Opening Day - your earliest memory?

[Belfast1933]

I just shared this with my family baseball buddies to help celebrate opening day and thought others may want to kick in too.

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Ok, tell me what your earliest opening day memory is... what year and who were the players who you were super psyched to see?

I'll start - I definitely watched the Sox before '76 but that was the first year I recall being pumped for opening day because of the World Series run the year before.

My guys were the same as all other Sox fans then - Fisk, Lynn, Rice and Burleson. Great team over the next few years but just never quite enough pitching to get over the top

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Not much sweeter than those polyester uniforms of the late 1970’s!

[Metsfan0507]

Fun topic!

The first Opening Day I remember caring about was Mets-Cubs in Japan, 2000. I didn't watch a minute of either game due to the start times and me being in elementary school but I remember waking up to anxiously check the box scores.
The first Opening Day I remember actually following was a few years later: 2003, Tom Glavine's Mets debut. I was so excited that the Mets signed him, and his career ended up taking an immediate downturn because the league was starting to implement K-zone to judge umpires, resulting in them cutting out the super wide strikezone that Glavine always took advantage of. At the time I was too young to realize that this was the pattern of being a Mets fan: get hyped when the team signs a big name veteran, only for them to turn into a pumpkin within 1-2 seasons.

[jcmtiger]

Probably not the earliest, but went to Detroit Tigers Opening day 1975 thru 1996, until I moved out of Michigan in 1996.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by Metsfan0507

The first Opening Day I remember caring about was Mets-Cubs in Japan, 2000. I didn't watch a minute of either game due to the start times and me being in elementary school but I remember waking up to anxiously check the box scores.

You missed an under-the-radar Bobby Valentine moment.

A walk, single, and HBP...Valentine visits Mike Hampton on the mound.

ESPN is hyped about their "mic'd up" technology while Valentine is walking towards the mic'd up Hampton.

Valentine says to Hampton "Throw the f---ing ball over the f---ing plate." and leaves.

ESPN announcers comment that it's probably the last time they'll be using the mic.

[Beercan collector]

Being a St. Louis fan I think I subconsciously block memories of opening day .
Hearing the king of beers of jingle 6000 times in a row can be traumatic .

[JustinD]

I have been to many opening days, and many have great memories, admittedly a couple have near zero memories at all depending on the company .

My favorite is opening day 1984 at Tiger Stadium with my Webelos Cub Scout Den for the final year of scouts. The fun was plentiful, the Tiggers beat the Rangers, and we all spent the day exploring the old Stadium and piling down snacks. What a great day with your "Stand by Me" friends before girls and junior high change the focus.

Other than that, my favorite spring training preseason moment was in the final stages of the informal times when players often just acted like you and I and approachability was real. 1982 my grandparents had not fully moved to Florida but rented a condo near Vero. We bought tickets to see my beloved Tigers play the Dodgers at Holman in Dodgertown. I had packed a glove and ball, just in case like any kid would do, but no fouls my way during the game.

As we walked back to the car my childhood hero was walking to his car (or the bus, not sure really). I was always in awe of the size and strength of Lance Parrish in comparison to other players of the day and he was imposing. However, not too imposing for me to get so excited to walk up and ask for an auto on my ball. No one had a pen and it was a real letdown. Lance sensed the disappointment and asked as I had a glove and ball, would I like to play catch? Um, of course!

A very young Steve Sax who I had no clue about but would go to win the ROY that season was also walking by. Lance pulled him aside and I spent what seemed like forever, but really was likely 5 minutes as a 8-9 year old playing catch with my hero and some other MLB player named Steve Sax, lol.

A red letter day for a kid visiting Grandma.

[Metsfan0507]

Haha, truly amazing that anyone would think a hot mic during any meaningful sporting event would be a good idea.

Originally Posted by BioCRN

You missed an under-the-radar Bobby Valentine moment.

A walk, single, and HBP...Valentine visits Mike Hampton on the mound.

ESPN is hyped about their "mic'd up" technology while Valentine is walking towards the mic'd up Hampton.

Valentine says to Hampton "Throw the f---ing ball over the f---ing plate." and leaves.

ESPN announcers comment that it's probably the last time they'll be using the mic.

[Lobo Aullando]

The Mariners had this new guy back in '89, but they opened on the road. So we went to the home opener, and he hit his first homerun. Still have the ticket stubs.

[Exhibitman]

"Opening Day" means just one thing to me:

https://youtu.be/4KwFuGtGU6c?feature=shared

[HercDriver]

The only Opening Day game I ever attended was at Wrigley, in 1994. That was the day that Tuffy Rhoades hit three homers off of Doc Gooden. He only had 13 in his career. Of course, the Cubs still lost...

Cheers,
Geno

[bmattioli]

1986 when Dwight Evans for the Sox hit the first pitch for a Homerun against the Tigers. I said this is gonna be a good year.. I was stationed at Torrejon AB Spain and the only means was Stars n Stripes or the occasional bits across Armed Forces Radio.,. I've had a few before and many after but this will always stick.

[Brian Van Horn]

Went to 1978 opening day at Three Rivers stadium. Highly enjoyable.

[Polarboy]

I think I was at the 2008 maybe 2009 Rays opening day with my dad and grandpa, who's no longer with us. I still treasure those times, as those are my earliest memories of going to baseball games, and really began my love for the game.

[ncinin]

I had just turned nine years old on opening day 1968. Coming off his triple crown season in 1967 (the first year I remember following baseball) Carl Yastrzemski hit two home runs.

Upon hearing this on the news or newspaper the next morning and not fully understanding baseball, I thought Carl was going to hit 100 home runs. He only came up 72 short.