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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- On Thursday the wait was finally over – and
then, it wasn’t. A rainy day spoiled what
was to be a fresh start and a new season of Syracuse Chiefs baseball.
“I’ve been here since 9:30 am,” Tim Perez said from his
tailgating spot in the parking lot. He’s
gone to every opening day at NBT Bank Stadium, and its other iterations, for
the past 20 years. He wasn’t about to
break the streak.
Asked if he thought there might be a rain delay, he was
quick to retort.
“No, it’s a beautiful day,” Perez said. “First pitch 2:05, we’re going to get six
innings in. Lets go.”
“Safe!”
Fans passed through a new wanding system at the front gate,
a measure required for all minor league teams this season.
“So far so good,” security supervisor Tom Bartezel
said. “One pocket knife that went back
to the parking lot.”
Scores of people trekked up the stairs, rewarded with free
programs and opening day coozies once they reached the top. Some grabbed a hot dog for a buck, part of the
“Dollar Thursdays” campaign at the ballpark.
Others just settled into their
seats.
Home Away from Home
The stadium was full of fans like Perez, full of optimism,
regardless of whether it was ill-founded or not.
“We come all the way from Auburn on the bus,” Linda Waters said of her and her husband. “Every year we take the time off from work,
just to come to opening day.”
Waters was dressed in Chiefs gear, the lone exception a Cleveland
Indians cap. Her Auburn Doubledays
aren’t playing baseball just yet.
“Gotta see baseball just as soon as we can,” Waters
added. “It’s a couple months before
[Auburn] opens, so this is how we get our fix for baseball.”
Baseball Diamond
The Doubledays ballpark has a double meaning to Wendy.
“My husband proposed to me at the Doubledays Park 26 years
ago,” Waters said. “Yeah, so there’s a
special affiliation there.”
Water Works
She would be doubly disappointed on this day.
With spring comes April showers, and imminent downpours pushed
opening day back two more days to Saturday.
Don Adamczyk wasn’t happy with the call.
“Well, it’s disappointing,” he said. “If they were going to cancel it, they could
have cancelled it a little bit earlier.”
Adamczyk’s been coming rain or shine to the ballpark for
more than 20 years now. The weather
doesn’t really affect him.
“I’d come if it was snowing, and they didn’t cancel,”
Adamczyk said. “After a long winter, I
want to get the cobwebs out. Brighter
things to come.”
Rick and Jodi Franey were as giddy as school kids, skipping
class to go to the game before the announcement played over the PA system. This was nothing new for Rick.
“Except when I was gone away for college and the military,
I’ve been making every home opener since 1970,” Franey said.
When the announcement was made over the PA system, the
disappointment was apparent on their faces.
“They just canceled?” Jodi Franey asked. Her expression immediately changed once the
realization was confirmed.
“Bummer,” she said with a frown.
Seeing Green
In the parking lot, Chiefs General Manager Jason Smorol was
greeting fans as they exited, shaking hands of people he met, hugging those
he’d seen before.
“I think it stinks,” Smorol said blankly. “Everyone saw the green coming (on radar), and we
thought there was a window. We probably
had 2,500-3,000 people show up. Unfortunately
we couldn’t play.”
Those waiting for months had to wait two more days.
Bittersweet
When Saturday arrived on Syracuse, it was a
clear, sunny day. on Syracuse's North Side It also happened to be
in the mid-forties.
Players can play in the cold, but not all fans want to sit
outside in it. A fraction of the size of
Thursdays crowd was in attendance for the new Opening Day.
“I’m disappointed,” John Anderson said. He’s not as much of a regular as some of the
others that were in attendance, but enjoys coming to the ballpark for a little
R&R.
“It’s a beautiful day,” he added. “I know it’s cold, but we still got our
winter coats still hanging in the closets.”
You also could have brought your blanket. That’s what Jamie Coyne and his son Cameron
did. Coyne remembers when Opening Day
was a much bigger deal.
“Back in the day, when I was a kid, well back in MacArthur Stadium, this place
would be filled,” Coyne said. “You had
to get tickets in advance to come to an opening day game. Now, you don’t see that anymore.”
“It’s cold, but we’re glad baseball’s back!” he added.
Passing Time with a
Past Time
The cold didn’t stop lifelong fan Bob Kelty. He’s gone to every opening day since the
fifties, and he still umpires high school games.
“I’d say 60 years,” Kelty said. “Used to write an excuse to get out of school
to go to the opening game.”
Kelty was in the parking lot on Thursday when he found out
the game had been called.
“Back in the old days sometimes it would be a beautiful day
for opening day,” he said.
“Spring Batter-Batter!”
What makes Opening Day so special that fans like Kelty and
others keep coming back each year?
“Just the fact that around here, winter’s over,” Coyne
said. “It’s the first sign of spring.”
John Anderson thought of some additional reasons.
“I mean look at these guys,”
he said. “This is this guy’s
first-up for the season. I mean these
guys have been waiting, some of them just got pulled up, and this is it, this
could be their chance. It’s a big day, a
big deal for them.”
There was another reason.
“They’re always undefeated until the first game,” he added. “So there’s a lot of hope, you know? That’s why.”
[The Chiefs were undefeated, until a few hours later, when the
Red Wings soured Opening Day with an 8-0 victory.]
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