"I can't wait," said Kingsburg's Rick Baker. "It's going to be my first game of the season here with my father and my brother. We're all going to be here. It's going to be a great day."
"It's a club," said Lemoore's Jim Robbins. "It's not just a ballgame, it's a club, you know? I just met these guys this morning and we're hanging out and having a good time."
The first 2,500 fans to pass through the Chukchansi Park turnstiles will receive a nice heavy-duty ring. It's the same ring the San Francisco Giants gave away in their first home stand earlier this month.
"They're very nice rings and they're definitely worth giving out," said Fresno Grizzlies Spokesman Chris Kutz. "They're probably one of our best giveaways ever. There's a reason why people want to line up for these. These are amazing."
That's what brought out a few diehard Giants and Grizzlies fans to Chukchansi Park as early as 11:00am on Friday.
"A buddy of mine brought one back from Frisco and I put it on my finger," said Robbins. "And once it was on my finger it was like, 'No. I'm going. Whatever it takes we're going to be there. We're going to get us a ring."
"I got three tickets in advance for my father," added Baker. "He's never been to a game and it's for his birthday. So I came out here and made sure at least one of us got a ring. They're going to come out tomorrow."
Grizzlies fans say they will have a full staff working Friday to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
"This year we have people overnight so we're going to staff and provide security around the area and in the parking lot - the H Street lot," said Kutz. "We're going to make sure it's a smooth process for everybody."
And the Grizzlies are looking forward to one of their best nights ever at Chukchansi Park.
"The players are going to be excited, the staff is going to be excited," said Kutz. "We're going to put our best performance on from the field to the off-field to make sure these fans have a good experience."
