Opening Day
Opening Day in Major League Baseball is a truly wonderful event. What is so special about this you ask? It is the annual rite of Spring when we gather at thirty places all over the country to celebrate six months of triumphs and disappointments. It is the sign that winter is behind us, and that warmer weather, if not already, here will soon be.
On Opening Day every team is a contender, and with spring training behind us where the games are played mostly for evaluation of talent and the filling of positions. The fans buzz about the new players, and wonder when the most talented of rookies will get called up to play. Will our ace pitcher be up to the task for another twenty wins? Can the bullpen meet each challenge, and will our slugger hit forty home runs this year?
Opening Day is a combination of Christmas, your birthday, and the first kiss from a girl. Dads call off from work, and sons skip school to partake in this long established ritual. Each stadium has been given a new coat of paint freeing it from the grime of the off season, and is meticulously clean and shiny. The base paths have been lined with fresh paint, and the outfield grass is a shiny carpet of green. The local media descends on the ball park like an army of locusts looking for any story angle; while inside, the park vendors spend their morning stocking food and souvenirs at the various kiosk located on the main concourse. Guest relations, security personnel, greeters, and ushers all take their assigned positions, ready to welcome the fans back for another season.
The starting lineups are introduced as the players line up along the first and third base paths standing with caps over their hearts as the national anthem is sang.
The last note of the Star Spangled Banner floats through the still air the home plate umpire calls out, “Play ball..”
A cheer rises up from the crowd. The vendors work every section calling out their products such as beer, soft drinks, or peanuts, and a number of other things to eat. The smells of grilled hot dogs fill the air as the crowd cheers and groans at each hit or out of our home team. Some fans chart the game with score cards, while others follow the game on small radios. We all stand in the seventh inning to sing, “Take Me Out to the Ballpark,” which has been a tradition for what seems to be forever. Many years ago baseball was touted as America’s Sport in the golden age of radio. The advent of television changed that but nothing will ever change the beauty and thrill of Opening Day.
Recent Comments