Major League Baseball's Opening Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I have the Cleveland Guardians to thank for that.
And my dad.
The Guardians start their season today in Kansas City against the Royals, and the Home Opener at Progressive Field is April 8.
If you need me in the evenings for the next six months, you can find me either parked in front of my TV streaming the games, or at the ballpark with a mustard-covered hot dog and a crisp lemonade seltzer in my hands. (Come over and say hi if you see me at a game, but please don’t come to my house. Empty Cracker Jack boxes are everywhere!)
I went to my first then-Indians game with my dad in the early 2000s. I don’t think I was interested in baseball yet, but my dad really talked up the ballpark experience in the days before the game to get me excited. I specifically recall being thrilled that we could eat a bag of peanuts and drop the shells right on the ground. (I was clearly a very rebellious tween.)
I ended up having a blast at the game, and my passion for Cleveland baseball was born.
I loved everything about the game: looking up at the dazzling scoreboard, trying to catch T-shirts, waving to Slider, the furry, purple mascot, devouring peanuts and flinging the shells under my seat. Most exciting of all, I got to see Travis Hafner hit a grand slam. I remember crying tears of joy, jumping up and down and giving my dad a big high five.
Throughout my childhood, Hafner was my favorite player. I had his bobblehead and wore his jersey number, 48, when I played softball later on in elementary school.
Whether watching them at the ballpark or listening on the radio at home, baseball games were a way for me to spend time and connect with my dad growing up. My family always listened to Tom Hamilton’s booming voice as we played outside in the summer. As my younger brothers got older, baseball was a way to connect with them, too.
In fact, the team is still the top conversation topic for my now 22-year-old brother, Jackson, and me. He never seems to respond when I text him unsolicited advice about college and job applications, but I can always get a text back about Guardians news. Interesting how that works.
Baseball games have become a huge part of my adult life, too. I love attending games with my friends and coworkers in the summer. Recently, I’ve also become a big fan of minor league baseball. On a warm, sunny day, I can walk from my house to Canal Park, home of the Akron RubberDucks, the Guardians' Double-A Affiliate.
This season, I’m particularly excited to hear the RubberDucks' new public address announcer. After the previous announcer got another job, the team turned to social media to find the new voice of the ballpark, asking people to send in demos. They received more than 200 clips, a few of which you can hear in my recent story about the tryouts.
The gig went to Dave Kammerman, a Berea cop on the verge of retirement. I’m excited to hear Kammerman at the games while sipping on a Ducks on the Pond, my favorite cocktail from the ballpark's Tiki Terrace bar.
MLB Opening Day is more than just a day. Each year, it signals that the dreary, cold days of winter are winding down, and the sunny, fun days of summer baseball games are finally ahead.
Just like in Cleveland baseball, there have been some really great — as well as pretty darn awful — seasons in my life. But no matter what I’m going through, I can always count on baseball to raise my spirits. One particularly rough winter a few years ago, I looked at the countdown to Opening Day sign on the side of Progressive Field every time I drove into Downtown Cleveland for work. Recognizing with each day that we were getting closer to the start of the season gave me a brief boost of joy that I desperately needed.
We never know exactly how the season is going to pan out, but I can always count on the Guardians or Ducks to give me something to look forward to.
These days, we all need to cherish the things in our lives for which we have longtime love or connection. I hope you have something in your life that makes you feel the way I feel about baseball. I’m so grateful that my dad took me to that game all those years ago and helped foster this interest that’s now only gotten stronger in adulthood with my friends and loved ones.
OK, strike the sappy talk — I have a ballgame to watch.
Play ball!
