It depends on which generation of Yankees fan you are. There is always that one Opening Day you anticipated unlike any other because the disappointment of the previous year, coupled with an offseason storyline that whetted your appetite, again made the day before Opening Day feel like what a 6-year-old feels on Christmas Eve.
Maybe you're old enough to remember 1960, the World Series loss to Bill Mazeroski and the Pirates that made Mickey Mantle cry. And you couldn't wait for Mantle and Roger Maris to take their revenge in '61.
Or maybe you remember 1976 and the euphoria of Chris Chambliss' home run that put the Yankees back into the World Series for the first time since Beatlemania, a feeling that was quickly swept away by Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and the Big Red Machine. Add Reggie Jackson to the mix, and '77 became an unforgettable ride, if not a smooth one.
Maybe your heart still aches for Don Mattingly and the ALDS Game 5 loss in Seattle that ended his career in 1995. Enter Joe Torre and Derek Jeter, and '96 brought the first championship parade you'd seen in 18 years.
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After the House That Ruth Built closed its doors in 2008, the following Opening Day featured a new ballpark, CC Sabathia and other newcomers helping to lead the charge and one last hurrah for the Core Four.
Last year was a rocket-ship ride to Game 7 of the ALCS that brought Yankees fans a lot of joy because it was unexpected and it came with a young, likeable cast led by Aaron Judge. The loss to Houston hurt, but it fueled an offseason of anticipation that only intensified with the addition of Giancarlo Stanton.
Whether you remember them all or have only heard the tales from grandmas and grandpas, moms and dads, older sisters and brothers, you know the feeling. There was some joy in the summer and fall before, but it ended too soon. You didn't really get to celebrate the way you wanted. It wasn't the memory you craved. And now comes the start of the new season, when you can dream again.
That's what today is about for Yankees fans.
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Every team — or at least the ones that aren't tanking — have that dream. Yankees fans tend to dream it a little more vividly and intensely. That's because, in Yankeeland, nine years is an awfully long time to wait for that next championship. Yes, I know how that sounds. But this is now tied for the third longest drought in Yankees history since they started winning titles in 1923.
Imaginations are running wild as to what Judge and Stanton will do to wow the crowds this summer. Fans in New York and in other cities are as excited about batting practices as they are the real games. Yes, Allen Iverson, we are talking about practice!
The Yankees are once again the team everyone around the game hates to see coming. They expect to win. They believe they will win. Generations of Yankees fans will tell you that winning it all is the next step, the one that will help cleanse the palate and become part of the legend they will tell their sons and daughters.
"In 2017, we lost to the Astros in Game 7, but then we got Stanton," they'd say.
I know how you think, Yankees fans. Today is the day you've waited for. You believe this is the year you've waited for. Here's my only bit of advice for you: Please try to enjoy the ride. Make it about the journey, not the destination.
Follow Sweeny on Twitter at @YankeesWFAN
