Indians Series Summary No. 1: One loss, two wins, and three excellent starts
April 10, 2015Cleveland Sports Championship Watch: April 10, 2015
April 10, 2015There is nothing quite like Opening Day. The smell of hot dogs and beer in often 40-degree temperatures is as sure a sign of spring as baby birds hatching and your 1099s showing up in the mail. Cities across the country come alive, gathering at their ballyard giddy with anticipation of the nascent baseball season. Children explore the concourse with their parents, eyes wide with all the wonder of the big league game. The parents briefly transport back to their own childhoods, recalling heroes who have long since retired and summers that ended too soon. For a moment they are children too.
Their uniforms, pressed and crisp and a darker blue, portend a season full of possibilities.
As the appointed hour approaches the multitude find their seats, full to bursting with optimism. Strangers become neighbors for a few hours. “His arm looked good in spring training.” “The kid is poised for a breakout year.” “I like our chances.” “This year could be special.” “This could be the year, right?” Joyously, no one can contradict them because no one has been proved right or wrong. Every team in every city can justifiably believe, especially one littered with youth and award-winning optimism.
The average major league pitch takes 400 milliseconds to travel 60-feet-6-inches from the pitching rubber to the plate. An almost insignificant amount of time in the grand scheme of things, it is a glorious blink of potential. As the red-seamed pill rotates toward the yawning catcher’s mitt, thousands of stories wait to be told. This could be the first pitch of a perfect game or the first of many to be sprayed around the park. The leadoff hitter might let it go by or he may swing and connect and send the ball sailing over the fence. A ball, called strike, or foul tip are all in play for a heartbeat. Anything is possible on Opening Day. The unassailable joy of baseball has finally arrived after an endless winter. The grass is green and the boys are back in town. Let’s play ball.
2 Comments
Very nice, Corey. I have so many great memories of attending Opening Day. Weekday afternoon baseball. The festive atmosphere on the walk to the park. The buzz. Sold-out Municipal Stadium. The pregame hoopla, with Bob Feller riding around the track in a red convertible. First pitches, fireworks, and bunting. The poignant ceremony honoring Steve Olin and Tim Crews. The excitement of watching a new Tribesman take the field, be he a veteran acquired in the off-season or a highly touted rookie. Extra-inning games. Going home with a W. It’s usually the best day of the season.
Nice job. Brings back memories of skipping high school with buddies and going to watch Nagy or Denny Martinez. We were still lousy then and just ready to turn the corner. I especially liked going to the last hurrah of the old Stadium (I think Nagy was the last OD starter?), where a guy as baby-faced as me and my friends could purchase some cold ones without the least bit of care from the vendors. Looking back, that was a good marketing strategy to make a baseball fan for life.