MLB Opening Day: Best Fan Pics from Baseball's 2012 Debut

Crack!

The unmistakable sound of leather hitting maple echoing across the crisp air on a spring day, that’s right folks—baseball is back.

The 2012 MLB season got underway stateside Thursday, with the first official full day of games and it did not disappoint.

A showdown between the Red Sox's Jon Lester and Tigers' Justin Verlander may be one of the best we see all season. The Blue Jays and Indians played to an epic 16 innings, the longest Opening Day game in league history. And Stephen Strasberg showed why he is one of the hottest pitching prospects the game has ever seen.

But in the end, it’s the fans that really create the atmosphere that makes Opening Day special and thanks to the ever-evolving world of social media we can all take part in the experience.

Pixable.com is a photo inbox app that pulls all the photos from your social networks into one destination. The app organizes the images and groups them with other images that share similar hashtags.

Here are some of the very best from #OpeningDay.

(A complete list can be found here)

What It All Means

Before we look to the day, some good fans out there reminded us of the past. Baseball is a game steeped in tradition and often change threatens the very fabric of the game. Conservatives still scoff at the idea of an ump leaving the field of play to watch video replay of a home run.

But there are times when the two can meet to help us understand the game better. So was the case as this screenshot of an iPhone, quoting the late commissioner Bartlett Giamatti.

Never the one to charm you into optimism, his realist approach to a season in full borders on poetic and tells the hard truths of the game and life in general.

The Two Signs of Summer

No picture better captures summer in America than this limited edition Budweiser can.

Baseball and a cold beer—sounds good to me.

Don’t Forget About the Food!

This Detroit fan has added a bit more to his repertoire. A couple sliders blend well with the aroma of hops emanating from his team mug. It is the kind of meal that is only acceptable to eat when watching a game.

Thank God there are 162 chances a season to do so.

A Slice of Philly

There is a saying that suggests there is no such thing as bad pizza, but if you are a Braves, Mets, Marlins or Nationals fans you would probably be quick to toss this slice in the garbage.

Philly chef Ryan Mulloy, inspired by the Phillies opening game against the Pirates, devised this little creating. It is amazing how simply a baseball field can be depicted and how natural it can look even in the wrong colors.

The combining of two great American past times—baseball and concocting new types of pizzas.

The Manifesto

The most popular thing I could find bouncing around the web was this little check list every good baseball fan must follow.

Full of the kind of exaggerated, simple-minded tasks that casual observers would ever laugh at and the most devout fans would actually follow, it was a simple way to express your happiness the baseball season has finally arrived.

Notice also though who published this in the first place. Think there may have been an ulterior motive such as watch baseball so MLB makes more money? Nah, not from everyone’s favorite commissioner Bud Selig.

The First Error of the 2012 Season

It can’t be a good omen when the first mistake your team makes on the season is spelling the player’s names right on the lineup. How in the world do you get Saltalamacchia right but screw up Lester and Ortiz!?

Learning to Lose

If you were wondering how that turned out for the Sox, just ask this young fan.

Before It All Begins

A baseball field is one of the most beautiful things in all of sports to look at. Much like a well designed golf course seems to organically fit into the landscape, a baseball diamond has a sense of organized chaos.

Straight perfectly measured chalk lines, 90 feet between bases, 60 feet six inches from a rubber rectangle on top of a mound of dirt to rubber pentagon surrounded by the very same dirt.

A blend of green and burnt clay brown alternate back and forth throughout the infield with precision and then the great expanse of an open plane representing the outfield. Another strip of loose ground borders it all, with a wall at the extreme end, full of edges, corners and surprises.

It fun to watch a game, but to look at an empty field being readied for one is a mesmerizing experience.

Legend of the Past Meets Legend of the Future?

Magic Johnson was sure to be on hand for the opening game of his new rich man’s toy. The former Laker star was a part of a purchasing group that paid a record $2 billion dollars for the team!

Here he meets with outfielder Matt Kemp before the game. Kemp is nowhere near Johnson in terms of legendary status in the city of Angels, but he has all the potential to get there.

His proclamation before the season began to become the first ever player in the 50-50 club got off to a great start as he belted out the game winner against the Padres.

Better by Comparison

As usual, Opening Day is about much more than just baseball. A festival in itself, the pregame ceremonies are meant to entertain as much as usher in the new season. It is a long a grueling campaign for the players and devout fans, but on this day it is all about fun.

But for Cubs fans, it is difficult to get a smile to come across their faces at Wrigley Field. 103 years without a title and almost 70 without a National League pennant makes the long suffering Chicago fanbase one of the most hard done in the game.

So drastic measures must be taken to ensure that opening day brings a sense of optimism to the crowd, even if that means dropping big bucks to have comedian Bill Murray embarrass himself by running around the bases. At least it will make the Cubs players look better when they take the field…I hope.

More Brilliance from the Chicago

Nothing screams baseball more than the sound of the organ blasting across the PA system. Many modern stadiums have done away with the old-fashioned style of having a living breathing person playing it live. Many just rely on contemporary recorded music to play between breaks.

Not the Cubs though. Their organist is clashing the new with the old as the sheet music on the instrument is none other than Lady Gaga’s own “Poker Face.” No doubt this is what Kenesaw Mountain Landis had in mind when he helped create the league.

One End of the Spectrum...

Some fans see Opening Day as one full of optimism. That all the failures of seasons past matter not with 162 games to prove why there side is the best before them.

Petco Park in San Diego had the rare large crowd for the opener against the Dodgers. The 40,000 in attendance on this beautiful sunny day  welcomed the fireworks and streamers that poured down before the game, hoping that there would be more reasons to celebrate throughout the season.

...And the Other

Then there are Mets fans.

The Best Thing at Citi Field

At least they have Shake Shack, easily the best thing Citi Field has to offer both on and off the field. New Yorkers know what I am talking about.

Yummmm!

Though few things compare to a Shake Shack burger, it is not exactly something the traditionalist will eat at a ball game. Nothing quite compares to watching a game with a hot dog in hand.

This image comprised of the many different signature hot dogs offered from around the league was put together by Bleacher Report and trended pretty highly around the social media sphere.

I personally have tried only a handful on the list, with my favorite being the Fenway Frank (like to keep it simple). But if you have tried them all please let me know what I am missing out on

The Token Hot Chick

What, you really think I was going to go a whole slide show without showing you a cute girl dressed up in her favorite team’s colors?

Figure I would make it a Cub though since I bashed their team enough already. They may not be the best looking team on the field, but their fans surely look good off it.

Got to Love the “Fans”

The Miami Marlins rebranding of the franchise and new ballpark was a huge leap of faith for the South Florida based club. Trying to prove that baseball has its place in the region they went to extremes to make games the hot ticket in town in a city where there are a 100 hot tickets every night.

While the organization may love the idea of attracting new fans (i.e. more money!), the old loyals who stuck it out through the muggy summers, the rain delays and the miserable seasons are going to have to get use to this guy becoming a normal sighting at Marlins Park.

Awww!!!

What other words can you use to describe such a picture. Sure this kid's dad has dressed him up in this the same way pageant mothers decorate their daughters like toys, but it is hard to not have your heart melt at the thought that maybe he is really happy that his Reds beat the Marlins.

Fan of the Future

It is hard to believe that in 20 years that sippy-cup and bowl of cereal will be replaced by a beer and hotdog.

Hopefully by then Jason Heyward has finally reached his potential.

Nowhere Is Safe

Baseball is one of the few sports where as a spectator you are really in harm’s way. Balls fly off bats at over 100 mph, and if you are not paying attention you could really be in for some trouble.

Or you could just be someone who got elbowed in the face on the way to your seat like this kid here. The bloody nose has got to be the wussiest of injuries.

Thank God for in Internet

But even if you can’t make it to the ballpark and your team’s game is not being televised does not mean you still can’t watch it. For me there are few things the Internet does better than to allow me to watch my beloved Padres even though I know live in Brooklyn 3000 miles away.

Though, I am not this savvy that I am able to open up four differ games on my laptop at once. Very impressive by this computer/baseball geek.

Who Are You Kidding with That Book?

As much as I love baseball, it can be a burden when you are still in school. Can’t even count the hours I wasted away during my education watching a day game between the out of contention Padres play the lowly Pirates on a Thursday afternoon.

It seems an okay idea at the time, but on hindsight (i.e. after I get my test back), I perhaps should have use that time more wisely.

Aaron Boone Is Wearing What?

As a soccer fan I had to throw this one in. Reds legend Aaron Boone was the master of ceremonies for the teams opening day parade. After the festivities ended and the game began, he joined the ESPN commentating team up in the booth to talk a little baseball with them.

Instead the conversation turned toward his scarf. The odd fashion accessory was made even more odd by the fact it was an AC Milan, the Italian soccer team, supporters scarf.

When questioned about why he was wearing it he just told the guys it was from a fan. You see, Americans can like baseball and soccer. It is possible!

Got to Love Memes

I don’t like many of these little Internet sensations, but I have to admit the cleverness of the meme. If you are not aware of what they are then look it up, but it is basically what you see above, kind of a witty little phrase over a corresponding image.

This on best encapsulates the epic night at Progressive Field. The longest Opening Day game ever was ended off of the bat of J.P. Arenchibia. The catcher’s deep blast to left put the Blue Jays up three runs in the top of the 16^th and kept the lead through the bottom to win.

Combining the suave confidence of the Dos Equis man and the bravado of a game winner makes for this fun little image.

1 Down, 161 to Go

The MLB season is one of the most interesting in all of professional sports. None other has the kind of parity in terms of who can win on any given night or long term strategy they have in baseball.

It can sometimes lose its intrigue as one loss seems meaningless in a 162 game season, but too often teams find themselves wishing they had pulled out one of those wins when October comes.

With a stack of seasons tickets before you, it just let’s you know the weather is changing, summer is here and baseball is back.

Send Your Favorite Images from Opening Day

With the second day of games beginning in a few hours, there will plenty of more great pics coming soon. Remember to hashtag them with #OpeningDay and see all the images from around the league at Pixable.com.

Let me know if there are any that I missed or you wish to share in the comments below. Thanks for reading and enjoy the season!

Follow me on Twitter: @thecriterionman