Ah yes. Opening Day. The day where we can enjoy our lunch out at the ballpark, breathe in the grass and soak in the sun. All while taking in the first baseball game of your team’s season….. not.

Unfortunately, only the last fact is true today, as ESPN has struck. Yes Mets fans, this means that Opening Day has turned into Opening Night. And not just any Opening Night, a 8:37 pm start, which is exceptionally late under the circumstances. For me, Opening Day, is exactly what the name says: Opening DAY. But alas, the schedule is what it is, and we will have to adjust our Opening Day routines this year. So, here are my suggestions on what things make Opening Day special. Be sure to share what makes Opening Day special for you in the comments section below.

Cuisine: While watching a road game at home doesn’t quite match the excitement of being at the game. Doing things that you would do at a Baseball game makes it easier. One of those “things” is the food. I for one, love to eat different regional foods at baseball games. When I went to Pittsburgh with “The 7 Line Army” last year, I tried the French Fry sandwich, and it was delicious. When I joined the Army in Denver, I had the Pulled Pork sandwich that was supposedly a “Denver tradition”. Whatever you enjoy at the ballpark, making it at home definitely puts me in a game mood.

Viewing Parties:

If you are four years older than I am, the Mets and The 7 Line are throwing some viewing parties that tend to get thumbs up on Twitter. The 7 Line will be hosting their viewing party at the Playwright Irish Pub near Penn Station in Manhattan. If you are wearing a The 7 Line T-Shirt or headwear, select beers are going to free prior to the game. Additionally, the Mets will have a watch party at the Katch Brew & Grill in Astoria, Queens.

Watching the Game:

While all of the pre game stuff is fun, preserving energy and excitement for the later start time is very important. Thankfully, SNY will have a 90 minute pre-game show before it’s time to switch over to ESPN. If your not on so-called “#MetsTwitter”, I recommend it for harsh analysis that is always entertaining.

Let’s Go Mets 2016! It’s been a long offseason and we finally get to watch meaningful games against the team that defeated us last fall. The Road to October starts today, Let’s Go!