Not past its time: Despite the negatives, it's still easy to enjoy a night at any ballpark

I'm as guilty as the next person when it comes to hating baseball. There are so many liars, lowlifes and dimwits, I'm tempted to file it alongside Fleetwood Mac and polyester as "things I once loved but not anymore."

Whether it's Roger Clemens befriending a 15-year-old country singer, or Alex Rodriguez employing a pricey prostitution service, or everyone lying about steroids, it's all pretty disconcerting.

This morning, though, I've decided to take the positive approach. With a new season here, this is no time for negativity. So in the spirit of renewal, I'm listing all the good things I can think about baseball ... before I change my mind.

Stadiums. Visit almost any big-league baseball stadium nowadays, and you're in for a pleasant experience. The old venues are thick with atmosphere, but the new ones have a great retro feel AND lots of spacious bathrooms. The best news, though, is that there are more new stadiums on the way. Yankee Stadium opens April 16, and from what I'm reading, it's phenomenal. Same goes for Citi Field, home of the Mets.

As difficult as the players can be, it's never hard to enjoy a summer evening at the ball yard. Especially a sparkling, efficient, evocative yard.

Uniforms. Teams have traded those horrendous double-knit pullover tops of the '80s for the classic look of yesteryear. Unless, of course, they never changed in the first place — which is even better.

The moment of delirium when the White Sox wore collars and shorts is long gone. So are those bile yellow Pirates' uniforms.

I hate to even think about the brown-and-yellow Padres gear of the '70s.

I've had pajamas that looked better.

Grass. Boring but true: The green stuff relaxes you. You can sit in left field at Comerica Park in Detroit and look at the vacant downtown high rises and boarded-up buildings and still think life is OK.

There's something about large quantities of the green stuff — no, I'm not talking about money — that makes the grayness of the city, even Detroit, abate.

Plus, it gives all of us something to shoot for with our lawns.

The All-Star Game. Yes, Bud Selig messed up big-time when he stopped the 2002 game while it was tied. Still, the All-Star game means something, and the players honestly want to win. You can't say that about the NBA All-Star Game or Pro Bowl.