With baseball's season-openers upon us, I'd like to highlight Marketing News' Mar. 15 cover story, "The Strong Survive," which spotlights the trials and tribulations of Major League Baseball as recent controversy embroils some of its players and takes issue with the league's own policies. When the Mitchell Report was released, the initial reaction around the newsroom here was that it looked like a potential disaster for the league, that fans would feel bamboozled and would be more likely to walk away from the game. But as the story developed, and after talking to experts in sports marketing, we concluded that despite all the investigations, the hearings and the nasty headlines, MLB will be OK because of its strong brand identity and the emotional connection the league has with its fans (and its fans have with the game). So now it is the start of the season and the season-ticket holders I know are revving up for the home openers of the Sox and Cubs here in Chicago, despite the looming forecast of snow. I'm hearing nary a whisper of the Mitchell Report, which indicates to me that the allure of baseball is bigger than any scandal. Who or what else possesses a brand identity-connection that is even half as strong?