My dear wife Karen, center, with 20 of our friends celebrating the baseball season that looms in NBT Bank Stadium behind her.
Opening day was a success in Syracuse Thursday afternoon.
Even though the Syracuse Chiefs lost the game to 4-1 to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
As the season unfolds, victories for the Triple A-affiliate of the Washington Nationals will indeed become important.
But on this opening day, of more significance was the fact that 6,661 fans showed up to signal spring’s horsehide start on a day where the temperature topped out at around 50 degrees.
I’ll be writing more about the big day on my community blog for Syracuse Public Media site waer.org come Wednesday. I’ll post more pictures from Opening Day here on Wednesday, too.
And the Syracuse Chiefs take the field for the first inning of the 2014 baseball season.
Have you attended a baseball Opening Day lately, at any level of play? Who’s your favorite team?
Mark Bialczak 
Hooray for you to handle the weather and have such a great group of 20 people together! I have been to only one opening day, but love baseball! We had a ballpark party at work, hot dogs, cracker jacks, peanuts and pop served. I love the Clippers, have been to a Toledo Mud Hens and also, really love Cleveland Indians! Any baseball game, live, is fun! I also feel the same way about most sports, it is the people and the camaraderie that make the days special!
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Great idea for a work day, Robin!
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Our Grizzlies started off playing in Las Vegas, but hubby and I do enjoy going to their games, even though I take my book along to read between innings.
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Plenty of down time in baseball, laflor!
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My brother and I always had a competition. He was for the Dodgers, I had the Yankees. I stand by my choice, even though sometimes I feel so sorry for the Cubs, or is it the Sox? that I want to root for them.
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Yankees with a Chicago footnote. You’ve got it, Angie.
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Just covering all bases Mark.
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Go Yankees! Tanaka looked pretty good tonight after allowing that lead off home run…
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Jeter on Parade. He deserves it, Austin.
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They gave him the night off in Canada. Hmmm…
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hey i love love love minor league ball, love everything about it. love my toledo mud hens )
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I love the name Toledo Mud Hens, Beth. I will keep an eye out for when the baby bengals visit the Chiefs.
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http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t512
me too, and that’s one of the things that’s so fun about minor league teams, the names. that would be a good matchup )
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Plan on checking out several Pawsox games this year v. the Chiefs. The Red Sox prospects are finally starting to bubble up to the higher levels–especially some great young pitchers.
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It’s a good feeling when the system is stocked and the talent is feeding the Triple-A level. Enjoy the PawSox games vs. the Chiefs this season, Phil. My Mets left the IL completely for Las Vegas of the PCL. Ugh.
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BoSox, Mark, are my fave team. I’ve also loved all the minor league games I’ve attended (including one in Portland OR). Thanks for the post.
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I went to a Portland Beavers game in Oregon 20 years ago, and found the old stadium enjoyable, Ann. Enjoy your Sox plural because you (almost) always wake up with just one on, according to your photos.
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I love me some minor league and amateur baseball! I wish I had a team closer. Well, we have a couple of Independent league teams, but AA or AAA would be sweet.
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Yes, Don, lower level ball has its charm. But I still envy you your St. Louuis Cardinals, sir.
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