Pinc's Picks

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

I took a trip home for the weekend to visit my parents, but more importantly, to make a sacred pilgrimage. No, not like the one going on in Iraq. The pilgrimage was to Boston, and more specifically, Fenway Park.

Through a series of fortuitous incidents, my father managed to get a pair of tickets to Saturday's Yankees/Red Sox game. To the uninitiated reader, I can imagine that right now the reaction is one of "meh" rather than the appropriate hushed awe. This is not only another game in sports' best and most intense rivalry, but at Fenway. It isn't like you can just buy tickets to Red Sox games ... well, OK, if you paid enough money you could. But not for seats like mine.

As much as I despise the Red Sox, and more than that, Red Sox fans, I love Fenway. It's such an intimate ballpark, built on a different scale for a different time. Even though additional seats have been added, it's still tiny by comparison to other major league parks. Like Wrigley Field, it still has the old wooden scoreboard, operated by men running around inside the dark changing numbers as the innings progress. I sat in field level box seats out by the Green Monster, in close proximity to my Yankees as they warmed up in left field.

Derek Jeter was so close to me he could actually hear me shouting his name and see me waving. I think he must have not seen me clearly, otherwise he would have asked for my number. (Shut up, let me dream).

The weather was magnificent and the Yankees ultimately triumphed over the Sox 13-5. Spent a good day out with my dad and celebrated the victory. Aside from getting a date with Jeter, I can't possibly imagine a better day.

posted by Danya @ 8/21/2006 08:07:00 PM