By: Melissa S. Wollering
This year, Easter Weekend was all about the resurrection of two things: Jesus and Major League Baseball’s regular season. Much like the Catholic church, the 40 days and 40 nights of Lenten preparation give way to the holiest of days on the religious calendar. Meantime, 30 days and 30 nights of Cactus or Grapefruit League Spring Training give way to Opening Week, punctuated by an Easter Sunday New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox matchup. It’s as though Pontius Pilate and Jesus were taking the mound after more than 100 years of club rivalry. So proclaim, Hallelujah! Or Play Ball!
This article has everything to do with the smell of the hot dog after a long winter without stadium secret sauce. It is about buying that foam finger while juggling the jumbo draft beer in your foam-free hand. It’s about wearing your team’s jersey to Easter Sunday mass because the first pitch to Opening Day is exactly 26 hours and 5 minutes away. This time of year has everything to do with the crack of the bat and the words CHARGE! ringing through the stands while you discover the words PEANUTS and ICE COLD GENUINE DRAFT have never coexisted so harmoniously.
Opening Week is the kickoff to fan dedication. We witnessed some of that around the Midwest this weekend, as fans poured into exhibition games at Miller Park–and so did the rain.
The pouring rain was only damp in the sense that fans used their fiery passion for another 7 months of ball to bring any equipment necessary to get the celebrating done. That means canopies, tarps, tents, open trunks, umbrellas and ponchos were abundant and a soaked spirit was absent. Mother Nature pees us on. We bring the Depends.
If at first you don’t succeed in lighting the grill, test the wind direction and try, try again. Both foreground and background amateur meterologists identified wind direction so they could light the grill that cooks the brats. What did we cook this exhibition weekend? What do you think? We cooked an Easter Ham of course! Soaked in beer and marchino cherry juice. Go ahead try it at home!
For many fans, Opening Week also means the rebirth of the lawn game. Bean bag toss games abound at tailgates, while another pasttime simulating (not stimulating) testicular flight can be seen on occasion. What do you really call this game? Can someone tell me?
If you’re not keen on spending top dollar during regular season, exhibition games are the way to go. Buy them online when they first go on sale and get seats behind home plate like you see here for an average of $10. The Milwaukee Brewers tend to hold a pair of exhibition games at Miller Park every other year prior to Opening Day. They are a great chance for families to feel like VIP’s before the season ticket holders move in to nest.
You never know who you’ll run into either. We said hello to Craig Coshun and his wife Pam with their family in tow Friday. We also met the man who’s been clocking the pitching speed at Miller Park (County Stadium) since 1982. He told us he’s never taken a bathroom break in all the games he’s clocked. He’s in the 70’s by the way. So all you men with enlarging prostates at the age of 38, you and your frequent urination ain’t got NUTHIN on this guy.
As you head to the ballpark or tune in to follow your favorite team and its season opener, home opener, etc., remember that being a fan is new again each and every year. Each and every year, your team is absolved of its sins and is forgiven. It is given a new chance at life and the road to the World Series. Your team and its players are welcomed by the tired, the hungry and the poor and are cheered on by outstretched arms in too-tight jerseys. Rain or shine, you are there to support them; especially on the most important day of the season. Easter and Opening Week are one. So when you’re contemplating whether to go “all out” this week for the festivities, just ask yourself: What Would Jesus Do?
Follow me here at TSB.net for a full season of Milwaukee Brewers coverage. We bring you the finest both on and off the field for Major League Baseball. We’ll be live at Miller Park tomorrow, taking on the Colorado Rockies and taking on some serious tailgating. Don’t forget to follow live @MilwBrewersBeat on Twitter!
