Is it Opening Day yet?

Yesterday was Opening Day.

For Spring Training.

But it felt different than usual. Like it was the real opening day, almost.

I said almost.

I know why. It's because the Rockies new Spring Training facility—Salt River Fields at Talking Stick—opened up with a calculated amount of circumstance, and some pomp thrown in for good measure. It's a beautiful park (these are my pictures from when I got to tour the facility at the tail end of the Rockies Fantasy Camp). In fact, it's so renowned already, that before yesterday's first-ever game at the park, to announce Joe Torre's appointment to the position of Major League Baseball's Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, MLB comish Bud Selig dragged his dogs and ponies down to its beautifully coiffed diamond to make the announcement official.

Then, over at The Denver Post online, there are four articles directly relating to Opening Day in their All Things Rockies blog, and two articles on the main DP Rockies page. Again, some of that is predicated by the opening of the new ballpark, but it just feels like it's such a big deal—much bigger than any past Spring Training Opening Day. I'm not complaining, though. Just observing.

An entrance into the Rockies new Spring Training facility.

And finally, it could also have something to do with the fact that there's this palpable feeling, if you're a Rockies fan, that this is gonna be a special year. I know, I shouldn't write about it. Could jinx it. Suffice it to say that expectations are gargantuan. Anything less than a division title would be a disappointment.

But we've got a ways to go before any of that's figured out. Seven months, to be exact. Yeah, so I got that going for me.