0 of 8

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The blessed event is here once again. It is that one day of the year that baseball fans across the land have been pining for since early November, waiting with breathless anticipation for Opening Day.

In the city of Cincinnati, the unofficial birthplace of professional baseball in 1869, Opening Day is treated as an unofficial holiday. In fact, Michael Schuster, a local architect and devout Reds fan, is putting together a petition, to be passed around on Opening Day at Great American Ballpark, to put an initiative on the November ballot to make Opening Day an official holiday in the city of Cincinnati.

Makes sense to me.

I have been to several Opening Day games over the years, first in Boston and then in South Florida for the Marlins. On each occasion, I was forced to take a day off or use up sick time.

In Schuster’s comments, he told Cincinnati.com, “We don’t want to have problems with the unions, the schools or parents, but it’s time to give this longstanding tradition of our great city the respect it deserves.”

For decades, the official Opening Day game was played in Cincinnati, so obviously the fans there are passionate when it comes to this particular subject. However, wouldn’t it make sense to declare Opening Day a national holiday throughout the country?

Here are eight reasons why Opening Day should be declared a national holiday.

For continuing coverage of Major League Baseball, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.