Opening Day in Cincinnati once was something truly special. It traditionally came a day before all other Major League Baseball openers, a nod to the city being the home of America's first professional baseball team in 1869.
But times change and traditions fade and now, thanks to a Thursday rainout, the Reds will play the Washington Nationals on Friday in one of the majors' last 2018 openers. Fittingly, that's an unplanned nod to the Reds' three consecutive last-place finishes in the NL Central and three consecutive seasons of 94 or more losses.
And, despite the locale, the only Big Red Machine on the Great American Ball Park field Friday will be the Nationals, arguably one of the majors' half-dozen or so legitimate powerhouses and, annually, a contender to win it all.