White Sox home opener 'better than Christmas' for many fans
CHICAGO (CBS) – It's no surprise that the White Sox home opener is something of a tradition for many generations of fans.
CBS 2's Marissa Perlman caught up with fans on Monday outside of Guaranteed Rate Field. She met one man celebrating his 50th home opener in a row.
The brats were grilled. The crowds grew and it was officially tailgating season.
Darrel Swienton has been to the last 33 home openers at Guaranteed Rate Field, minus one year because of COVID-19.
Perlman: "What makes a good burger?"
Swienton: "The burgers are not the specialty here. It's the onions. The onions are the best."
Now, it's become a family tradition for him and thousands of other fans.
"Despite the wins or losses, this is always a special day, almost better than Christmas," Swienton said. "No, it is better than Christmas."
It's also like Christmas Day for Shawn Finnicum, who showed us his brick outside the park. His late brother's and daughters' names are on it too.
This is Finnicum's 50th home opener in a row.
"I started coming here in eighth grade," he said. "I cut school with my mom's permission and here I am 50 years later. It's definitely a mind boggle.
"Every time I came to opening day when I would walk up the ramp and see that field, it did something to me. The white bases, the green grass, it was very special to me."
Finnicum said he was grateful for the weather. On his second-ever Opening Day, when he would have been in the ninth grade, he sat through every inning a major blizzard.