It’s no joke. On this April 1st, the San Diego Padres, our San Diego Padres, are opening the 2021 season on April as one of the favorites to make it to the World Series.
It’s the first time that any fan, young or old, can say they’ve heard the Padres being called one of, if not the, most talented team in the major leagues going into a season. And the eyes of the baseball world on the Padres' Fernando Tatis, Jr. who the team signed to a record-setting mega contract.
But then this year is a first for all of us. A baseball season that begins with limits on the number of fans that are allowed in the baseball park. And a season that follows the pandemic-shortened season of only 60 games, none of which fans were allowed to attend.
And those fans at the game today will have a touchless and socially distanced experience, to keep everyone COVID-safe. Yes, it is now “Pandemic-protected Petco Park” where the Padres play.
For baseball fans, Opening Day is always a day when they think their team is going to be great. But today marks a day that kind of represents a turning of the page, from the stress and worry during the last 12 months of shutdowns to the hope and optimism of a return to normal getting closer.
And now on this unusual opening day of 2021, that comes just days after what happened at the place where the Padres began and played for decades, the levelling of the stadium in Mission Valley, this all could be history’s way of reminding us that it is not just Opening Day, it’s a new day. Go Padres!
Photo Getty Images)
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