It’s another year and another opening day for most of the teams in MLB.  There are many days on the calendar  that people highlight as their favorite day. For many, it’s Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, etc. For me, it’s Opening Day. Opening day has always been the first day of Spring to me. It’s a change of seasons, literally.  It signifies the end of a long winter, even through there is still snow on the ground. I’m from Chicago where winter lingers into April.  I’ve been to my fair share of opening days at Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play. There’s always miserable weather and I’m often freezing my ass off. Trying to hold that overpriced plastic cup of beer wearing thick gloves is always a challenge. But it’s Opening Day. The ivy on the outfield wall hasn’t come to life yet, the cold wind blowing in off Lake Michigan makes it feel like it’s still January. It’s Opening Day, and Opening Day is my favorite day of the year.

Being a lifelong Cubs fan, I’m often optimistic about my teams chances. It’s only been 100+ years since they last won a World Series. “This is the year” is spoken like scripture every April. That changes to “Wait until next year” a few months later. My team is not going to compete for the title this year, this much is known. But the future looks bright and I’m excited, like I’ve been every year for the last 36 years. This season, it will be all about watching the young prospects, many of whom won’t come up to the team until September. While you won’t see me at the ballpark this opening day (because the Cubs are in Pittsburgh), I will be watching every pitch on the television.

The gamer in me looks forward to opening day for another reason. MLB the Show releases their annual baseball game. I am a huge fan of The Show series and it’s my favorite video game series ever. Tomorrow, April 1st, will be the release day of MLB 14 The Show. This is only available on the PS3/Vita at this moment and a PS4 version will be released on May 6. It’s a huge bummer that I will have to wait until May to get the PS4 version. The PS4 version looks like it will be the best looking game on PS4.

Look at that detail!

I would recommend heading over to TheShowNation for a full features fact sheet listing all the new improvements in this year’s version

For those who want to look ahead at the trophy list with the longest trophy descriptions for MLB 14 The Show on the PS3 (presumably the PS4 version would have the same list)

		Done!
		Walk Off
		In any game mode, win a game on a walk off hit (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Grand Salami
		In any game mode, hit a grand slam (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Consistency
		In any game mode, strike out the side with the same out pitch, with the same pitcher (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Back-To-Back
		Hit back-to-back HRs in a game (excludes HRD, Practice, RTTS, and Community Challenge modes). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Frozen
		Strike out a batter looking in any game mode (excludes Practice and Community Challenge modes). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Patience is a Virtue
		In any single plate appearance, see 10 or more pitches. Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Knock Out Punch
		In any game mode, knock out the opponent’s starting pitcher before the end of the 3rd inning (excludes any All-Star game). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Extras Win!
		In any game mode, win a game in extra innings (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Getting a Piece
		In any mode, excluding RTTS, play an entire 9 inning game without striking out. Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Fence Posts
		Score a single run in every inning of a full 9 inning game (excludes RTTS and Community Challenge modes). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Chris “Crush” Davis
		In any game mode with Chris Davis, have a 2 home run, 5 RBI performance in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Miguel “MC Hammer” Cabrera
		In any game mode with Miguel Cabrera, hit 3 home runs while having a perfect day at the plate in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Mike “The Millville Meteor” Trout
		In any game mode with Mike Trout, hit for the cycle and steal a base in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		“King” Felix Hernandez
		In any game mode with Felix Hernandez, allow no earned runs and strike out 9 while earning the win (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Yu “Brother Dal” Darvish
		In any game mode with Yu Darvish, throw 7 complete innings, strike out 14 en route to the win (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Jose “Gigante” Altuve
		In any game mode with Jose Altuve, get 3 hits and steal 3 bases in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
	Craig “Blitzcraig” Kimbrel
	In any game mode with Craig Kimbrel, strike out 3 batters and earn the save in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		David “Captain America” Wright
		In any game mode with David Wright, hit 2 doubles, a triple, and a home run in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Paul “America’s First Baseman” Goldschmidt
		In any game mode with Paul Goldschmidt, collect 4 hits, drive in 4 RBI, and score 4 runs in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Yasiel “The Wild Horse” Puig
		In any game mode with Yasiel Puig, hit a double, triple, and steal 2 bases in a single game (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Stephen “The Soul Crusher” Strasburg
		In any game mode with Stephen Strasburg, strike out 12 and allow no earned runs en route to the win (excludes Community Challenge mode). Must be done in a full, uninterrupted, 9 inning game against a CPU team. Changing teams during the game or using the Quick Counts feature will invalidate this trophy.
		Breaking the Ice
		Successfully create a Community Challenge.
		Socialite
		Successfully complete another user’s posted Community Challenge.