The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT April 14, 2012

If home openers in baseball were anything like it used to be, Friday's game featuring the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics might have received a little more attention.

But since it was played on a Friday night at 7 p.m., most fans of baseball might not have felt quite at home walking into Safeco Field for the first time this season.

BACK WHEN the first day of the season meant something (either a Monday or Tuesday), whether it was the long list of games from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on ESPN, every team was starting on the same day.

In an effort not to compete with the national championship game, as well as trying to start the playoffs on a weekend, this year's start to the season has been anything short of a running one.

Sending Oakland and Seattle to Japan to play a two-game series, then returning to the U.S. to complete spring training seemed a little goofy to me.

Especially since the Mariners were able to juggle their rotation to have Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas pitch in Japan and then face the A's again when the season started for real a week later.

And for as odd as that seemed, not having a game scheduled on a Sunday was a little different as the teams had a day off when most fans actually watch baseball.

Seattle didn't even need its third starter (Hector Noesi) until a series in Texas began, almost 10 days after its opener.

OPENING DAY used to be one of my favorite reasons to head to Seattle, but now it almost seems like a hassle.

On the bright side, there's never a chance the game will be rained out and will always start on time.

Watching a 2-1 game at night, while it gets colder, doesn't seem as appealing as watching on television.

It rained during a game in July, so expecting anything less with the spring we've had might be ridiculous.

A few years ago, the Mariners were attempting to begin the season in Cleveland, but had most of the series wiped out because of snow.

Sounds familiar, right?

Every team in the league plays the same amount of home and road games, so why not give those teams that can actually guarantee their home games will be played, to host those games earlier in the season.

This year was especially tough on local sports, with the North Idaho College softball team only playing two games so far on its home field at Memorial Field in Coeur d’Alene. The Cardinals are scheduled to host Southern Idaho next weekend, however, with the hopes of actually playing a Scenic West Athletic Conference game on their home field before the season ends.

And through all the miles, it might be good to have them home for a change.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].