The Real Opening Day

As a Red Sox fan, for me, baseball season doesn’t officially begin until Opening Day at Fenway Park. Today was that day. The Sox beat the struggling Detroit Tigers 5-0, but more importantly it was the first time we got to see the boys play in their home whites this season. After the ridiculously long and arduous road trip through Tokyo, L.A, Oakland and Toronto, all seemed right and it finally looked like baseball 2008 had arrived as the Sox received their World Series championship rings and unfurled the 2007 championship banner. Watching the ring ceremony, I was reminded of how special a place Fenway Park really is. Along with Wrigley Field in Chicago, it is a true cathedral for baseball. Going to either of these parks is not just about the watching the game. It is about the total experience when you visit. I’ve been to Wrigley once and that was great, but I go to Fenway at least three times per season and it never gets old. It’s hard to describe the Fenway experience but I guess the best way to say it is that it’s just a feeling you get as you walk up to it that shouts “summer” and “New England.” When I think of New England and summer I think Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, clam chowder, beaches, clambakes and the Red Sox. They define summer as much as anything else in the region. The Red Sox are unique in that they are the only major league team that has a religious multi-state based fan base that is within a two or three hour driving distance at most. From Bangor to Bridgeport, from Newport to New Haven, you can find devoted Red Sox fans all over the region. If you travel to Cape Cod or the Islands for vacation, one of the great things you experience as you visit the different bars and restaurants is that the Sox are always up on the TV and people are always paying attention to the game as they eat and drink. The boys are always a topic of conversation. It seems everyone in New England in the summertime has an opinion on the Red Sox. People love to talk about them. The team really provides New Englanders with an amazing common bond. They seem to draw strangers together for a common cause, because everyone has an opinion about the Sox. And so on this opening day as I watched the team receive their rings, my spirits were lifted as I was reminded that spring is here and summer is not very far behind. Watching the fans cheer loudly for Manny and Papi and Youk and Josh and Varitek and Paps and the others, thanking them for another special season in ‘07, was incredible to watch. Most fans love their teams but in Boston it’s somehow different. Many of the current players seem to understand this idea. They always seem to appreciate the knowledge and love put forth by the fans and that just adds to the sense of community around Yawkey Way. If you have not been to Fenway and are planning to go, make sure you get there early so you can take in all of the atmosphere around the park. Be sure to park in the Back Bay and walk through the different neighborhoods of Newbury St. and Commonwealth Ave. as you approach Fenway. Those streets define “Boston.” Make sure you hit the bars behind the Green Monster on Landsdowne St, take a walk around the park’s outside and watch all the different fans pass by, duck into the souvenir stores, check out the NESN pregame show live on Yawkey Way, check out the parking garage across Landsdowne with the $40 parking signs where many a home run ball has landed. See the smoke fly from the grills of the many sausage vendors on Landsdowne and breathe in that smell of grilled meat that is like no other during the summer. And make sure you buy one, too. You can’t get sausage like that anywhere else in the world. After the game, if the Sox win, you’ll find the mood of the fans is always so much better, lighter even. If they lose people are just quieter as the park empties out. I’ve never experienced that anywhere else and I’ve visited 11 other major league stadiums. It’s because people really do care. So, those are some of the reasons why there’s no place like Fenway. Some Red Sox fans complain that Fenway is a relic and should be blown up and relocated. Not me. I can’t understand that. Sure, I’d like the seats to be more comfortable but then, it wouldn’t be the Fenway the fans all know and love. It is the only place in the world I’ve ever been to where I still remember how I felt when I walked up to it when I was 8 years old and saw my first game vs. the Orioles. If they replace Fenway I’ll lose that and I think many Red Sox fans go through the same thing. It’s the same building and location so it’s easy to remember how powerful that feeling of your first game was. That’s why the place is so sacred and treasured by the fans who flock there each summer and why the experience is different than any other baseball experience. The park exudes a certain charm that would be lost if the stadium was relocated to the South Shore or elsewhere. I am very glad the current owners understand this. It just wouldn’t be the same because walking through Kenmore Square or taking the “T” in to the Fenway area just adds something special to the experience. If you’re a Sox fan you know what I’m talking about. If you aren’t, you ‘ll never understand. But that’s OK because not everyone can understand what being a Sox fan is like. If 2004 and 2007 have taught us anything it’s that the World Series victories we all prayed for as kids and adults were worth all the torment we went through for 86 years. The payoff has been unmatched. And that’s really what opening day is all about- appreciating the game and this team.