Well folks, we finally made it! Winter is behind us and with spring comes opening day. This week the journey begins, everyone is 0-0, and (almost) everyone has hope of a fun season ahead. So, in the spirit of the season starting, I wanted to do a list of the nine best things about baseball season! Why nine? Nine innings, nine players…you get the idea!

Baseball Sky

First up is actually pretty easy to explain. A “baseball sky” is one of the most beautiful things you’ll see all summer long, and hopefully you get to see one in person. It’s that moment as the sun sets and the ballpark transitions with its lights coming on over the backdrop of an orange sky. While just about every ballpark gets them over the course of the season, some are more prone to it than others. Coors Field, Wrigley Field, Citi Field and Busch Stadium (above) are all notable recurring night time beauties.

Friday 1:20/Day Games

Here we have a subcategory within the category as a whole. While night games can be gorgeous and breed more intensity amongst the crowd, it’s hard to beat a sun kissed day game. You and your fellow fan enjoying a cold one on a ten of ten day is honestly indescribable. And while any day game is great, a “Friday 1:20” at Wrigley Field is special! Every Cubs Friday home game is played at 1:20 PM Chicago time, in keeping with the Cubs long running history with day baseball. Wrigley holds 41,649 fans on game day, yet it feels like the whole city of Chicago has left the office and decided to spend the afternoon at 1060 West Addison…or at least the non-White Sox fans did.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Now it’s time for old reliable! Maybe your team does the cap game during the seventh inning stretch, or maybe they race sausages around the warning track. Regardless of the tradition no “stretch” is complete without a rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I always join in and sing along no matter where I am, but the gold standard happens to be Wrigley Field’s version, which was led by Harry Caray and is now done by celebrity guests. No one did it better than Harry…don’t believe me? Watch the super cut above then as proof.

The Pregame Bar

This next one is one of my favorites, especially because I found a good photo of my favorite baseball bar to use for it. The pregame bar is a part of most fans rituals, as it’s the place you go with your usual game crew, or where you see that acquaintance that you haven’t caught up with in a while, because your bond is your team. This bar, like my beloved Stan’s in the Bronx, is usually adorned with the memorabilia of your team, along with good tunes and cold beer. It feels like home away from home as you settle in and talk through life and that days lineup.

Walk Off Wins

From the relaxation of a pregame hangout, to the tension of the ninth inning with the game hanging in the balance. Very few things in sports stack up to the drama of big ninth inning at bats with the game on the line. All that tension builds up until a release when your team walks it off for the win!

Ballpark Beer

The ultimate in game refreshment makes its way onto our list, the ballpark beer! As I said earlier, a crisp cold one pairs very nicely with a day game like a California red with an upscale dinner. But instead of a restaurant waiter taking your order, you get a tall boy from a veteran ballpark employee who passes it down the line in exchange for your ID and cold hard cash. A small price to pay for a (responsible) good time!

The Stars of Today

I’ve written about this plenty over the last few years, but the game is truly in a good place thanks to its current crop of stars. So many are absolute pleasures to watch on a nightly basis. They’re all wonderful stewards of the game, who are helping to further it with fans around the world. The WBC, the regular season, and postseason are their stage to perform on, and we’re damn lucky to watch them do it.

Your Local Broadcast

Number seven on our list is one of the true comforts of any season. Your local broadcast crew is an amenity that makes you feel right at home throughout the season. True baseball sicko’s like me know and love the theme music, the featured segments and all the signatures of the booth. If you’re fortunate enough to have GKR on SNY, Orsillo and Grant in San Diego, or the entire Giants TV and radio network, you know exactly what I mean.

MLB Central & Quick Pitch

If you want to stay up to speed on the games and MLB news, then I can’t recommend MLB Central and Quick Pitch enough to you. They’re really the gold standard in daily sports programming, with Central bringing fun and informative segments to you from the best hosts at the network. Meanwhile QP brings you every highlight from the night’s games. I start and end my day with both on a regular basis so I can’t wait to get the season started!

Ballpark Food

Last but not least it’s time to talk food! Ballpark food has taken on a life of its own the last few years, with teams getting very creative as they customize their menu’s. While not all of it seems practical, there’s no denying the new options they’re coming up with are a lot of fun. Check out this seasons new additions from around the league above, that will join your usual classics on the menu.

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.