Hey, hey! Holy mackerel! No doubt about it! The Cubs are on their way!Happy Opening Day! And it was an emotion-packed one at Wrigley Field. First the official 9/11 flag was presented. It's touring the country to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the loss of the WTC. Then schoolchildren recited The Pledge of Allegiance. Misty yet? How about a twin spin of "God Bless America" and "The National Anthem." But wait, there's more. When the players were presented, Kerry Wood was among them! Yea! Kerry Wood never should have worn any other uniform than this one. And all the guys were wearing these #10 caps in honor of late Cub great Ron Santo. After his playing days were over, he was the voice of the Cubs on WGN radio for twenty years. I grew up on him, and now he's gone. His death came on the morning my uncle was buried, so I'm not sure I fully realized it until today. Now I miss him more than I can express.
And then, oh my God! ROY HOBBS threw out the first pitch. Yes, Robert Redford, The Natural. He made it over the plate but it was way high. What the hell. It was amazing to see Roy Hobbs pitch at Wrigley Field, chat up Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks, and give an autograph to his catcher for the day, an obviously star struck Kerry Wood.
Gulp. I admit it, a tear or two was shed here today.
So what if the Pirates won today? BFD. It's a 160-game season. And this one got off right. The wins will come. You just watch.
What a fun, memorable opening day.
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