It's Opening Day! To highlight the return of baseball, THE DAILY conducted a survey of sports business execs, analysts and media members on the most marketable player in MLB, and it was Angels CF Mike Trout taking the top spot. Trout, Nationals RF Bryce Harper and Cubs 3B Kris Bryant constitute a trio of players under the age of 26 who finished well ahead of the rest of the field, showing MLB does not lack for young star power. Trout, the reigning AL MVP, edged out Harper in both first-place votes and overall points. Bryant was not far behind, but after those three, there was a steep drop-off in terms of consensus among the 42 respondents to our survey.

MOST-MARKETABLE PLAYERS IN MLB
PLAYER	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	5TH	TOTAL	% OF BALLOTS
Angels CF Mike Trout	16	9	11	3	2	152	98%
Nationals RF Bryce Harper	12	12	8	2	2	135	86%
Cubs 3B Kris Bryant	9	11	6	7	2	119	83%
Dodgers P Clayton Kershaw	3	3	2	4	12	51	57%
Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo		1	2	4	3	21	24%

See today's issue of THE DAILY for the full results.

NESN and the four Root Sports-operated RSNs will begin the '17 MLB season today without in-market streaming active for the Red Sox, Astros, Mariners, Pirates and Rockies. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in early February said an in-market streaming deal with NESN was complete and that one with Root Sports would likely be close behind in time for Opening Day. Agreements are in place, but technical issues in both cases are delaying public rollout of in-market streaming for these clubs until at least mid-April. MLBAM is helping develop a new application for NESN to support the local streams, and baseball’s digital arm and Root Sports continue to work through authentication protocols for the live local streams.

“It’s not as simple as turning a switch, and when they go live, it has to work,” said MLB President of Business & Media Bob Bowman. “But they will be starting very soon.” NESN also said the in-market Red Sox streams would be “coming soon.” Root Sports parent AT&T declined comment. Once these five clubs begin in-market streaming, only the Nationals, Orioles and Dodgers will not offer the service.

A crowd of 49,016 attended the D-backs' 6-5 win over the Giants yesterday at Chase Field. D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall before the game "reiterated that the club has asked" MLB for the "opportunity to open a season on the road." The transition from their Spring Training HQ to Chase Field is a "journey that only covers 21 miles, and Hall believes the team has difficulty shaking their Cactus League mindset" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/3). 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals drew a crowd of 47,566 for last night's opener against the Cubs, a 4-3 win. Fans "clearly have embraced" newly acquired CF Dexter Fowler, as only C Yadier Molina "received a louder ovation from the sellout crowd" during pregame intros (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/3).

The Rays drew a "sellout crowd of 31,042" for yesterday's 7-3 victory against the Yankees. The game was "delayed a few minutes at the start due to a technical issue with the replay system in the Yankees clubhouse, leading to a decision allowing both teams to have unlimited crew chief reviews after their initial challenges" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/3).

South Carolina won last night's women's NCAA basketball championship game, beating Mississippi State 67-55 before a sellout crowd at American Airlines Center. Big 12 Senior Associate Commissioner Dru Hancock said that "feedback has been positive" around the women's Final Four in Dallas. Even heavy rain yesterday "failed to dampen events." Hancock, who heads up the local Final Four organizing committee, said that she "sees the tournament laying the groundwork for more events in North Texas." Hancock: "Dallas has a lot to be proud of. I don't think we'll get one Final Four. ... We'll get multiple" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/3).

Meanwhile, Columbia (S.C.) Mayor Steven Benjamin said that "planning is underway for a championship parade," adding that he "would like to include the Gamecock men's team in the recognition." Benjamin: "I'm leaning toward Thursday or Friday" (Columbia STATE, 4/3).

Roger Federer won the Miami Open yesterday, beating Rafael Nadal before a record crowd of 14,766 and becoming, at age 35, the "oldest champion in tournament history." The match was played in "sweltering midday heat" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/3). This was the "superstar finish the Miami Open dearly needed, after what had not been the smoothest of fortnights." The event "began under a cloud of speculation over its future, imperiled by Bruce Matheson’s lawsuits" preventing $50M in improvements. The weekend featured a "low-watt women’s final," with Johanna Konta beating Caroline Wozniacki (MIAMI HERALD, 4/3).

The Players' Tribune today announced the second phase of a content partnership with Tyson Foods in which it will produce a new content series featuring former MLBer David Ortiz and Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo. TPT will debut stories, photos and three videos in which Ortiz and Rizzo share their thoughts about baseball and how the game has shaped their lives. TPT will post the first story on its website and social media channels starting at 9:00am ET today.

Tyson Foods partnered with The Players’ Tribune last year to create branded content and renewed its partnership this year with new athletes. Tyson will be supporting the TPT agreement by featuring Ortiz and Rizzo in its "Legends at the Grill" campaign, in which the pair will talk about baseball and grilling meat.

Miller Lite is "covering the cost of Uber rides up to $10 in value for thousands" of Chicago baseball fans for the White Sox' home opener today and the Cubs' home opener April 10. Today, "about 2,000 discounted rides will be offered on the South Side through the promotion." This is "part of a more aggressive marketing push outside the ballpark for Chicago-based MillerCoors, which recently ended a 30-year marketing deal with the White Sox." MillerCoors is "now lacking a sponsorship deal with either of Chicago's baseball teams" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/1).

Meanwhile, ride-sharing competitor Lyft is partnering with Michigan-based Wallside Windows for the "Safe Ride with Wallside" campaign. Wallside is offering "half-off rides April 7 to make sure people get home safely" after the Tigers' home opener against the Red Sox (MLIVE.com, 3/31).

More than a dozen members of the U.S. women’s national soccer team "took part in hours of negotiating sessions with U.S. Soccer representatives over the weekend." It was a "renewed – and potentially promising – push to complete" a new CBA before many players "scatter for the start of their league season in two weeks." The talks, which "lasted nearly five hours on Saturday and at least six on Sunday, took place outside Dallas." U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati was "part of the federation’s negotiating team." A union spokesperson said that the sides "made progress Saturday on some issues." The issue of compensation "remains the main obstacle to a deal" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/3).

Last night's WrestleMania 33 set a new attendance record for Camping World Stadium at 75,245 and became the highest-grossing event in the history of the venue, pulling in $14.5M (WWE). The event featured Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski helping WWE's Mojo Rawley win the Battle Royal match. Gronkowski was sitting ringside when WWE's Jinder Mahal "took a swig of Gronk's drink and tossed the cup at him." Gronkowski "jumped over the barricade" and into the ring. He "took off his T-shirt, took a three-point stance" and "flattened" Mahal (USATODAY.com, 4/2).

West Virginia President Gordon Gee, Houston President Renu Khator and Ohio State AD Gene Smith will be featured in “A Conversation On Sports” this morning to kick off “Full Court Press: Media, Autonomy and the Future of College Sports,” a morning of panels on college sports at Arizona State’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law ahead of tonight's NCAA title game.

Another session, “Power of Autonomy: What The Future Holds,” will feature Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott and Michigan State AD Mark Hollis, among others, moderated by ASU's Glenn Wong. The final session, “Media and the Madness: The Next 15 Years,” will feature Bradley President Gary Roberts, TNT’s Steve Smith, Turner Sports VP & GM/NCAA Digital Hania Poole and Wharton School of Business professor Ken Shropshire.

NBC Sports Group has signed a programming partnership with Poker Central that will see NBCSN carry regular primetime coverage on Monday nights starting in late summer. The deal includes linear and digital rights to events like the Super High Roller Bowl (John Ourand, Staff Writer).

The Patriots' Super Bowl championship "will be honored during the pregame ceremonies" prior to Pirates-Red Sox today at Fenway Park (BOSTON HERALD, 4/3).

The Mets, in conjunction with their home opener today, are helping Habitat for Humanity launch its first nationwide campaign – Home Is The Key (Habitat for Humanity).

"I hate repaves. But it’s part of our schedule, it’s a part of our sport" – NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, on Texas Motor Speedway repaving its racing surface during the offseason (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/3).

"The Joe always smelled. There was no red-carpet, private walkway for the players. We generally walked through a concourse, ducked under steel girders or stepped over them, with the nice aroma of stale beer" – Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, on Joe Louis Arena during his time as a player with the Red Wings (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/1).

"They’re helpful. I’d say they’re more important in terms of the growth of the franchise in accomplishing what we really want, which is to win a championship" – Bucks co-Owner Wes Edens, on the significance of the playoffs to the team's revenue picture (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/2).

"We talked about announcing it on April 1, a day earlier. But we decided not to because we felt everyone would think it was an April Fools' joke" – John Deere Classic Tournament Dir Clair Peterson, on the '97 announcement of the PGA Tour event's creation (QCONLINE.com, 4/2).

The GLOBE & MAIL writes baseball and President Trump "will only be able to avoid each other for so long." If Trump’s policy pieces "continue to involve changing immigration policy, deporting illegal aliens, re-examining steps made in a new detente with Cuba and building a wall along the Mexican border, baseball’s body of athletes will come directly in the GOP leader’s line of fire."

The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL writes under the header, "Las Vegas Still On Outside Looking In For Hosting NCAA Championships." To rescind the policy toward Nevada "being unable to host an NCAA championship because of sports gambling while trying to bar" New Jersey would "all but destroy the NCAA’s case."

On MLB Opening Day:

• Playing at the Naval Academy was a thrill for the Red Sox and Nationals.
• Columnist calls for the Phillies to "play one or two silent games."
• A team in Montreal "seems as close as a four-seam fastball on the inside corner."

Viewers at home should not be officials wearing stripes. Let's go @Lexi, win this thing anyway.

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 3, 2017

Unbelievable. Such a shame for @Lexi. The guy eating cheetos at home shouldn't have a say in the outcome. https://t.co/zCxG8apLzH

— Smylie Kaufman (@SmylieKaufman10) April 3, 2017

Much as I like the routine of 15 games on TV each day, there's something about having only 1 game available that focuses you #BaseballIsBack

— SABR Media Committee (@MediaSABR) April 2, 2017

I like the New Era commercial but the "it's a new season and everyone's in first" is not accurate in two of the six divisions.

— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) April 3, 2017

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Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Famous British Names.”

“He used the coat of arms granted to his father in 1596; it depicts a long-shafted weapon, a visual pun on the family name.”

“Who was William Shakespeare?”