Spring has sprung, and in Wisconsin, warm weather is very welcome by the time the end of our six-month winter rolls around.  Pretty much anything above 50 degrees is considered "hot," and you'll see college students and other hooligans running around in clothing suitable for tropical weather at the first sign of melting snow.  I have been known to participate in that hooliganism and wear flip-flops at inappropriate times myself... 

However, more exciting than the signs of warmer weather to come is baseball, and everything that comes with it.  I decided to really indulge in the baseball festivities this year by attending two - yes, two! - opening days this year.  Having planned this excursion early, I took two days off of work, and looked forward to them for weeks.  I knew that the intoxicating smell of charcoal on the grill was just around the corner.

My first opening day of 2012 was at Wrigley Field in Chicago, to see the Chicago Cubs.  Now, I'm not a huge baseball fan in general, and I'm certainly not a Chicago Cubs fan.  However, I am a fan of fun, sun, brats, and beer.  All of which were out in full force.  We froze our booties off, but it was great.  Wrigley has an atmosphere that can't be beat.  There's a certain sense of nostalgia and wonder that radiates from this iconic landscape.  There's not much tailgating, but there are bars, vendors, and fans EVERYWHERE! 

Everyone at Wrigley seems to be a die-hard fan, and I'm quite sure I was the only person without some form of fan apparel...people stared.  I didn't mind keeping my Milwaukee roots a secret on enemy territory, that's for sure. 

My second opening day of 2012 was with my Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.  We parked in the huge lot and had a tailgate extraordinaire, as usual.  Let's just say the tailgating at Miller Park is so legendary that it's not unheard of to stay in the parking lot, which we did.  It probably speaks to my waning fandom that I much prefer hanging out in a parking lot having a few beers with my friends to sitting in a hard stadium seat and watching a game.  Oh well.   

So I suppose I'm a "fair weather fan," or maybe not a fan at all.  Sure, I don't really root for any team in particular, so much as I'm a fan of the whole baseball experience.  But, call me what you will, as long as I can sit outside and soak in some heavenly sunshine with a cold Miller Lite in my hand and a smile on my face.  And every summer night on the way home from work, I'll hope to catch a whiff of happiness and Johnsonville as I pass Miller Park.   

What can I say? I love baseball.