March is absolutely the best time of the year. Enjoying the NCAA tournament, enjoying the best day of the entire year (Reds Opening Day), and soon being able to enjoy the Masters is a sports fan’s Heaven. March signifies the movement from winter to spring and it is the beginning of the beloved mowing season (Wow, I am getting old).

Enough with the other topics though, let’s focus on the greatest annual tradition in all of sports – Reds Opening Day. Reds Opening Day is Thursday, March 28 with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. Cincinnati will take on the Nationals, which will be quite interesting, as ex-Reds Nick Senzel and Jesse Winker are on the opposing team’s roster. Winker has returned previously, but I would expect a Senzel “Welcome Home and Thank You” video for his time spent in the organization. At noon, you can tune in or attend the 104th Findlay Market Opening Day Parade where grand marshals Dmitri Young and Pokey Reese will make an appearance. Other notable Cincinnati figures such as Kevin Huber, Marty Brennaman and Anthony Munoz plan to be in attendance as well. My wife and I attend every year, typically arriving as early as possible. We usually eat some breakfast at Taste of Belgium before heading over for some cold drinks at Holy Grail before the parade. Once entering the ballpark, make your way down to try some new food, as the Reds along with the taste-testers shared some delicious food options that are new in 2024. Mozzarella sticks, boneless wings, and a beer bat? Sign me up twice! I will be in left field this year and look forward to enjoying a sunny day with the rest of Reds country!

Let’s Talk Baseball

Let’s dive into the game. Josiah Gray and Frankie Montas look to battle it off as the Opening Day starters. Montas looks to win on Opening Day and break the streak of 3 straight losses on Reds Home Opening Day. With a fully packed crowd, Cincinnati needs to set the tone early and get off to a hot start, as we cannot afford fighting back all season long. With Williamson battling an injury, I would expect the rotation to look like Montas, Greene, Martinez, Abbott, and Ashcraft to begin the campaign.

Opening Day Lineup

Cincinnati still has an empty roster spot as I am writing this, so I am not sure what GM Krall exactly has up his sleeve. I’ll still make an attempt at what I think will be the lineup order for Thursday without knowledge of any new additions or call-ups.

2B – Jonathan India

SS – Elly De La Cruz

LF – Spencer Steer

RF – Jake Fraley

3B – Jeimer Candelario

1B – Christian Encarnacion-Strand

CF – Will Benson

DH – Stuart Fairchild

C – Tyler Stephenson

Santiago Espinal and Nick Martini could find themselves entering the game as later additions. With the injuries to McLain and Friedl, Cincinnati will need some production from call-ups or whoever they decide to add to this club, as Cincinnati certainly went from loaded depth to Martini being the first guy to come off the bench. However, I still feel like this lineup is solid and has enough talent to really make a run at the National League Central Title should they stay healthy. I’d be lying though if I said Marte, Friedl, and McLain’s absences didn’t damper my optimism though. Bell recently stated Friedl may only be out 6 weeks, which would be quite the turnaround as we wait for the second opinion results with McLain. Second opinion to me though means we might not even see McLain in 2024 – but hey, what do I know? I’m just a Labor Relations guy who likes the Reds!

2024 Will be a Change

The 2024 Reds season will certainly be different for the McAdow household, although this is a great thing! Our little man, Creed, will be arriving in Early May to help cheer on the Redlegs with his mom and dad from home. I believe I attended over 25 games last season, but this season, it may look more like 10 – and that is OK, as our second favorite place to watch Reds baseball is right at home in the best town in Ohio – Peebles, of course. Sure, we might be an hour and 15 minutes from the ballpark, but it is full of Reds fans who have a long history of supporting the local team. Whether you’re watching from home or attending a game, there is really a different feeling this season with our young ballclub. Expectations are higher than in years past and the pressure is on after a bad Bengals season. Let’s Go Reds, let the best rollercoaster ever created begin!

This column appears in several newspapers in southwest Ohio.