Opening a new season at Wrigley

There are some things that no matter how many times you experience them, it never gets stale and boring. In sports, lots of examples apply. Listening to Gus Johnson call an exciting college basketball game always gets the goose bumps popping, no matter how many times you’ve heard him do it. Same with watching Barry Sanders run the football or Michael Jordan shoot a fadeaway. These things just don’t age.

Opening Day at Wrigley Field would also apply to that list. I’m lucky enough to work at the park and Monday will mark my fifth consecutive home opener. And believe me when I say this, but there aren’t more than five experiences in sports I look forward to more.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that is surely part of the reason Opening Day is so great. (It definitely aint the weather) It has been since the first week of October since baseball has been played on the heavenly corner of Clark & Addison, so stepping into the park and seeing the green field, the iconic brick wall and the thousands of people, young and old, male and female, decked out in Cubs gear, just puts a smile on my face.

But it’s also the uniqueness of Opening Day that enhances its lore. Since it’s the first game of the year at the park, the entire roster is introduced and brought out; that’s always neat. The ceremonial first pitch/7th inning stretch singer is always somebody important for that first game. And as a vendor, I like the opener because the fans are always in a spending mood.

People seem surprised whenever I say this, but I still feel a genuine love going into Wrigley every day, despite being there over 60 times a year for the past six summers. (Yes, this is vending year number seven for me, which is both shocking and disappointing.) I love Cubs/Cards, I love Cubs/Sox, I love playoffs. But I truly mean this that there isn’t a day on the schedule I enjoy being at the Friendly Confines more than Opening Day.


A few weekend links to enjoy

- First two from me: my Top Ten list and an article/site I worked on for a sports reporting class
- Sad story about the death of LA Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart
- Why MJ should be inducted- alone- to the Hall of Fame