I don’t have an Opening Day story at Wrigley yet, but I do have a story about Opening Week. I was in Chicago for a book convention one year and had planned ahead, buying tickets to see the White Sox home opener, as they’d be duking it out against my beloved A.L. team the Tigers. It hadn’t occurred to me to see if it might be one of those perfectly timed situations where both Chicago teams were playing at home.
One afternoon, after doing my sightseeing in the Loop, I found myself on a long, aimless wander. That wander, by chance, ended up taking me right up to Wrigley Field’s famous front gates. Confession: I had never been to a live MLB game before that moment.
What are the chances of there being a game tonight, and there being tickets to be had? I wondered.
Well, as this was pre-World Series-win Cubs, the odds were in my favor. The game was just beginning — against the Brewers — and not only were seats available, I was able to claim a good one near the right field dugout at a low cost. Everything was coming up in my favor. I grabbed a hot dog and beer and found my seat.
Now, I’m a Canadian prairie girl, so I’m no stranger to the cold. But it had been an unseasonably warm Chicago day, and I had been dressed for walking in the sunshine with a light spring jacket. Those of you who live in Chicago can likely already see where this story is going. It was a rare April evening game, and as the sun dropped, so too did the temperature. By about the seventh inning, I felt fairly certain I might die of exposure. Mistakes had been made.
That, friends, is how I came to own a Wrigley Field hoodie. The Cubs lost, but my first live game experience was one I’d never forget, and Wrigley (and the Cubs) held a special place in my heart ever since that day. Even the hoopla of Opening Day at then-U.S. Cellular Field couldn’t match my first game experience.
So this week, with our FanPost prompt, we want to hear your stories about Opening Day. Do you call in sick every year? Keep the kids out of school? Is there one particular memory about a Wrigley Opening Day you hold near and dear? Have you ever made a long trip to watch Opening Day in another city? Tell us all about it.
Head over to the FanPosts section and share your best Opening Day memories.
(While you’re there, remember we are also prompting fans to rank all 30 MLB teams, which is open until March 30, so feel free to write about that as well!)