This picture says it all: Opening Day in the Bronx, and a pure blue sunny sky.
A Veteran Victory
Tag Archives: opening day
Pen Power
The only people happier than baseball fans are typographers, at least with these two classic clubs playing the game.
Bronx, N.Y., March 31, 2011 — Twenty-four hours removed from all but starting the 2011 season on the disabled list, Curtis Granderson flew into New York a day after his teammates and ended up having the best day of all in a 6-3 Opening Day victory over the Tigers in a damp and very chilly Yankee Stadium Thursday afternoon. Facing ex-Yankee southpaw Phil Coke leading off the seventh inning, Curtis broke a 3-3 tie with a no-doubt-about it blast to right field. Oh, and he made a few plays in the field too.
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Time Loves a Hero
The mutual respect of two of the classiest professionals Yankee fans have ever known shines through.
Bronx, N.Y., April 13, 2010 — The Yankees and their fans celebrated last year’s Championship at the home opener in the Bronx Tuesday afternoon with a 7-5 win over the visiting Anaheim Angels. The team had all-timers Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra on hand to help hand out the rings to the victorious players. With the Championship Number 27 banner blowing in the breeze, Broadway’s Kristin Chenoweth’s rendition of the National Anthem was crowned by a Navy Phantoms flyover, and Bernie Williams tossed out the first pitch. Continue reading
Lingo Lesson
Bronx, N.Y., April 16, 2009 — I learned a painful lesson about being exact with my language watching the Yankees battle the Indians in the opener of the new Yankee Stadium Thursday afternoon. As has been covered everywhere, the new “Palace” is beautiful, if expensive, and it is assumed that Yankee fans both experienced and new, old and young, will adapt to it, as long as much of the magic that permeated the Baseball Cathedral across 161st Street makes it across to the new digs. In good times and in bad, the day of the Home Opener was certainly a magical day over there, particularly since it was modified and reopened in 1976. In the 33 years of home openers in that Stadium, the record was a lofty 26-8 (which adds up to 34 because they dropped a double header opener following a six-day-delaying blizzard in 1982). That magic, it appears, will be delayed making it to the other side of Babe Ruth Plaza. Continue reading
The Yanks’ Magic Window
Bronx, N.Y., April 1, 2008 — There was criticism aplenty going around the Bronx the last few days. First, devoted fans were understandably upset when the club and major league baseball rained out their opener against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday. Adults take off from work and pull their kids out of school for this day every year, but in 2008, the last year of the old Stadium? Seemed, I’m sure, to be an imperative in many a household. What a blow to have the day wasted, and then to sit until evening for the opener the next day. Continue reading
Rolling Thunder, Pouring Rain
Bronx, N.Y., March 30, 2008 — I will be attending my 26th consecutive home opener on Monday, with the weatherman predicting a questionable day for baseball. Colder than I want, but I’ll confine my hopes, prayers, dances, whatever, to a lack of rain. Attending April ballgames is always a bit of a crapshoot. We sat through six innings of snow in 1996, and earned free tickets to Doc Gooden’s May no-hitter for our trouble. They played nine that day, with Andy Pettitte besting Kansas City’s Chris Haney. Three years later the 12-3 drubbing of the Tigers in a downpour was mercifully called after seven frames. Continue reading
Not a Bad Start
Bronx, N.Y., April 2, 2007 — Rooting for the Joe Torre-led Yankees has been a wonderful way to spend the last 11 years, even if the team has failed to win it all for a while. And the best of the bunch in all those years was the dream 1998 season, where the Yanks won 125 games while losing just 50, a 71 percent rate of success. But after having just witnessed my 21st victory in the last 25 home openers, I’m winning this one at an 84 percent clip. Hey ’98 Yanks, “Eat my dust.” Continue reading
Hope-ning Day
Bronx, N.Y., April 8, 2006 — I will be attending my 23rd consecutive home opener on Tuesday, with the weatherman predicting a good, not great, day for baseball. Attending April ballgames is always a bit of a crapshoot. We sat through six innings of snow in 1996, and earned free tickets to Doc Gooden’s May no-hitter for our trouble. They played nine that day, with Andy Pettitte besting Kansas City’s Chris Haney. Three years later the 12-3 drubbing of the Tigers in a downpour was mercifully called after seven frames. Continue reading
The Fundamental Things
Bronx, N.Y., April 5, 2005 — “Turn the page” was the slogan we were repeating among ourselves in the Tier behind home plate Sunday, and with the Unit’s successful debut that’s exactly what the Yankees did. Gazing slant-eyed into the gleaming sky at 12:30 Tuesday afternoon, however, the overwhelming impression one got was that this was the real Opening Day. While it’s true that New York fans were delighted when Randy Johnson beat the Sox Sunday night 9-2 in the season’s first game, you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who agreed that that felt like an opener in the cold and dark of the Bronx night. Continue reading
Razzle Dazzle ’em
Bronx, N.Y., April 8, 2004 — It’s a given that Opening Day in the Bronx will be a wonderful day. Upwards of 55,000 baseball-addicted folks finally get a fix that they’ve been denied for six months. There are pregame and in-game moments checking out the various changes in a place we can fool ourselves into believing never changes, looking at a structure that my niece’s oldest boy swears is, “the biggest place in the world!” There are priceless moments watching our beloved stars reacquaint themselves with the park, some viewing it in Pinstripes for the first time, as they prepare for the game that is to come. There are pageantry and music and stars of yesteryear in abundance. Continue reading