I left Thursday night and after a bit of a delay, got to Texas around 8:30 p.m. Rachel, my weekend hostess, greeted me instantly and we headed back to her place. Both feeling sleep deprived, giddiness took over and thus the No Pudge Brownies graphic emerged.

Friday highlights:
- excellent Mexican food at a little hole in the wall off the beaten path.
- checking out two local ballparks (Ft. Worth Cats and TCU)
- meeting up with Lisa and another female Ranger fan for dinner and laughs
- a new tattoo

Saturday highlights:
- Meeting John Saltalamacchia in the gift shop. He recognized me from facebook and we had a nice chat.
- An afternoon in the sun, watching my favorite boys of summer do their thing (even though they lost the game).
- Lots of laughter with the Snake Pit, Rodney and Rachel at the game.
- Dinner and more laughs with Rachel and two friends.
- “I Love You, Man” with Rachel and aforementioned friends.

Sunday’s highlights were shopping at LUSH and learning Ron Washington gets pedicures.

And, finally, my Opening Day experience WAS my column for this week, so here it is…

I think I can safely speak for every baseball fan when I say Opening Day is the best day of the year. Every team still has a chance, and every fan still has a dream.

This past Monday, I was fortunate enough to take in my first Opening Day since becoming a Texas Rangers fan. In my four seasons of fandom, I’ve made a lot of friends through the Rangers. As a regular on a message board, a few fellow fans and I began talking late last season about me making the trip for April 6, 2009. One of my online friends offered up her home as my lodging, and several offered to pick me up at the airport. What more could I ask for? I saved up for a plane ticket and made arrangements for a ticket to the Rangers’ 2009 opener with the Cleveland Indians.

There’s a lot of pageantry on Opening Day. I knew this, having watched the last several on TV. It’s completely different to be part of it, however.

Monday morning, Rachel (my hostess) and I put on our Rangers red. At quarter after nine, we began our three-mile trek from Rachel’s apartment to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. We had decided the traffic was going to be insane, and I think on some level, we just wanted to walk to say we’d done it.

When we arrived at the ballpark shortly after 10 and walked right in. We headed directly for our lower level seats to take in some batting practice. I got a hug from my friend Brad (a photographer for the Rangers) and Shirley (the cookie lady). While I was talking to Shirley, I also managed to obtain a hug from and a photo with Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. I can’t even describe how happy I was at this point, and the game hadn’t even started yet.

After the Rangers and Indians had taken batting practice, Rachel and I treated ourselves to a Hambino sandwich. The concoction was named for Josh Hamilton who is occasionally called “Hambino” because of his powerful bat. The menu item is ham, grilled onions, provolone cheese, mayonnaise and thousand island dressing on a toasted roll. It’s not exactly the healthiest option, but Opening Day is a holiday and holidays are a time for treats.

Shortly before 1, the opening ceremonies began. There was an introduction of Rangers Alumni and Hall of Famers, the flag presentation and a performance by a military band. Opening lineups were announced with plenty of fanfare for the hometown boys. Former U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch, and a pair of B-1 bombers flew over during The National Anthem.

Finally, it was time to settle in for the first game of 2009. I was seated with five of my Rangers message board friends, and I have to say we got a bit rowdy. Amidst cheering for our favorite boys, there were plenty of laughs and a few jokes about various players. Just as I was telling Rachel how much I disliked Hank Blalock’s swing, he hit a three-run jack to right field. I guess he showed me. The same strategy did not work on any other players, including my beloved Chris Davis, who was 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and a lost bat, which flew out of his hands and into the stands during his first turn at the plate.

Rangers starting pitcher Kevin Millwood pitched seven innings of one-run ball and relievers C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco tossed perfect frames. The 20-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus had an impressive major league debut. Blalock and Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in five runs on a pair of home runs, and the Rangers defeated the Indians 9-1. It was their first Opening Day win since 2003. And I was there to witness it.

My sunburn will soon fade and the Rangers won’t remain undefeated, but my vacation could not have been more memorable. I made new friends, reacquainted myself with old ones and fell deeper in love with America’s Game.

Sorry to be so windy…but you asked for it :)

Obviously I love me some Dallas. Ahem. And glad when out of towners enjoy themselves here.

No MLB.TV and no radio reception. Things were looking bleak. Then I remembered that I was the campus tech! So I sneaked into the media room and stealthily rearranged a few cables. Moments later, I’m watching the pregame in my office and was able to enjoy the Rangers’ Opening Day win while sitting comfortably at my desk, LSB on the laptop, suckin’ on butterscotch.

It was a good day.