DETROIT (WXYZ) — Opening Day is a big celebration for fans of the Detroit Tigers, but one local man is marking a truly impressive milestone.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
Carl Gianotti attended his 50th consecutive Opening Day at Comerica Park, a tradition that started at Tiger Stadium in 1977 when he was just 16 years old.
"Yes, I skipped class," Gianotti joked. "Don't tell anybody."
The decision turned into a lifelong tradition. Gianotti remembers bits and pieces of that very first game.
"I remember buying the tickets and meeting at my parents' house in Warren and all leaving from there and sitting up in the bleachers. Two dollars a ticket," Gianotti said.
From $2 bleacher seats to decades of memories, he has seen it all.
"We've had snow, we've had sun, a little bit of everything after 50 years," Gianotti said.
He says this was never part of some big plan.
"It started happening and it was fun every year and it just continued on. It wasn't a plan. God-willing, I was blessed and healthy, and here we are 50 years later," Gianotti said.
The tradition was not part of his wife Lori Gianotti's plan either.
"He leaves the house at 5:30 in the morning, and I Uber down. That's just way too early for me," Lori Gianotti said.
The two of them turned it into a family affair, eventually bringing along their four kids.
"When the kids were 21, we made sure of that after they were 21, they could come hang with us, and my son has been to every one since then," Carl Gianotti said.
Related video: Tigers fans celebrating Opening Day
Along the way, they made friends like fellow fan Chris Zobl.
"We started in '82 and met Carl in about '88," Zobl said.
Now, year after year, they all gather at the corner of John R Street and Adams Avenue. This year, they are celebrating Carl Gianotti's milestone and the start of another baseball season.
"I love seeing him happy," Lori Gianotti said.
For Carl Gianotti, it is not just about baseball. It is about tradition, family and showing up year after year.
"Look around. I mean, everybody is having fun. It's family and friends. Life's too short, right? It's not promised to anybody, so come and do what you can do," Carl Gianotti said.
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