and freeze my arse off, but that's just me.

Chili, bloody marys sounds like a stomach ache Tuesday to me.

Great ritual though.

God how I have missed ye.

and start drinking around 10, but I have too much programming to do.

I'll be down at Murphy's for Mike&Mike at 05:00. I hope to be able to tell them that a combo between their NCAA brackets have me in position to score a few c-notes.

For baseball itself, it's to take in the atmosphere at Murphy's, go see Mr. Cub's statue ceremony at 10:00 and hit a few other spots before going into the park. Rain can affect my plans. I have someone saving a seat for me in the bleachers just because I won a coin flip with them.

I was snowed out of the '03 opener and froze my ass at the '04 opener so Monday won't bring too much different than I've seen before.

Inside it'll be St.Pauli Girl, nacho's and those speciality dogs on the middle concourse.

That's not on my list.

Basically, just head to the ballpark for gate-opening at 11:20. Get Big Gulp. (Not Super Big Gulp, that's too much cold drink on a cold day.)

Say "Happy New Year" to everyone I haven't seen.

Watch Cubs win.

...I'll work up the gumption to take the day off and enjoy the game on TV privately or publicly with some fellow Cubs fans. This year, however, will be like the last couple -- hunkered down in my cube here at work, praying Gameday Audio holds up and enjoying the commentary in the virtual bleachers here at BCB.

Unfortunately, not many Cub fans in my small town here in Florida. I would love to have a few fans over at the bar and watch.

I wish I could be in Chicago for a home opener one year, but man....this 80 degree weather is feeling pretty darn good right about now.

with a ritualistic animal sacrifice in the traditional Aztec manner to the God Quetzlcoatl, followed by an oatmeal bath, and some light fencing. Right before gametime, I take four or five hits of acid, and go streaking through my neighborhood while shouting "The british are coming".

Then I have a couple of beers, and watch the game.

... from work. and soak up the beginning of the season, WHoo Hooo

Mondays are a usual day off for me, so I'll be planted in front of our glorious new wide screen TV, laptop in lap, glass of coke on my right, a variety of veggie corn dogs, buffalo wings and chick'n nuggets on a plate to my left, and a box of tissues always within reach because opening day makes me so happy I could cry.

Wednesday, however, I'll be at the game with my brother. I don't know how early we'll get there - I'm hoping we can catch the 9:01 South Shore train so we can make it to Wrigley by 11. He's not 21 yet [12 days shy!] so we won't be able to warm up in a bar before the game. I imagine we'll just get in line, and then take advantage of 20% off concession stand food and watch batting practice.

Anyone else going on Wednesday?

I usually take a late lunch at work, watch the first 45 minutes, then (sigh) watch the rest of the game on MLB Gameday. "IN PLAY RUN(S)"

Gameday can be exciting fun as well as sadistically painful. I remember that last year, I purchased tickets to that Cubs/Brewers game because I thought I'd be in Chicago on "business" that day. Turns out, work kept me in Iowa, so I had to watch that A-Ram game winning homerun from Gameday. I actually yelped from my desk, then got up and ran out to my car to hear the replay of Ron's "YES! YES! YES!"

I was thinking of getting headphones to listen to Pat and Ron this year, door to the office closed.

back to the subject since I detroyed the thread up there.

I'm starting a new one. I'll be taking the train from near Crystal lake. And rather than sprint for front row bleachers, my friends prefer the top row one section over from Al's spot. Not much of a ritual.

I will be presumably tired because I usually don't sleep well the night before opening day. Get to work, check out the BCB and see how amped everyone is. Take off for a long lunch down at the bar to catch the first few innings. Down a couple of old styles and some wings and head back to the office to watch the rest on MLB.tv.

...have some breakfast and perhaps a bloody mary and head into the bleachers about noon.....stop and visit Al and then off to my usual spot in RF...

school.. i know it blows

Since I dont have the great opportunity to have season ticktes or opening day tickets my opening day is the second game of the season.
But for Monday I will be at work listening to Pat and Ron. For lunch it will be a couple dogs and a Budweiser to make me feel like I am at the game and putting my do not disturb face on at work with my headphones.

On Monday, I took off for Friday's game. I usually get together with some buddies and we go down to our neighborhood liquor store and get a nice 30-pack of the Cubs logo Old Style cans. Once the first one is cracked open... the season then OFFICIALLY starts for me.

Per Tom Skilling's latest forecast, there's good news and bad news for Opening Day. Good news is Monday's high has risen to 54. The bad news:

Showers, possible t-storms, mainly early and again later in the day and at night.

I guess Mother Nature isn't going to wait around to test that new drainage system. Let's just hope there's a nice dry spell between 2:20
and 5.

My "Opening Day" is thursday, where I get to sit in the bleachers for the first time, with my dad and my best friend (who's a dirty Brewer fan). Because of all the advice from you wise Bleacher Bum's, I'll be going very early, and relaxing in the cold. Then, time to watch my first BP. This is gonna be a great summer, that's for sure.

i always have to work on opening day.

Stuck as I am with MLB.TV, which will undoubtedly carry the ESPN2 feed, I'll tune in early to WGN radio over the web to get some Chicago vibes going, log onto BCB, switch over to Gameday Audio when they pick up 'GN and listen to the extended pre-game, and settle down somewhere and wait for the game to start. When Pat Hughes announces that "Chicago Cubs baseball is on the air!" I'll get a shiver down my spine about the prospect of another baseball season, the best part being that it's only beginning and everything is possible. Reluctantly, I'll switch over the the ESPN2 feed on MLB.TV, leaving Pat and Ron behind, but I'll follow along in the game thread here, so all you cube rats can let me know when Pat starts describing the colors of players' socks or when Ron says something cringe-worthy yet simultaneously endearing. Crap, I can't wait.