Opening Day in Ohio
Why I love Cleveland Guardians baseball
The Cleveland Guardians’ Opening Day is today, and I’ve got to admit, I’m excited.
There’s just something about this time of year. The weather in Ohio hasn’t quite made up its mind yet. Everybody’s a little tired of winter. And then, all of a sudden, there it is: Guardians baseball.
Hope. Anything is possible. A fresh start.
I love this team. I used to go to games with my dad and spent countless summer nights listening to them on the radio. And on every Opening Day, every single year, I’m reminded why I love this team.
It’s the same reason I love Ohio.
These guys show up. They play hard. They never stop fighting.
Did you know the Guardians have one of the smallest payrolls in Major League Baseball? Even after winning the division last year, they still don’t get the respect they deserve.
This year, I’m especially looking forward to watching the pitching staff. It feels like the Guardians are always finding great arms, developing them, and getting the most out of them. Tanner Bibee getting the Opening Day start feels right. And I’m excited to see Gavin Williams take the next step – and what a young guy like Parker Messick can do with a full season.
In baseball, people like to talk all the time about who spends the most money. Around Cleveland, we talk about doing the work.
Look, the Guardians aren’t the flashiest team in the league. But year after year, they compete. They pitch hard. They scrap for runs. They stay in games and find a way to win. And no matter what they’re up against, they make you believe. That’s Guards Ball.
That feels pretty Ohio to me. That’s one reason I’ve always felt such a connection to this team.
And then there’s José Ramírez.
What else can you say? One of the best players this franchise has ever had – and Cleveland fans know it.
José is the kind of player a city falls in love with because he’s ours in every way that matters. He grinds. He stays humble. He doesn’t act like he’s bigger than the team or bigger than the city. He just goes out there and does the work.
He’s sitting on 285 home runs right now, with 300 in sight. I don’t know exactly when it’ll happen, but I’ll tell you this: José is a special player, and we’re going to see him do special things this summer.
So grab your hot dog with Bertman mustard – or your Polish Boy – and let’s settle in at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario and start cheering for our guys.
Look, the baseball season is long.
There will be frustrating nights. There will be games we should’ve won and didn’t. There will be moments when everybody starts panicking and acting like the season’s over.
That’s part of being a fan. It’s a part of life.
And it’s a part of this campaign too.
This election year is going to have ups and downs. Some weeks you feel like you’ve got all the momentum in the world. Other weeks you get knocked around a little. The important thing is whether you show up the next day, remember who you’re fighting for, and keep working.
That’s one of the reasons I love baseball. And it’s one of the reasons the Guardians are such an inspiration to this campaign.
We don’t have endless resources. We’re not flashy. And there are plenty of insiders who are counting Ohio out.
But that’s never bothered me much. Ohioans don’t care about any of that. They just want somebody to stand with them and fight for them.
And if I’ve learned one thing from the Guardians, it’s this: You don’t back down and you don’t stop fighting.
A long season teaches you patience. It teaches you resilience. It teaches you that hard work matters.
Ohio knows that better than most places.
That’s why Opening Day still matters so much to me. It gives you something we all need every once in a while: a fresh start. A reason to believe. A reminder that hard work still counts.
That’s a lesson that baseball teaches over and over again. And it’s one I never get tired of.
So here’s to another season. Here’s to making the playoffs again. Here’s to Ohio. Here’s to the late-season drama that will probably take a few years off my life.
And here’s to Cleveland doing what Cleveland does best: showing up and fighting to the end.
Go Guardians.
Sherrod
👋 Wait! Before you scroll away:
Sherrod Brown is running for U.S. Senate in Ohio to make life better for working people and take on the corruption in Washington.
But winning this race won’t be easy. The polls show this race is caught in a dead heat and dark-money super PACs are set to spend millions to defeat Sherrod.
I support you enthusiastically, have contributed to your campaign, want you to run for President some day.
But the Mariners are going to beat the pants off the Guardians tonight.
I also love that in the early season games you can find hot chocolate in the concession stands, because it never fails, winter is only technically over. I 💝 Cleveland...