Opening Question

Writing this post from Oriole Park at Camden Yards while the O's take on Toronto in Baltimore's home opener.  There's sunshine and lush green grass.  It's an ideal afternoon setting for baseball- as opposed to the 3 games in a dome on fake grass the O's played at night at Tampa Bay prior to today. I'll refrain from being all poetic/nostalgic about what Opening Day means (though by using capitals "O" and "D" I've kind of given "Opening Day" religious status).   The day does give me pause to wonder and ask: what is the state of baseball for the American sports fan?  Football (the NFL in particular) owns the top rung on the sports ladder in the USA.  That's indisputable when I assess the amount of interest and reaction to NFL conversation in Baltimore.  My point is not to compare football to baseball (and certainly not to compare the Ravens to the Orioles).  I simply wonder what the average sports consumer thinks of baseball.  Have your feelings for baseball waned over the past few years, or even decades?  We gave the subject some talk on the radio today, and I'm still curious for more input.  So tell me- how do you feel about baseball and how have those feelings changed over the years (if they've changed at all)?