Rus Livingood
Editor’s Note: Make sure to read all of Rus’ early season “REDiculous” entries from our Sports section!
Opening Day is finally here!
Baseball fans everywhere have been waiting with bated breath for this day to come for months on end, and their appetite for our National Pastime is about to get filled.
In particular, the Cincinnati Reds open today, and that pretty much means a holiday in Cincinnati.
The Findlay Market parade will be held today, and fans will literally be celebrating in the streets. Sections of downtown will be designated party areas, such as Fountain Square. There, a huge video screen on the side of a building will show the ballgame for those who could not get a ticket. Vendors will be selling beer on the plaza, and everyone around will be creating an energy that is indescribable. Cincinnati is THE place to be to experience an Opening Day.
But, that’s not where I’ll be.
No, I am in Huntington, WV.
It’s right on the edge of Ohio and around 2 ½ hours southeast of the Mecca of Opening Day. I’m at work, typing about and getting geared up for Opening Day. I won’t be in Cincinnati, watching the parade and drinking beer all day long like it is Mardi Gras or a college spring break (or a Tuesday for some of us).
But though I am not there in person, I am there in spirit, and will be celebrating in my own special way. I own the kitchen of a bar and grill here in Huntington, and decided a few weeks back that we are going to host an Opening Day party for the local fans that could not make the trip. So far, through social media and word of mouth to my friends, we have around 20-30 people that are supposed to be there, with a chance of a lot more. Most will be wearing Reds gear, and all will be having a blast.
To try and recreate that ballpark feeling, we are having Cheese Coneys (hot dogs piled high with cheddar cheese) as a food special. Unfortunately, I cannot recreate that ballpark feel by charging $7 for them. I don’t think I would sell too many.
I will be blogging about the festivities, and more importantly the game. . .and the game after that. . .and the one after that. I will be blogging about all 162 regular season games this year, and my experiences with watching them. Yes, I plan on watching—or listening when I can’t get in front of a TV screen—to every single Reds game this year, and then taking the time to blog about it for what might end up being two or three people that would care enough to read what I write.
That’s right fans, I’m REDiculous.
So for the handful of you that will be enjoying this journey with me, we’ll briefly discuss Reds news; heavily discuss the strategies of the day’s game and whether or not it worked; check out the progress on the Reds’ hopeful march to the division title; and get a glimpse of how I managed to take in that day’s game.
For now, I’m counting down the minutes to my 3pm arrival at my bar, where we’re going to paint this town Red.
