Chris Sale peered in at the catcher, gripping the baseball within his glove. He agreed to the pitch selection and began his windup.
The weight transfer. The release. The swing and miss by Manny Machado.
The Boston Red Sox were again the World Series Champions.
I remember the scene clear as day as I viewed it from the auxiliary press box at Dodger Stadium that night, five months ago today.
I had tears in my eyes. I had witnessed something that few have been able to lay claim — watching their favorite team clinch their sports title.
The memories will last a lifetime. That title will forever be linked to that team.
But today starts a new. A new journey for the Red Sox as the team begins its title defense. And for every other team, today also marks the beginning of their quest to unseat the champions to earn the right to start next year at the top of the hill.
Opening Day is upon us. So full of hope and joy. This day is indeed a holiday for some of us. As a kid as would favor illness so that so could stay home and watch the Triple Header on ESPN. As an adult I have selected vacation day(s) based on the seasons first pitch. And for more than a decade I have celebrated this day with packs of baseball cards.
This morning I began this years ritual with my kids as they each opened two packs of Topps Opening Day. And this afternoon I will carry on that tradition with my girlfriend, with whom I will be attending Opening Day festivities in Oakland — this will be our second straight Opener together.
I would have preferred to be in Seattle today to see the Red Sox kick off their title defense against the Mariners, but I have to say being able to see generational player Mike Trout kick off the next chapter of his career after signing the largest contract in the game’s history isn’t a bad consolation.
This will be my third straight year seeing Trout and the Angels open their season against Oakland. And I know that while I understand how lucky this opportunity is, it has not fully sunken in yet how special it has been to see Trout in his prime on Opening Day given that I do not live in the Angels geographic market.
Additionally, it’s also special to be able to see the budding Athletics, especially star third baseman Matt Chapman, whose defense is second to none, something I appreciate since his position is my favorite on the diamond, and slugger Khris Davis who has hit a home run on each of the last two Opening Day games on Oakland.
Writing these words now is getting me pumped up. I can’t wait for the pageantry to begin in less than two hours.
Baseball is back.
Play freakin’ Ball!
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This entry was posted on March 28, 2019 at 7:48 am and is filed under Commentary with tags baseball, baseball cards, Boston Red Sox, Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, Mike Trout, Oakland Athletics, Opening Day, sports, Topps. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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The Title Defense Starts Today (Opening Day)
Chris Sale peered in at the catcher, gripping the baseball within his glove. He agreed to the pitch selection and began his windup.
The weight transfer. The release. The swing and miss by Manny Machado.
The Boston Red Sox were again the World Series Champions.
I remember the scene clear as day as I viewed it from the auxiliary press box at Dodger Stadium that night, five months ago today.
I had tears in my eyes. I had witnessed something that few have been able to lay claim — watching their favorite team clinch their sports title.
The memories will last a lifetime. That title will forever be linked to that team.
But today starts a new. A new journey for the Red Sox as the team begins its title defense. And for every other team, today also marks the beginning of their quest to unseat the champions to earn the right to start next year at the top of the hill.
Opening Day is upon us. So full of hope and joy. This day is indeed a holiday for some of us. As a kid as would favor illness so that so could stay home and watch the Triple Header on ESPN. As an adult I have selected vacation day(s) based on the seasons first pitch. And for more than a decade I have celebrated this day with packs of baseball cards.
This morning I began this years ritual with my kids as they each opened two packs of Topps Opening Day. And this afternoon I will carry on that tradition with my girlfriend, with whom I will be attending Opening Day festivities in Oakland — this will be our second straight Opener together.
I would have preferred to be in Seattle today to see the Red Sox kick off their title defense against the Mariners, but I have to say being able to see generational player Mike Trout kick off the next chapter of his career after signing the largest contract in the game’s history isn’t a bad consolation.
This will be my third straight year seeing Trout and the Angels open their season against Oakland. And I know that while I understand how lucky this opportunity is, it has not fully sunken in yet how special it has been to see Trout in his prime on Opening Day given that I do not live in the Angels geographic market.
Additionally, it’s also special to be able to see the budding Athletics, especially star third baseman Matt Chapman, whose defense is second to none, something I appreciate since his position is my favorite on the diamond, and slugger Khris Davis who has hit a home run on each of the last two Opening Day games on Oakland.
Writing these words now is getting me pumped up. I can’t wait for the pageantry to begin in less than two hours.
Baseball is back.
Play freakin’ Ball!
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This entry was posted on March 28, 2019 at 7:48 am and is filed under Commentary with tags baseball, baseball cards, Boston Red Sox, Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, Mike Trout, Oakland Athletics, Opening Day, sports, Topps. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.