Opening Day 2017; The Cloud City Reds

The local Meteorological Fright Squad (I utilize different terminology for them in my offline comments) did their best in the days leading up to Opening Day on April 3rd to scare the Reds Country faithful away from Great American Ball Park for the start of the 2017 championship season and away also from the Findlay Market Parade.  Rain!  Torrential rain!  Thunderstorms!  Persistent, unceasing throughout the morning and afternoon!  Expect rain delays during the game!  Prepare to shelter in place!  The game may be postponed until the following day!

It was just convincing enough to make me leave my brand new first baseman's mitt home out of concern for it getting wet.

For Opening Day this year the Reds sold me 4 tickets (in a 4-seat row, too) in the second row from the field, directly next to the left field foul pole.  Upon purchasing my tix back in February, I set about upgrading my equipment in order to better shag any balls that might bombard my section during batting practice or during the game itself.  Don't get me wrong, I love my trusty old glove - what red-blooded American boy doesn't? - but after nearly four decades of reliable, sometimes heroic service it was time to retire the old leather to a place of honor in my museum.  As such, it went out on top of its game having helped me to snag a batted ball during the 2015 All-Star Game Home Run Derby.  

You may have read a little something about that.

I briefly considered acquiring a Joey Votto-model Rawlings first baseman's mitt but;  a) It's $450.00 and, b) It's black.  Baseball gloves and mitts for young men, adults and professional ballplayers should be on the camel-to-brown color spectrum.  Youngsters and kids, boys and girls alike, are absolutely entitled to employ whichever color catches their fancy [pun intended] and inspires them to play America's Pastime.

I lovingly spent two weeks breaking-in the new mitt.  Oiling it up.  Pounding a baseball into its pocket.  Binding it up with a baseball in its pocket.  Stuffing it between mattress and box spring.  Pouring my heart and soul into it!  Giving it life!!!  [Am I overplaying this a bit?]  

And then.....

And then the Meteorological Fright Squad cranked up their propaganda machine.

Dawn broke over River City and Opening Day with clouds, wind, rain.  There was some plausibility in thinking that, perhaps, the field would be covered until game time and that there wouldn't be any batting practice and, ergo, no batting practice balls to catch.  

I decided to leave my new mitt at home.

With no niece's in tow this year, Lou and I eschewed Sean Casey and the Findlay Market Parade and launched our assault on the ballpark gates.  We were second in line when the gates opened two hours before the first pitch and made a mad dash..... OK, a leisurely stroll.... to our seats.

Much to my surprise, the infield was uncovered and batting practice for the visiting Phillies (pictured, below.  Boo!) was about to begin.  To be fair, the morning's light rain stopped some time earlier.

Regrettably, not one single batting practice ball was batted nor thrown into our section of seats.  Lou and I were entertained first by the selection of popular music for which the Reds and/or MLB paid royalties on and second by the ballpark's house organist.  Few things beat live organ music at the ballyard, yet one example readily leaps to mind;  those halcyon days of yesteryear (10 years ago, plus or minus) when during a sunny mid-week day game the beloved Delta Queen, moored at the public landing just outside and visible from inside the ballpark, would steam-up it's calliope and treat the good burghers of Zinzinnati - both inside and outside the tilt yard - to it's happy and soothing tones.  The good ol' days weren't always so good, but those days were among the best.

I'd sold off my two spare tix to The Incomparable Joe Wilhelm.  I received on the morning of Opening Day a distress call from JoeJoe.   His guest, an unidentified co-worker, was a last minute bailout and Rookwood's Employee of the Year emeritus wasn't able to entice a replacement.  Joyce angrily forbade the Hit Doctor, himself fresh of the DL, from going.  Cousin John was out of town for work in his official capacity as our favorite high school principal and so JW aka Johnny Dubs aka "the Principle" wasn't an option.  Jude couldn't accept as he too was away (in Phoenix).  Plus, you know, Cubs fan.  Joey's Hollywood celebrity pal declined.  Having axed everybody under the sun except his better half, and thus finding himself in the doghouse, Mrs Incomparable refused Joe's belated invitation (Mary and Haley would've been great fun at the game).  While Lou and I were chilling at GABP, Joe was hustlin' on the streets.  I first learned of this when "Rodney from Frankfurt, Kentucky" showed up in our row of seats with my fourth ticket.  Rodney was a good row mate.  Retired from government work in the state capitol of the Blue Grass, friendly and talkative.  Very engaging.  Informed about the Reds and Reds history.   Proved to be an ideal match for conversing with Joe during the ballgame.

Joe arrived just in time for the National Anthem and flyover.

In short order, the tide turned against the Mighty Redlegs and the skies opened up.

This photo depicts the first time in my life that I've worn a poncho.  Poncho Villa?  Poncho Sanchez?  Sancho Panza?  I told Joe he looked like Clubber Lang.  I call this photo "Poncho and Clubber."  Poncho and Clubber sounds like the title to a bad 1970s sitcom about undercover cops.  Coincidentally, a current Red is using as his walk-up music the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" for which the video pays homage to those classics of the television genre.  It's the lone listenable clip of walk-up music amid a cacophony of terrible selections among the 2017 Redlegs.  Kids these days!

The rains came and the rains went.  And I had to go.  My 8th inning visit to the men's room provided just the spark the Reds needed for their Bottom of the 9th rally.

A rally which died on a routine Billy Hamilton fly ball.  

Did you find my crew in the photo above?

Lou is in the black box, Joe in the green box and Rodney from Frankfurt is in the orange box.  

Since we didn't get rained on quite enough during Opening Day, Lou and I returned on Wednesday night to the scene of the Phillies' crime.  Departing The Ranch, severe weather was observed to the west invading Reily Township from Indiana.

Following a 1-hour rain delay, rainbows were seen.....

.....and fun was had.....

..... until more rain moved in, this time from the south.

Since it was a school night, and getting colder, we packed it in.  On the drive home, by way of Graeter's, we listened to the call of the game with Marty and the Cowboy.  The Reds went on to win Wednesday night and then again today to open the season 2-1.  This just might work out!

Roll the credits!