"It never gets old," he said. "This is my favorite holiday."
The 53-year old legal consultant from Chicago's Beverly community, who donned a "Sox Side Irish" sweatshirt, said he loves how "hope springs eternal" with the clean slate of a new season.
"I can die happy because we won the championship two years ago, but that doesn't mean I don't want it to happen again," he said.
The unprecedented optimism at last year's opener -- when a back-to-back championship seemed like a given, and the unveiling of World Series banners moved many to tears -- was dialed back a few notches Monday.
That's not to say fans of the South Side hitmen aren't keeping the faith.
As the sold-out crowd helped usher baseball back to Chicago, fans jumped to their feet and cheered for a heart-pounding highlight reel of legendary Sox moments. They stayed standing until the announcer yelled, "Play ball!"
Enthusiasm quickly turned to boos and heckling as the Cleveland Indians scored five runs in the first inning, offering a glimpse of the 12-5 smackdown to come.
"There goes an undefeated season," Stan Rys, of Palos Heights, said jokingly.
Opening Day, luckily, isn't entirely about who gets the win.
It's about the party, which starts for tailgaters like Wayne Druktenis hours before the first pitch.
Druktenis, 31, was waiting to pull into the parking lot when the gates opened at 10 a.m. His spread included burgers, hot dogs, chips, beer and homemade cookies decorated like baseballs.
"We're as excited as every year," said the New Lenox auto dealership manager. "It's a new season, a fresh start."
Druktenis and others said they look forward to reconnecting with the familiar: Sizzling grills.
The crunch of peanuts underfoot. Fresh air. Cold beer.
Camaraderie among friends and strangers alike.
Andy Leoni, 27, a junior trader from Tinley Park, said that as a Sox fan, he feels like he's part of something bigger than himself. Leoni said the emotional high of the World Series hasn't completely worn off, but it's time to get focused.
"It's back to the norm; no more hoopla," he said. "Reality is setting in again, and we have something to prove again. It's back to the grind.
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The 16 Sox pins attached to George Muszynski's hat, some of which are decades old, attest to his devotion. If that's not enough, his black-and-white zebra pants get the point across.
Muszynski, a season ticket-holder from the South Chicago community, looked forward to ordering a beer from his favorite vendor.
"When I get a dog and a beer, one in each hand, that's when the summer has started," he said.
Matt Maloney, 37, and a crew of former employees of Reilly's Daughter (now Quigley's Irish Pub) meet each year in the left field concourse.
"It's the only time all year I see these guys," said Maloney, who now lives in Munster, Ind.
"We don't watch much of the game. Today, that's a good thing."
Rich Brennan, of Palos Heights, celebrated reaching the half-century mark at the game with his wife, Rosemary, two of his three daughters and his best friends.
"I could think of no better way to spend my 50th birthday," he said.
Best friends Patrick Barry, of Oak Lawn, and Donald Finn, of Mokena, never imagined their Leo High School 1985 senior ditch day trip to see the Sox kick off the season would turn into their favorite tradition.
"I have to be here," Barry said.
"It's like coming home."
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