What a night! What a show!

The air hung heavy with a thick sense of rain weighing down colors and sounds and stunted enthusiasm on a day to remember forever. Even the green of the field and the red of the caps were dulled by the gray shadows swirling through the stadium and the surrounding city. A meager crowd left vast red spaces of empty seats as the once glorious baseball town proved what once was is no longer. Here we witnessed a historical debut and none but a few of us braved the elements to experience Life, to witness something we can tell our grandchildren about with a sparkle in our eyes, a quiver in our voices, and a youthful excitement in our hearts.

A young ballplayer barely removed from boyhood brought us to the park. He carried with him a buoyant smile unhindered by the water falling around him. Before game time, he and a young second baseman rewarded the fans who bothered to show up with ink stained baseballs and memories to cherish. As the players stood in the dugout waiting to run out on the field to start the game, the newbie ran onto the field and had to be called back. His enthusiasm for the game, for achieving his dream, had pushed him onto the diamond before it was time to take his position. Time arrived, he sprinted out as a child runs to his presents on Christmas morning. I envied him. Here was a man who had gotten his wish, who had achieved what he had dreamed of for all of his brief life, who was standing next to his boyhood idol...if only we all could be so fortunate.

Seen here is the first Major League pitch to young Bruce. He did not get a Hollywood hit in his first at bat - he worked an unromantic walk, the first of two he received on the night. To the 17,900+ of us who witnessed it, that walk was magical, that walk was the beginning of a new era of Cincinnati baseball. That walk was healing. Seven losing seasons began their descent into the dark confines of the places we hide bad memories. This man will one day soon lead us back into the glory days.

But he is not a savior. Baseball, a sport where even the weakest man on the team can be a hero, is a team sport. He may one day carry the team on his back to a championship, but he still needs that team. Most of that team is on the field now, working out the kinks in its game. That team consists of others with the talent to win, others like Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Johnny Cueto, and Edinson Volquez, all pieces to the puzzle.

Just look at that lineup. It's almost right. Oh, it was a wonderful thing to see those five letters on that scoreboard, five letters we have been waiting to see for so long. And what a debut! 3-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and a stolen base!

What a beautiful night! I love this game! I only wish Cincinnati did, too.