Sox fans soak up the sun during opener

Posted April 05, 2010 11:00 pm

By Ashok Selvam

Students cut class, workers faked coughs and ushers heard pep talks - all in preparation for Opening Day for the White Sox.

The game day temperature hit 74 degrees with the skies drenching the green turf at U.S Cellular Field with sunshine. Sox first baseman Paul Konerko blasted a 374-foot homer to right field in the first inning, earning a curtain call, to give the home team an early 2-0 lead versus Cleveland. Mark Kotsay added an RBI in the 3rd and a wild pitch increased the lead to 4-0.

Konerko's bomb and ensuing fireworks were a much better start than the ceremonial first pitches tossed by four members of the Blackhawks who earned medals at the Vancouver Winter Games. None of them managed to cross the strike zone with their pitches.

Outside the ballpark, the familiar smells of grilled meats wafted from grills operated by fans tailgating.

"The best thing at the opener is right here," said Larry Conway of Bolingbrook.

Conway's crew has been attending openers for 32 years. While their spread includes the usual suspects, like burgers and smoked sausages, these veterans of the tailgate also grilled food off the beaten path - bacon-wrapped cheddar jalapeño poppers, for example.

Grilling gives fans a way to fill up without emptying their wallets inside the stadium.

"$7 for a frickin' beer?" asked Wayne Galasek of Oak Park.

Monday's game will be the final Opening Day for White Sox organist Nancy Faust. After 41 years, she's retiring. Faust, who lies in Mundelein, made her presence felt in the top of the 2nd inning playing her rendition of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." She also promises some new wrinkles like the Black Eyed Peas and Michael Jackson over the course of the year.

"Just knowing that this year is my last of everything - it will be my last Opening Day, it will be my last World Series," Faust said with a laugh. "Knowing it's the last is something to deal with."

Fans could hear Faust's music even in the nosebleed seats way up in section 506 where Eric Palanck and Brian Lukasiewicz sat. Palanck said he was a little apprehensive when he received the upper deck tickets as a birthday gift. The seats overlook right field and many consider them the worst seats in the ballpark.

But as the day of the game grew closer, Palanck grew excited. He even bleached his hair in honor of Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

"I just hope A.J. notices my mimic of him on the Jumbotron," Palanck said.

While the enthusiasm of a fresh season is infectious, for some fans the game provided a time for reflection. Jack Halpin of Arlington Heights thought about his son, Tim, who died from a heart attack last year at 38. Father and son attended 15 to 20 Opening Days together.

Halpin recalled attending his first game with his father in the 1950s and seeing Sox Hall of Famer Nellie Fox play.

"Opening Day, to me, is about family," Halpin said.

Starting pitcher Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox kick of the season with their home opener against the Cleveland Indians. Mark Black | Staff Photographer

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