Reprising my bad (?) idea

It's 1:55 and the day looks like Edgar Allan Poe's imagination. Black and white is more colorful, it's something like 53 degrees, the start of the game is being delayed.What do you expect when you open the baseball season in March?

Here's an idea I floated last year at this time. Before you dismiss it, look out the window:

Start the season in Sarasota.

Play the first home stand at Ed Smith Stadium, or in 2010, in (ugh) Goodyear.

Crazy? Sure. Any crazier than watching an opener in weather like today?

You plan the week around a Fla. opener... ask tristate school districts to coordinate spring break, so everyone's off that week. Plan a family vacation to Florida -- who can't use some sun and warmth this time of year? -- and fit in a game while you're down there.

Upside: Great weather, cozy surroundings, golf, beach, Disney. Did I mention great weather? The tickets would have to be pricier, but imagine watching a real game in an intimate setting like that. Imagine hitting a game at 2:10 and sunset on Siesta Key at 730.

You feel me?

Second game, which is always at night and always draws flies: A day at the beach, a ballgame, a nightcap at the Daiquiri Deck. Moonlight and warm breezes instead of parkas and ponchos.

You could still have a parade and Todd Portune throwing out the first pitch, Just schedule it for the second homestand when, probably, the weather is improved.

You can argue it's a crazy notion. It is. What you can't argue is the appeal of it. Unless you like freezing and dodging raindrops.