Since I can't make Opening Day because of travel time, I'm planning on taking the day off and just watching them from my living room(they're the first game on the Extra Innings package). I had tickets for the Cubs-Reds game, but I sold them because I'd rather watch Toronto.

I share some of your excitement about the upcoming season, although it will be tempered until I see positive results from the back side of the rotation a few times.

Since 1979, I've taken the Jays opening day and made it a holiday from university or work. My 24 year streak is coming to an end this year as I have to be at work. It sucks, but I'm as excited for this season as I was for 1983 and I was pretty pumped for that season! My favourite opening day was Bell's 3 HR, screw you to management, on opening day in KC. It still makes me laugh every time I think about it years after the fact. The worst memory was the hanging slider that Timlin served up to the ChiSox in the 9th a few years ago. Generally, I don't care too much if they win or lose I just love that winter's over and the Jays are back!

Opening day, while very exciting, is always the best day of the year for me. However, the last few years it's been a painful day too....I have been living abroad, far away from time zones that would allow me to actually watch the game. I'll just have to wait it out and I look forward to seeing games this summer in Toronto as I make the big move back to Canada.

http://bluejayscheerclub.com
In honor of Opening Day 2004, and hopefully to bring some luck to the team, I am right this minute breaking in an original 1985 mesh-backed Blue Jays cap that I got when I went to see the Jays roundabout my tenth birthday. It was too large and I never wore it. A few weeks ago, I found it at the back of a closet in my parents' house, still perfectly new and pristine nearly 20 years later.

1985 was a good year. 2004 is going to be a wicked year.

My favourite opening day was Bell's 3 HR

I was so excited by this I was tearing around my parent's house screaming. Unfortunately, I trod in a garbage can at the top of a flight of stairs and bailed down 12 steps.

They were tears of joy I tell you!

What bugs me about this Openning Day is the Jays are *already* in 3rd. But on the upside, a win automatically puts them a half game up on the Yankees.

I'm excited to have a media pass for the opener, and grateful to the Jays for extending that courtesy to Da Box. There's just one minor downside -- adhering to the "no cheering in the press box" rule won't be easy when Doc throws that first strike.

To modify a phrase you hear on talk radio, Long Time Reader - First Time Poster!! I just wanted to say first off, I had a chance to attend Baseball Day In Canada in Toronto last week and I really enjoyed it despite some of the strange looks about my Brumfield jersey. That's only because #2 is my favourite number, besides he wasn't that bad with the Jays. At least he wasn't Kenny Williams or Sil Campusano!!!

My favourite Opening Day memory in terms of home openers was the first one I attended, the magical season of 1992. My pop managed to get some tickets at work and sent them up by bus to my brother and I who were in Guelph at the time. We got there late and the Jays were down 3-0 but they pulled it out in the bottom of the 9th. I remember Borders hitting a 3-1 pitch (the one thing that'll always drive me insane is when hitters swing 3-1, unless it's the power hitters!!) but Borders homered over the wall in left to tie it and then I believe Alomar drove home White to win it. My other Opening Day memory would be 2000 when Tony Batista homered to bail out Billy Koch to beat the Royals. That was also the game when Shannon Stewart hit a lead-off homer. The 2002 one wasn't bad either when the Jays improved to 2-and-0 by upsetting the Twins thanks to Doc Halladay. This year I run my modest streak of home openers to 5 so hopefully they pull it out on Monday and avoid the debacle of last year!!

I am sneaking my 8 and 9 year-old sons out of school tomorrow to take in Opening Day and none of us can wait!

We went last year, enjoyed the Hinske celebration although we were disappointed by the game results. The one good memory from the game was Delgado (in the 6th or 7th?) coming to the plate with absolute determination on his face and hitting a home run - it couldn't affect the outcome, but did serve notice to everyone to expect something special from him last year.

I was at the first Opener in '77 - sitting in the bleachers for $2.00 and getting soaked with snow. If you remember, you couldn't buy beer at the park in those days. The whole bleacher section, every one of us frozen just about solid, set up a chant of "We Want Beer". Had it been available, probably the last thing any one of us would have wanted was a nice cold beer! Anytime I get frustrated with the lack of atmosphere when the Dome is closed, I remember that day and many others, where following the game came second to trying to keep warm.

Should be a great season; I think we might just surprise some people.