The Last Time... (Cubs Opening Day Edition)

 

"Why, I remember when my father and I used to wake up at 5:30 in the morning and watch the season start in Japan."

--The Onion ("On Baseball's Opening Day")

Has Opening Day lost any of its luster since Major League baseball trash-canned the quaint tradition of starting every season with a single game, played in Cincinnati, the home of the game's first professional team, where the occasion was celebrated with a parade down the city's streets? Is the day less magical now that it has unfolded in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Japan, and the weekday game in the Queen City has given way to a made-for-ESPN event played on Sunday night? Of course it has.

But the thing is, it's still a damn special day on the baseball calendar and in WAY too many of the past 99 Cubs seasons, it has been the one and only day of the season when Cub fans' optimism was in full bloom.

So in honor of a day so wonderful that even Allan Huber "Bud" Selig, Jr. can't completely desecrate it despite his very best efforts, here is a list of Cub-relevant Opening Days of the past, specifically, the last time...

...the Cubs opened the season at Wrigley Field: 2001, when they lost 5-4 to the Expos.

...the Cubs opened the season at Wrigley Field and won: 1996, when the home side beat the Padres, 5-4.

...someone other than Carlos Zambrano was the Cubs' starting pitcher on Opening Day: 2004, when Kerry Wood went five innings and earned the victory as the Cubs beat the Reds, 7-4

...the Cubs started a rookie catcher on Opening Day: 1989, when 24-year-old Joe Girardi went 2-for-3 against the Phillies.

...someone other than Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez started at the
corners of the Cub infield on Opening Day: 2003, when Hee Sop Choi and
Mark Bellhorn had the honor.

...the Cubs were shut-out on Opening Day: 1993, when the Braves' Greg Maddux and Mike Stanton whitewashed the Cubs, 1-0.

...the Cubs won by shutout on Opening Day: 1974, when Bill Bonham blanked the Phillies, 2-0.

...Ernie Banks--whose Wrigley Field statue will be unveiled Monday--appeared in the Cubs' Opening Day lineup: 1970, when Banks had one of only five Cub hits in a 2-0 loss to Philadelphia's Chris Short.

...the Milwaukee Brewers opened the season in Chicago: 1990, when they lost 2-1 to the White Sox.

...the Cubs opened the season against the Brewers: never.

...the Cubs opened the season in the month of March: 3/31/03, when they crushed the Mets, 15-2, at Shea Stadium. (The only other time the Cubs opened in March was on March 29, 2000, when they beat the Mets, 5-3, in Tokyo.)

...a Lou Piniella-led team won on Opening Day: 2004, when Piniella's Devil Rays beat the Yankees, 8-3.

...the Cubs drew fewer than 38,000 to Opening Day at Wrigley Field: 1991, when only 31,622 showed up to see the Cardinals beat the Cubs, 4-1. It was 45 degrees and cloudy that day.

Real pussies, those 1991 Cubs fans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tags: 
Cubs history
Cubs Opening Day
Submitted by Cubnut on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 10:10pm
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Comments

Submitted by Andy
on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 10:38pm

It felt like the Cubs hadn't opened the season at Wrigley for a while, but 7 years?!? How did that happen?

Submitted by Cubnut
on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 10:51pm

Trying to favor the warmer weather sites, I guess. The issue has always been that the warm-weather and dome teams don't want their schedules front-loaded with games, since that leads to them having fewer home dates later in the year when kids are out of school. Stil, it is hard to believe it's been that long since the Cubs opened at Wrigley.

Submitted by Ryno
on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 11:00pm

Does anyone else find this absurd?
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/photo;_ylt=AjGL_6TB5jc...

Maybe I'm just being callous.

Submitted by Bryan
on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 11:04pm

"Trying to favor the warmer weather sites, I guess."

Like Shea and Cincy the last few years? Ha! I guess every team can't start in Phoenix or Miami.

BTW.. is the "Gameday Weather" going to read "North Chicago" every time the Cubs have a home game? Is there any way to make it say "Wrigleyville" or "Clark & Addison" or something more Cubs?

Submitted by Cubnut
on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 11:33pm

Don't know about that. Will check with Rob.

Submitted by Hobart Mike
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 8:33am

WGN is going to have coverage of the Ernie Banks statue ceremony before the game tomorrow. I'm setting my DVR to get that as well as the game...

I'm starting to feel a little under the weather...I might need to call in sick tomorrow...:)

Submitted by Cubnut
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 9:18am

I'll write an excuse note to your boss if you'll write one to mine.

Submitted by Bigz
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 9:15am

good news? mid 50's game time.
the bad? 80% chance of precip. Glad I went for opening day over wsox tickets (cause you really can only go for one of those two).

http://weather.weatherbug.com/IL/Chicago-weather/l...

Submitted by Sweet Lou
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 11:44am

For Cubs fans, this is the time of year when hope springs eternal. But this year, it's more than just Cubs fans who think the North Siders are going to have a good year. The Sporting News, SI, ESPN the Magazine, Lindy's, Athlon, Beckett, and MLB.com have all picked the Cubs to win the NL Central. The Sporting News, SI, ESPN the Mag, and MLB.com have all picked the Cubs to go to the WS. Unfortunately, no one picked the Cubs to win the WS. Let's hope they're wrong at least on that one count.

Submitted by Cubnut
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 12:51pm

And only two of nine writers in the Milwaukee Journal pick the Cubs to win the NL Central; the other seven all go with the Brewers.

Shocker.

 http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=733191

Submitted by Chifan
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 1:59pm

picked us to win on Sports Center this morning. If we dont I say we make Kruk have an AB aganist the Big Unit during the 7th inning srtech of a game next year for jinxing us.

Submitted by navigator
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 12:53pm

I'd be more worried if they did pick us to win the WS.

Submitted by John Beasley
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 1:41pm

ESPN picks the Braves to win the World Series. Sounds like kind of a gamble to me.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/columns/st...

Submitted by jacos
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 2:05pm

Anyone check out the LA/Boston game at LA Coliseum?

201 down left field line, with 60 foot wall.

115,000 people in attendance.

Awesome.

Submitted by Hobart Mike
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 2:20pm

ESPN Classic today; baseball rivalries including Cubs-Cardinals game from 1984.

Submitted by chitechmusic
on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 2:33pm

Cant wait for the home opener. The wait has been too long since the last game at Wrigley Field..just looking at some of these Wrigley Field pictures from this Chicago artist gets me going for the season to start.

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