Opening Day in Chicago

Being a lifelong Chicagoan, it's odd that I would say this, but one of my favorite times of year is mid-February. No, it's not because of Valentine's Day. I'm not that much of a romantic. It's because in mid-February there is always some perky sportscaster on the local news making this cheery announcement: "Pitchers and catchers report today to spring training....."

Ahhhh, this could only mean one thing, baseball is just around the corner and with that comes spring, a fresh start and a new beginning. All of the losses, injuries, and bad trades of last season are behind us and only hope paves the future. Next year is now!

As a Chicago White Sox fan, I revelled in all of the glory of 2005 when my beloved team won the World Series for the first time in over 80 years. But that's in the past now, and even though I still sometimes find myself fantasizing about my joyous cries in the upper deck as Paul Konerko hit a game-changing grand slam amidst the rainy Chicago winds, I have to move on. It's difficult, but it's the right thing to do. And there is nothing that marks moving on like Opening Day.

Opening Day is a clean slate, where win and loss columns are clear, era's are empty and batting averages are nil. Everyone is equal. Everyone has a fair chance. For me it simply means breathing in the cool, crisp spring air that beckons me back to baseball year after year.

For weeks, we plan for Opening Day. There is much to think about: the tailgaiting menu, parking lot games and proper attire. It's usually cold in April in Chicago and possibly raining, but we're used to it and we won't let it put a damper on our big day. This year we will go with an assortment of sausages, from Polish to Italian. We'll have pasta salad, baked beans, taco dip and beer, lots and lots of beer.