Opening Day: A Passion for All!

Opening Day is a day that should live in Baseball royalty. It is the start of a new beginning.  A ray of Hope comes to every team knowing there is an opportunity to win it all.  Baseball is special that way and every opening day can bring a new passion or a new moment of history. 

Some Opening Days have provided the best moments in baseball history.  For example Bullet Bob Feller threw the first and only opening day no hitter on April 16^th 1940.  It took place against the Chicago White Sox.  In the game there was one defining play that saved the no hitter for Feller.  Feller stood only one out away from baseball history when the last batter of the game hit a pop up near the second basemen.  Feller was nervous as could be for fearing that his chance at history was all but gone.  Then suddenly second basemen Ray Mack was in the area and he made a history saving catch.  Bob at age 21 threw a no hitter on opening day.

Another monumental moment for baseball and of course the history of our country was opening day in 1947.  This was when Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier and became the first African American to play Major League Baseball since Moses Walker in the late 1800’s.  Jackie, a four sport letter signee from UCLA, was an outstanding baseball player.  Dodgers’ owner Branch Rickey realized that Jackie could help his team recapture their former days of glory in baseball.  He signed Jackie Robinson to a contract knowing that he would provide a spark that the team needed.  Despite going hitless on Opening Day, Jackie would open up the eye of baseball fans everywhere.  He would capture the National League Rookie of the Year for 1947.  Robinson would also go on to win the NL MVP award in 1949.  He was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and in 1999 his number would be officially retired by Major League Baseball.  Of course it all started on that opening day back in 1947. 

Opening day 1974 provided baseball history at its essence.  Soon a new homerun king would emerge, while playing in the city of Atlanta.  His name was Hank Aaron and on Opening Day 1974, he demonstrated the true power of baseball. 

After the 1973 season, Aaron had 713 career homeruns, one shy of tying the great Babe Ruth as the all time homerun king.  During the offseason Aaron received many threats that if he broke Ruth’s record, something terrible would happen to him.  Yet he trained and played on knowing that he was safe thanks to the bodyguards that he hired.  Hank wanted to get the record out of the way as soon as possible.  Well that he did because of Opening day he took a pitch deep and gone into the left field seats for a homerun.  Aaron hit 714 and the fans did nothing but applaud knowing they were witnesses to baseball history. 

These are just a few of the many historic opening day moments from Major League Baseball.  As fans we all wonder what will happen on opening day.  Maybe a four homerun game will take place or perhaps a perfect game by your favorite pitcher.  Maybe Brett Favre will come out of retirement and sign with the Twins? (Ok let’s not push it) But just remember that on Opening Day, anything can happen.  It is baseball after all.  Anything can happen!!!