There’s no flyover scheduled for opening night this year like there was last year, but the celebration of the first night game of the season continues to be something the Cincinnati Reds are trying to turn into something special.

We all went last year and had a great time. This year, it’s even on a Saturday, so no one has any excuses not to attend. It’ll be cold, you say? Well, the Reds are even providing a fleece blanket to deal with that. So quit complaining and get your ass down to the ballpark to be entertained by the undefeated, division-defending Cincinnati Reds.

The game starts at 7:10pm EDT, but the gates open at 5:10pm EDT. Here’s the full list of events.

• Players in the Fan Zone: Pregame meet and greet with current Reds players, Cirque du Soleil “OVO” performers, Reds House DJ “DJ Sab” and more in the Fan Zone from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
• First Pitch: Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
• Fleece Blanket: The first 20,000 fans will receive a Reds Fleece Blanket, presented by Chiquita.
• Gold Gloves: 2010 NL Rawlings Gold Glove winners Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen will be recognized during pregame ceremonies.
• Rusty Griswolds: 80?s cover band The Rusty Griswolds will perform from a stage on the right field porch during inning breaks and after the game.
• Game Ball Delivery: The Budweiser Clydesdales will deliver the official game ball.
• Skydiving Team: Team Fastrax Skydiving Team will perform during pregame ceremonies.
• Fireworks: The Rusty Griswolds will play live during the post-game fireworks show featuring Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks.

Also, if you’re interested in getting up close and personal with those Budweiser Clydesdales, their stables will be open to the public from 2-5pm EDT.

I hope to see a full house tonight.

All right, gang, the 2011 baseball season is underway, and it’s high time to start predicting how teams and players will perform.

First off, the whole Cincinnati Reds team. They can easily be projected to finish the season at 162-0, a historic, never-before-done feat. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Pirates are on pace for the same mark.

Strangely, the Reds don’t project to have any starter win a single one of those 162 games, as the bullpen will get every single win. On the plus side, at least none of the starters are projected to have any losses.

As for players, Joey Votto looks to be even better this year than last. Based on his performance so far, we can expect a whopping 162 home runs from him and 324 runs batted in. He’d seem like a shoo-in for MVP were it not for teammate Ramon Hernandez who, in addition to those 162 home runs, is on track for an unbelievable 486 RBI. Votto will have a better slugging percentage, at 2.6 to Hernandez’s 2.2, so it’ll be up to the voters to decide.

Perhaps the best projection, though, comes from that of the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2010 MVP runner-up, Albert Pujols looks like he’ll have the worst contract year in the history of contract years. Based on his performance, we can predict a batting average of .000, and, in what will surely break the record, he will ground into 486 double plays.

The Cardinals are on pace to go winless on the season and also to lose 162 players to the disabled list. It’s going to be a rough year in St. Louis.