People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. — Rogers Hornsby
One of my hobbies is visiting baseball stadiums. But even though I’ve been to almost all the major league fields, I have to say Fifth Third Field right here in Toledo is one of the best I’ve been to, major or minor. The sight lines, the food, the atmosphere — it’s all great. There’s something about a baseball game that has a way of changing your attitude.
Growing up in New Jersey, I was a Baltimore Orioles fan. But now that I’ve lived in Toledo for 15 years, I find myself rooting for the Tigers, thanks to years of watching the Mud Hens and getting to know some of the players who have made the jump to Detroit.
There is truly nothing to match a clear, sunny day at the ballpark. It’s a family event; it’s a guys’ day out; it’s a girls’ night out; it’s smells and sights and emotions that no other public gathering can evoke with such clarity and impact. Baseball offers a few hours’ escape from the travails of life like few other pastimes — movies, books, theater, music — can. That distinct crack of the ball on the bat and the undeniable thump of the ball in the glove are symphonies, car chases and page-turners all wrapped up in one fluid, unrestrained-by-the-clock afternoon.
Opening Day at Fifth Third Field has become one of the area’s biggest events; every seat will be filled, the suites and hallways will overflow with excited fans and the Huron-Monroe-Washington-St. Clair streets block will hum with foot traffic and activity.
For 11 years, Toledo Free Press has marked Mud Hens Opening Day with what’s become the biggest and most comprehensive guide published in the market. We understood from our first season Downtown how important the Hens are to Toledo’s identity and spirit, and we have taken great care to share their successes and challenges with our readers.
The Hens have developed a national reputation for creative, innovative and — most importantly — fun promotions. As illustrator Don Lee has captured on this week’s cover, Muddy is expanding his pop culture reach beyond the popular annual “Star Wars” Night to incorporate “Jurassic Park” and “Back to the Future” in his promotional plans for family fun. The fourth installment of the classic dino-centric series comes out this summer, which also marks the 30th anniversary of Dr. Emmett Brown and his DeLorean time machine.
This year’s Toledo Free Press Opening Day issue, compiled and edited by Managing Editor Joel Sensenig, positively thrums with the vibrations of a new season. We are grateful to our staff, advertisers, readers and the Mud Hens organization for helping to make this issue one of our biggest and best of the year.
We take pride in our home team, and we will continue to show that by offering the best Opening Day coverage we can, this season and every season. See you at the game!
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.
