiday.

3) 10 Games to Watch in 2014

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Sports Illustrated compiled a list of the 10 games to watch in 2014 for those of you who are interested in watching more than just the team you're a diehard fan for. Notice the Yankees are absent from this list, yet another sign of the struggles that seem to await us this season. That being said, I think Derek Jeter's final game as a Yankee is going to be one to watch (through blurry tear-filled eyes) as the last of the Core Four heads to retirement.

4) Beat the Streak

Tired of looking at your abysmal March Madness bracket? Well sign up for MLB.com's Beat the Streak. The longest hitting streak in the MLB is held by a former Yankee, Joe DiMaggio, and it stands at 56 games. In this online MLB game, or app, you will pick a player (or double down with 2) each day and if they get a hit, your streak is extended by one. It is a fun game to play, even if you end up getting your streak busted pretty early. Plus this year there are scratch-off prizes for short streaks as well! I think it's a fun way to keep up with how players around the league are performing, so if you're a baseball fan this is definitely worth checking out.

5) LA Dodgers Are Paying the Big Bucks

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Guess what? We can stop giving the Yankees so much flack about financing a huge payroll because this year, the Dodgers are doing it even bigger. Yes, for the first time in 15 years, the Yankees do not have the highest payroll by $33 million...which means that even if A-Roid wasn't banned, the Dodgers would still claim that title. Oh, and the Yankees are the highest-valued franchise in America, so really their payroll is proportional to what they bring in, right? Yes, it's a bit of a stretch...

Are you ready for baseball to start?

xoxo,

SSP