This was to be the day of red, white and blue bunting and when brown pinstripes really, truly, officially made their debut.
And it would have been when 94-year-old Bill Doughty watched the Padres for a few hours of enjoyment and relief.
Doughty has bladder cancer and was moved into hospice a few weeks ago.
Oh, how his stepdaughter, Maggie Cascio, was looking forward to talking later Thursday or maybe Friday about Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado and whether Bill thought the new manager had made the right moves in his first game.