Colorado Springs - 04/13/01 - The SkySox, known for their odd team superstitions, were throwing caution to the wind on opening day.

Opening on a Friday the 13th, a Good Friday at that. One of the worst snow storms of the season had blown through just days earlier. The Unit was pitching for the D-Backs against the Rockies on the same evening in nearby Denver, and on TV. Oh, and the weather geeks propped the evening with threats of record lows.

You would think that the SkySox opener would be sending player and management to the lockers in search of rabbits' feet, three-year-old socks, and anything else that would conjure up some good mojo.

The skies cooperated for the Sox, with hardly a cloud on the horizon, and a warm, gentle, afternoon breeze.

The grounds crew, working until about three a.m. the night prior, was shoveling the last traces of snow through a hole in the Coors sign at the 330 foot mark of the back wall just hours before game time.

All around the stadium the crackle of walkie talkies orchestrated the coming of the season.

"I've got a guy with a case of hot dogs wants to know where to go..." "Gabe, have there been any changes to the lineup?"

The beer guy wiped down the prior season's last hurrah from his cart, polishing the spigots to a bright sheen. Girls worked quickly to set up hot dogs.

Banners and balloons were hung. Sponsors hustling credit cards folded dozens of giveaway t-shirts.

The Jolly Jump, with its' soccer and footbal towers, unfurled in the kids area as the inflator whirred quietly to life.

The spa guy kicked the hot tub on the first base line into action. (Yes, I did say hot tub... The Sky Sox had the first one in the nation.)

"We try to market ourselves separate from the Rockies," said Gabe Ross, Assistant General Manager, "It's a lot more interactive fun."

The players work out on the field, testing the spongy turf where the snow has been removed. "Awful soft" someone mutters, pressing a toe into the sod.

As John Fogerty's "Center Field" blared from the P.A., a happy holiday crowd bordering 3,900 passed through the gates wearing heavy jackets and carrying blankets. In spite of the warm afternoon and the blue skies, fans weren't taking the good weather for granted.

The fans hit the stands in search of food, a new crop of souvenirs, and a program or two to figure out the new batch of AAA players gracing this year's edition of the Sky Sox.

Vendors began circulating wearing outrageous hats (see cover) designed to get the fans' attention. Friendly attendants wiped down seats and helped new season ticket holders find their roost for the year.

Then the festivities of opening day began.

The Sky Sox are in the back yard of the Air Force Academy, so no opening would be complete without an aerial exhibition. As Peggy Bruhls of the Air Force Academy narrated, four jumpers plunged from a small airplane overhead into the clear blue sky. Chutes opened one by one, with plumes of colored smoke spiraling through the air as the Air Force cadets guided their chutes towards the target pole on the field.

The announcer called the lineups to the base paths, and a children's choir gathered behind home plate to sing the national anthem (see Top).

Pitcher Robert Averette (0-1, ERA 4.50) finished his last warm-up pitch, looking sharp. The first batter for the Zephyrs, Omar Ramirez, baptized the batters box.

Averette energizes the crowd with a strikeout of Ramirez.

A foul tip from Adam Everett sends a fan past the caution signs after a ball on the bern. The crowd cheers as he struts triumphally back to the stands, and into the waiting arms of security. The guard takes his prize away, to the jeers of the crowd.

A freak accident, where the umpire and first baseman simultaneously hit the pitcher's hand with balls, caused Everett to get the hook in the third, sending in

The Sox have slipped back by almost 5 runs, and there doesn't appear to be much to root for at this point.

The Sox' Fox mascot tries to keep the crowd motivated, but they're too cold and the mittens don't allow for a lot of clapping when he holds up the "Go Sox" cards.

The Zephyrs blow the game apart in the 8th, and the crowd dwindles in the freezing cold to just over 1K.

The sluggin' socks lose their home opener 13-4, and drop to 1-5 on the season.

The fans are disappointed, but optimistic as they file out to the parking lot. Some talk about the pitching mishap that turned the game around in the second. Others wax philosophic about injuries, call ups and trades.

Sleepy children, spent on the moon bounce and candy now bounce listlessly in mom and dads arms under blankets.

For the fans of the game, who endure the side show to worship at the fountain of potential greatness, the hopes of a great season yet to come fill stat books and rotisserie league notebooks.

Minor league baseball begins its Centennial full of sound and fury at the SkySox stadium, and at dozens of parks around the country this month.

For all, opening day holds forth the promise of warm summer days, cold beer, a hot dog, birthday wishes and hot tub dreams.

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