That special feeling of hope, joy and promise that accompanies every baseball opening day came with a shiver in many places this year. And a somber moment of silence.

Snow delayed the Orioles' game against the Cleveland Indians on Monday in Baltimore, where fans huddled under blankets and downed more hot chocolate and coffee than beer.

Temperatures were in the low 40s in New York and Detroit, where pitchers Tom Glavine and Brad Radke repeatedly blew on their fingers to get a better grip on the ball.

The big chill may have been the reason for empty seats; perhaps the afternoon starts prevented old and young alike from finding a legitimate excuse to skip work and school.

The war in Iraq overshadowed pregame ceremonies at some parks.

There were military fly-overs and moments of silence for the armed forces; ''God Bless America'' was sung during seventh-inning stretches.

''We're playing a game for a living and that's real life over there,'' St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. ''But life goes on and this is our life.''

At Comerica Park in Detroit, where the Tigers lost to Minnesota 3-1, fans remembered the troops and Aretha Franklin belted out a stirring rendition of the national anthem.

The Orioles remembered two of their own - pitching prospect Steve Bechler, who died in spring training; and former star Dave McNally, who died last winter.

The Marlins honored the astronauts killed aboard space shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1, unveiling a shuttle patch on the right-field wall.

And that wasn't all. Hot dogs were on the house, management's way of trying to make up for running out of franks last season during the first home game under new owner Jeffrey Loria.

St. Louis Cardinals fans wore their usual red, but with plenty of white and blue accents. One sign at Busch Stadium read: ''Baseball has Players - America has Heroes.''

As for the games themselves, the New York Yankees marked the beginning of their 100th anniversary season by heading north to Toronto, their first start outside the United States. It was not a good one.

Derek Jeter, the team's heart and soul, was knocked out with a dislocated left shoulder following a violent collision at third base with Toronto catcher Ken Huckaby. For many Yankees fans in New York it was one of the few games they could watch on TV since 2001 because of a cable dispute that was resolved just before game time. Their joy was short-lived. Jeter went out in the third inning.