#OpeningDay! A popular hashtag this week on Twitter and a memorable thought in the mind of a baseball fan’s head. What does it feel like to experience #OpeningDay? From the stands of your favorite ballpark, from the app on your phone or from your very own living room? I think it is personal and unique to everyone, but luckily, I have had some fans weigh in on their excitement already.
Earlier today I received a phone call from my student worker @KennyMac1985. Here’s how the conversation went down, “Suzanne, my wife scored some tickets to the Orioles home opener. Do you think…” Before he could even utter the next word, I just excitedly said “Yes!” as if I was going myself. You see baseball fans relish in other baseball fans getting to witness something special, no matter the game. And #OpeningDay is something special.
@suzieprof Finally made it to #OpeningDay at @Orioles Park! Better late than never. Let's Go O's #Birdland pic.twitter.com/rC79KBwrlh
— Kenny Macomber (@KennyMac1985) March 31, 2014
What makes it special? We do. The ballparks do. The food vendors do. The media do. The announcers do. The players do. It is a compilation of everyone and everything culminating into the start of a new season after a long winter. I have had my share of #OpeningDay experiences in both Yankee and Shea Stadiums over the years.
I even attended #OpeningDay at the Trenton Thunder Arm and Hammer Park last year with my son. Sure, we froze, but we had some dogs, some popcorn, and some fun. And that’s what baseball is about- it is about fun or as I like to say: “Step into fun.” Disney may have coined his fantasy land in California as the “Happiest place on earth,” but I say when you go to a game, you release yourself from the routines of the day, and “Step into fun.” The fun of your childhood, the fun of the first time walking through the tunnel into the picturesque landscape of the field, the fun of the game, the thrill of a hit, the taste of your first dog and sip of your first brew- this is wrapped up into the fun of the game. Baseball has all of the emotions wrapped up into a tightly decorated box, just sitting there, waiting for you to tear it open and go through the contents. Each inning is another layer of wrapping paper, each hit, another prize leading to the ultimate prize, the win!
#OpeningDay for a rookie manager like Rick Renteria, new skipper for the Cubs, is a day of possibilities, even if the end result was losing in the 10th. Newbies and legends take the field with anticipation and nostalgia. To get to this place in an athlete’s life was a journey of obstacles. But as he takes the field, it’s about the fun. It’s about going for it.
Like Bryce Harper did on his slide into second which knocked off his helmet.
Like Derek Jeter going for just one more season to top off an amazing career.
Enjoy the beginning of a new season. #OpeningDay only comes once a year. Enjoy it just for the fun of it.
--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof
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