The baseball season doesn't truly begin until a team plays in front of its own fans.
The Chicago White Sox season officially starts on Thursday in the state of Texas against the Houston Astros. Yes, it will bring back fond memories of the White Sox's 2005 World Series title on that very same field on an unforgettable October evening.
But that wonderful 2005 memory will likely only be in the minds of White Sox fans. The Astros, after all, are supposed to raise their 2022 World Series championship banner on Thursday and hand out their fancy rings.
Catcher A.J. Pierzynski will not jump into the arms of closer Bobby Jenks even if the White Sox win.
The White Sox on Thursday will be treated with the same lack of respect and attention the Washington Generals used to get when they took on the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Chicago White Sox have their 2023 home opener to look forward too.
The White Sox's home opener on Monday against the San Francisco Giants, though, will have a very different feel. There won't be a ring celebration but it will be the Sox taking center stage that day.
Home openers are indeed special, no matter how the team fared the previous season. The White Sox on Monday against the Giants, no matter what happens in Houston, will unveil new manager Pedro Grifol and a renewed sense of hope and promise after a disappointing 2022 season.
This is a look back, in chronological order, on five of the most memorable White Sox home openers over the past 100 seasons: