I often talk about the glory of opening day being a new beginning and reason for hope for all 30 teams and their fans. It's a wonderful thing to dare and dream of your favorite team rushing to the field after the final out to be crowned World Series champions.
And, of course, opening day can also provide us with unlikely -- and misguided -- optimism.
Remember Tuffy Rhodes? I do. I was a 15-year-old die-hard Cubs fan when he won my heart over on April 4, 1994 with this display -- off Dwight Gooden for good measure:
First of all, I've ranted in the past about bad Harry Caray impressions. This video is a perfect example of that. This is how the real Harry sounded. But I digress. Anyway ...
Rhodes went 4-for-4 with three homers and a walk, good for a breathtaking 4.250 OPS. And it was all downhill from there. Well, eventually.
Rhodes would hit another homer on April 24 and then put together a two-homer game on April 28. So he was hitting .293/.384/.600 with six homers and 10 RBI through 20 games. He would end the season hitting .234/.318/.387 with eight homers and 19 RBI. And he never hit another home run, ending his big-league career with 13 career bombs.
Still, April 4, 1994 was special and any fan who was alive at the time will never forget it.
