Opening Day for the Pittsburgh Pirates is coming up.
When the black and gold of the Pirates step on the field at PNC Park and Francisco Liriano takes the hill against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, baseball will assume its rightful place in the lives of sports fans everywhere: center stage.
No other day in the sports world compares to Opening Day.
Opening Day is the same day when a rookie like Jason Heyward can hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat. A day when a player like Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes can hit three of his 13 career home runs in a single game. A day when a pitcher like Bob Feller can throw a no-hitter. And a day where Jackie Robinson can break the race barrier in baseball.
I can remember being a young boy and hoping that the St. Louis Cardinals would have an evening or night game to open their schedule so that I didn’t miss Mark “Big Mac” McGwire chase a home run record, one that he would set in the 1998 season in which he slugged home runs in the first four games of the season.
Yes, I’m a Cardinals fan. But that’s not what’s important.
What’s important are the memories of Opening Day. The memory of donning my Albert Pujols jersey in college, cutting out of class early to catch the first pitch with my roommate as we grilled hot dogs, shucked peanuts and cracked open a beer on our couches, the television blaring the crack of the wood and almost giving off the smell of fresh cut infield grass. That’s what’s important. Any I’m sure most of you have a memory similar to that one.
As a sports fan, I would put Opening Day up against any other sporting spectacle out there, including the Super Bowl.
Sure, fans tune in to see who will raise the Lombardi Trophy but how many of them are invested in the game? Minus those who claim a team in the fight and those who have money riding on the game, I’d venture out and say not many.
But Opening Day?
Every baseball fan has a dog in the fight. Every team has an Opening Day. Every fan has an Opening Day. The day is more than just the start of the season all across the country. It’s the day your favorite player begins to chase a career milestone. It’s the day your team of choice begins its trek to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. It’s the day you curse the team’s general manager and head coach and then love them moments later. But most importantly, it’s the day that the flames off of your favorite pitchers heater ignite the fire inside your heart where baseball belongs.
Though I’ve never been to an Opening Day in person, it’s on my bucket list. Until that day, I’ll continue to spark the flame from the seat of my couch, with the TV up so loud that it feels like I’m sitting behind home plate.
So, go ahead. Light your flame, baseball fans. Opening Day is almost here.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
