Opening Day Musings

As most of us are still riding that high that comes from an Astros win, especially an Opening Day win against the Yankees, I can’t help but think about what Opening Day means for many of us.

We will read lots of articles about the numbers and the projections and the theories but there is a more emotional aspect of Opening Day for me.

It’s about potential and new growth.  It’s about starting over.  It’s about getting a fresh start.

It’s about seeing friends you may not have seen since last year and making new friends and just sitting with your pals, drinking a beer (or two), pointing out the highlights of the game and of course a little people-watching. 

It’s about taking selfies with the baseball diamond in the background, taking selfies with Orbit, taking selfies with your seatmates, taking group pictures in front of the dugout.

It’s about hugging the team president (yes that happened), broadcasters and scouts and wishing everyone you see a “Happy Opening Day!” as if it were a national holiday (which it totally should be).

It’s about walking into the ballpark after a long absence and feeling a sense of “home”.  It’s about seeing familiar faces around Minute Maid Park, like vendors and ushers and the awesome sales staff.
It's about little kids with ketchup-stained, over-sized jerseys, eating cotton candy and big kids/men carrying baseball gloves, hoping to snag that errant foul ball.

It’s about America and the National Anthem and giant flags unfurled across the green grass of the outfield.  

It’s about a former President of the United States & First Lady being shown on the big screen as the entire stadium cheers and stands in their honor.

It’s about seeing former players that fill us with pride and nostalgia and it’s about seeing the new younger members of the team that fill us with hope and a sense of renewal.

It’s about having faith in our brainy GM and his team of nerdy baseball scientists that they’re making decisions that will benefit this team for the next 10 years.  It’s about being excited about our new president and his love of the game and for the people in the business.

It’s about 162 games where just about anything could happen because it’s about a team full of young, hungry athletes who have the potential to be something spectacular. 

That, my friends, is what it’s about it.  It’s baseball.  It’s that feeling you get when your team takes the field that very first time.  It’s pure happiness.

Play ball!