MLB Returns with a Bang from Down Under

The onset of spring each year sees the return of baseball to ballparks all across the country. The sweet echo of baseball bats hitting balls is a sound that wakes many fans of the sport from the period of deep hibernation which many of them fall into once the World Series concludes in October or November of the preceding year. With the start of the upcoming 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) season just around the corner, the pre-season preparations of all thirty teams and the players who constitute them are now in full swing.

 

However, there are two teams, in particular, who’d have accelerated their preparations as they gear up to raise the curtains on the latest MLB campaign. The National League’s Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers are scheduled to get the ball rolling when they face-off on March 22. Interestingly, the two-game series, which will conclude on March 23, won’t take place at any ballpark within the continental United States (or Puerto Rico). It’s going to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Australia. Both games are scheduled to be broadcasted on MLB Network.

 

Baseball Meets its Cousin, Cricket

There are a number of reasons behind Major League Baseball’s decision to take the opening game of the 2014 season Down Under.

 

• Australia’s MLB tradition

The Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks will play in their two-game series in Australia that opens next year’s Major League Baseball season.

There are few countries in the world which have produced more Major League Baseball players than Australia. So far, no less than 30 Aussies have donned the uniform of an MLB team. Of this number, there are some prominent ones who’re set to take to the field during the upcoming season. Pitcher Grant Balfour, who played in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game, is probably the most recognizable Australian currently playing in the Majors. He’ll represent the Tampa Bay Rays once the 2014 season gets fully into gear.

 

• The similarities between baseball and cricket

The fact that baseball is a distant cousin of cricket means that it shouldn’t be too difficult for the average Australian cricket fan to understand what’s taking place once the game between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers gets underway. It’s easily relatable because there are quite a few features which are common to both sports. Most importantly, they’re both played with bat and ball. These commonalities should result in thousands of local fans turning out to watch the first regular season Major League Baseball game that’ll be played Down Under. (Of course, there are many other folks who’ll be in attendance because of the novelty factor or the chance to be part of history).

 

• The size of the Sydney Cricket Ground

Size does matter when seeking to identify a suitable venue for any event that you’re looking to stage. After all, you’re always looking to ensure that you can get sufficient patrons in to cover your overheads and turn a handsome little profit on top of that. With a listed seating capacity approaching 50,000, the venue at which the 2014 Major League Baseball season will open is one of the largest and most recognizable cricket stadiums in the world. It’s anticipated that the facility will be filled to capacity when the first pitch is thrown at approximately 4 a.m. ET on March 22.

 

• MLB’s thrust towards becoming a major global brand

It’s obvious that Major League Baseball is making efforts to grow itself into a major global brand. They’ve found a very good example to emulate in the National Basketball Association (NBA), which is currently one of the most internationally recognizable brand names in the world of sports. That’s one of the main reasons behind MLB’s decision to take its 2014 season opener away from the continental United States. This was also one of the chief motivating factors that fueled its previous decisions to open the 1999 season in Monterrey, Mexico; the 2001 campaign in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 seasons in baseball-mad Japan.

 

 

 

Who’s going to win the World Series?

This is always one of the burning questions making the rounds at the start of each Major League Baseball season. It remains to be seen if either of the two Opening Day combatants will be the last team standing when all is said and done come November. At this early stage of the game, the Dodgers look likelier to make a run at glory. They’ve retained many of the key players who powered their playoff push last year – including National League Cy Young Award (best pitcher) winner Clayton Kershaw. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks failed to make the playoffs after finishing with an 81-81 record from the 162 games they contested in 2013. Either of these teams will have to fight off the challenges that are likely to come from teams such as the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Of course, the team that emerges from the National League will likely have to get the better of a team such as defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, or the New York Yankees to go all the way.            

 

Where to watch the 2014 MLB season

There are quite a few channels which will provide coverage of the 2014 MLB season. MLB Network, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, and FS1 are among them. You simply need to check your program guide to see exactly when and where your favorite team’s games will be televised.

 

MLB Returns with a Bang from Down Under