The Biz of Baseball has a report up on the provisional 2011 MLB schedule.
The notable changes are, for the first time in quite some time, the season will open on a Thursday rather than the customary Sunday/Monday. Also, for the first time in a very long while, the season will close on a Wednesday rather than the traditional Sunday. (The actual dates for the opening and closing: March 31 and Sept. 28, respectively.)
The reason for the mid-week close is, I expect, an attempt to remove the extra off days that were added to the post-season in 2007, off days which no one has particularly liked. The only way to remove the extra off days and keep a Wednesday start to the World Series is to end the regular season during the week rather than on Sunday. And since the MLB schedule can be no longer than 183 days, with a mid-week end that means it must likewise start mid-week.