A year ago, Marco Estrada watched Opening Day from an undisclosed location, away from baseball.

He was a player, sure, but he was in the no-man's land within the transactions listings on agate pages. He knew his minor league contract would be purchased by the Milwaukee Brewers, as he wasn't sent to Nashville to start the season, but he didn't know when.

So Opening Day 2011 came and went, with Estrada holed up in a hotel room.

That makes today all the more special for the reliever, who will be participating in his first, official, Opening Day.

"I was scheduled to come up, but they didn't need me until the fifth day (of the season)," he said. "I've never been a part of an Opening Day so I don't know how it is. I'm excited. I just want to see what goes on, the fireworks, the introductions and all that good stuff."

For Estrada, and the other first timers on the Brewers roster, this afternoon is something to look forward to.

"For me, personally, I look at it as just another learning experience," fellow reliever and first-timer Tim Dillard said. "Some of these guys, like (Randy) Wolf has like 14 or whatever. This is my first one so it's going to be special but once it's gone, it's gone. But I had a lot of firsts over last year and this year and this will be another one. "

In the grand scheme of a season, or a career, a first Opening Day is but a moment, one that can only be experienced one time and one time only. Then, poof, it's gone.

And, as time goes it, some aspects of it will fade away.

"Honestly, I don't remember my first Opening Day. It's weird like that. I don't know," said Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks. "I have such a short-term memory, I guess. But Opening Day, period, it's hectic. It's chaotic. The game is at 3 o'clock and we'll probably be here at 8 o'clock in the morning. We have meetings, trying to set up our locker. Trying to get underwear I guess for the uniform. The hardest thing about the season is the first weekend of the year at home. Other than that, it's great to be back home. It'll be fun to see the fans."

But, there is one part he does clearly remember.

"Probably the biggest thing – you get chills when you go out there for the first time and see the fans," Weeks said.

Catcher Jonathan Lucroy will also be a part of his first Opening Day roster – he started last season on the disabled list. The 25-year-old seemed somewhat conflicted about the day, trying to balance the excitement of a charged atmosphere with the ingrained ballplayer mindset of "one game at a time."

"It's almost going to be a like a playoff atmosphere here. Last year I experienced that, but I think it's just a title – really, it's certainly exciting and I think the atmosphere is going to be great," he said.

"Really, it's just like any other day. Baseball's a game where you can't do anything different and you just have to stay the same. Really, that's what it is to me. It's going to be a fun day. For me, it's the first day to get started and I can speak for others as well as myself that I think we're all really excited just to get the season started."

The day definitely means different things for those like Dillard and Estrada versus seasoned veterans who have been there, done that.

But, there is one thing all could agree on.

"There's nothing better than the Opening Day of baseball because you know what that means – you have all those months of just watching wonderful games," Dillard said with a smile. "For me, that's what it is."