"Opening day is always a pain in the (rear). There’s always stuff around there. It’s almost the most overrated thing. But it’s always nice for the fans. This day is for the fans. Opening day is just for the fans. To me it’s just another game. Just thank God you have another year in the big leagues. But I think the fans should be excited."-Ozzie Guillen.
The fans are excited. How could you not be?
The 2011 season is underway, but that first game at U.S. Cellular Field is a special afternoon. No matter what transpired the season before, optimism is high (or at least at high as it can get for White Sox fans).
As a White Sox fan going back to the mid-70's (in Little League I asked for and got number 28 because it belonged to Wilbur Wood), I offer five memories I have from the Sox home openers over the years. Feel free to share yours.
5. April 5, 2010
The White Sox shut out the Indians 6-0. Mark Buehrle tosses seven scoreless innings and makes the play of the season in the top of the fifth. White Sox fans text each other with "Did you see THAT?!?" For some reason I was at home and not at work that day. But I wasn't skipping. Honest.
4. April 27, 1995
Most of you know why the season got started so late. The baseball strike came late in the 1994 season. To make matters worse, I was attending college in Chicago a few blocks from Comiskey Park. When the strike was settled in the spring of 1995, baseball was desperate to win back the fans
I remember that the team offered a deal where you could get a free ticket for an exhibition with the Cubs with the purchase (at half price) a seat to the opener with the Brewers (still an AL team and division rival at that point). I was angry at baseball, but couldn't pass up free tickets to the first home game back.
The White Sox lost to Milwaukee 9-4, but I remember the weird circumstances that led up to the game more so than the result. I also remember the Sox sending out Bill Melton and Carlos May, among others, to chat and sign as we waited in line to buy the tickets.
3. April 9, 1993
Chicago's getting beat 7-4 by the Yankees going into the bottom of the sixth when Jackson, who had been out the entire season before, limped up to pinch hit for Dan Pasqua. Jackson was now playing with an artificial hip, prompting me to call everyone in our house to the TV to see if he would add anything to the club that year.
Jackson, of course, was no run-of-the-mill waiver wire scrub, but his football career was over and it seemed like the sands of his baseball career were quickly running out. We were all curious how his first at-bat back for the White Sox would turn out.
Jackson slapped Neal Heaton's second pitch into the right-field stands.
The blast got me so jacked up that I took my parents to the game the next night and watched a 12-0 Sox loss in Bears weather in a half-empty ballpark. Not the best timing there.
2. April 18, 1991
Despite a face made for radio, I was doing sports on the school television station on Thursday nights, which coincided with the unveiling of the new Comiskey Park.
It was also the unveiling of a young, talented White Sox team that included Frank Thomas in his first full season. Throw in Robin Ventura, Carlton Fisk and a Sammy Sosa with a normal-sized head. It all added up to a team to get excited about.
That squad won their first six games and was 6-1 going into the opener against Detroit. Jack McDowell was 2-0 and on the mound. I planned wall-to-wall coverage of what would be a triumphant White Sox victory in the new baseball palace of the world, then sat back to take in the game on the news room television.
Six Tiger runs in the third put a damper on my victory broadcast.
10 Tiger runs in the fourth sent me looking for Bulls footage.
That ended the scoring. Frank Tanana was somehow able to make the 16 runs stand up, tossing a complete game shutout.
1. April 2, 2006
The White Sox unfurl their 2005 World Series Championship banner on Sunday night. As if I needed any more reason to remember this evening, we beat the Indians 10-4.
Not all my memorable home openers include White Sox winners, but that's life as a White Sox fan. The White Sox are currently 59-51 in home openers. Let's hope the White Sox collect win No. 60 this afternoon.
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