Baseball is back....

It's been a long winter, and although spring has sprung, it hasn't brought very warm temperatures to Boston this week. But that's OK, because it's Opening Day!

One of my favorite memories of going to Fenway Park is the game that Beth and I attended with Owen and my dad in 2009 (see picture above). A friend of mine from college handed over tickets (free of charge!) to the State Street Pavilion. We had great seats along the third base line, didn't have to deal with huge crowds for food and beer and honestly I don't remember if the Sox won (I think they did) but it was just so cool to be there with three generations of Sox lovers.

My dad passed away a year ago today, the day after my 49th birthday. Those few days in the hospital with him and my family were the toughest of my life. I'm thinking of him today and remembering all the times we played baseball, listened and watched the Sox, both on TV and in person, and just enjoyed the simplicity of soaking in our favorite sport.

Play ball!

This is Owen at his first Red Sox game, in September 2009, when he was 7. The good guys beat the Orioles, 10-0, behind six home runs (five of which we saw before heading home late in the game). We went with Owen's friend Zoe and her dad, Dave, who had the tickets. It was a beautiful night and a great milestone in a kid's life.

I don't remember my first Sox game, but I know I was younger than 7. I'm pretty sure Jim Lonborg pitched, although honestly he might have pitched in another game (or two) that I attended. My family used to go to Fenway once or twice a season when I was a kid. Sometimes we'd go to a nearby Brigham's to get ice cream and branded drinking glasses, a few of which my parents still have.

To this day, the certain combination of freshly mown grass, grilled meats and cigar smoke takes me back to Fenway Park, circa 1972. Always has, always will.

There's nothing like the feeling of walking up the ramp from inside the park and getting your first view of the greener-than-green field, the Green Monster, Pesky's pole, the players SO CLOSE to the crowd. I still get a rush of adrenalin and excitement when I do it today, after countless games.

So here's to another Red Sox season. There will be frustrations, glories, heartbreaks, annoyances, thrills, chills, spills and no shortage of yelling at the TV. But I love it, no matter what.

Wish I could be there!

Well, I Almost Got On the Field

I reported yesterday that I'd be stepping onto the Fenway Park diamond before today's Sox game, but alas only Owen and Beth got that opportunity (see August 15, 2011, "Chance of a Lifetime").

I hung out with Amelia while the two of them were on the field for a pre-game ceremony involving Beth's company. It was Amelia's first time at Fenway, which she enjoyed, especially the chocolate ice cream.



Owen had fun hanging with a few other kids while Beth did her corporate duty. He even got to meet Wally.






As for Beth, she made it to the big screen.

We all had fun, and our decision to leave after the 6th inning was a good one, as the score remained the same, Sox up 3-1, from that point on.

Chance of a Lifetime

Tomorrow, August 16, marks the the second time that I will set foot on the field at Fenway Park. The first time was in October 2002, during the Emerald Necklace Half Marathon. That was the first half marathon I ran, and certainly the most memorable. The race starts near Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and continues near Fenway. Because the Red Sox weren't in the playoffs that year, the course ran down Lansdowne Street, under Fenway's center field bleachers, and onto the warning track. We then ran all around the park on the track, including next to the Green Monstah. It was very cool.

Still, not as cool as I expect tomorrow's experience to be.

More details will follow, but in a nutshell, Beth is going to be the on-field representative for her company in a pre-game ceremony, and the kids and I get to tag along, and then stick around the for game. We'll be there for the first game, which starts at 1:35. Jon Lester (see above) will be pitching.

More details and pictures to follow.