It’s so close it’s on the same line of the calendar now. Saturday is the day the equipment trucks leave Fenway Park and head down to Fort Myers in preparation for Spring Training.
Colloquially known as “Truck Day”, it’s a day that, for many, signifies the beginning of spring even if it occurs in the first weeks of February. Â Once just something briefly mentioned on the evening news, it has become an event for many Red Sox fans and the team has started treating it as such.
Every year on Truck Day news vans, fans and curious spectators arrive at Fenway to see the last of the equipment trucks packed up and watch it drive away. Â Really, that’s it. Â One year they had Johnny Pesky there to wave to the crowd and sit in the driver’s seat of the truck for some photo ops. Â Most of the time, though, there really isn’t much going on except for the loading of the truck. Â When the truck is ready to leave, there is a flatbed loaded up with Wally the Green Monster and some Fenway Ambassadors blasting music associated with Fenway and chucking spongy balls with the Red Sox logo on them at the fans who decided to brave the cold.
I’ve been attending Truck Day faithfully for the last few years. Â Many times the members of the media outnumber the fans. Â For all those who complain that the Red Sox have used the day as a massive marketing ploy all I can say is it isn’t one of their better plans. Every year it seems the same group of fans show up, number at the most probably up to 100 but usually there are many less people and every year the same group of fans get quoted in the write-ups of the day or get interviewed for the local news stations. Â (I make it a habit to try and avoid getting quoted or interviewed on camera, but they’ve caught me a few times.) The Red Sox don’t charge for the privilege; they just enjoy all the free publicity and that really doesn’t hurt anyone. It isn’t as big a deal as some make it out to be and the best part of that is those of us who show up KNOW that it’s silly to make an event out of watching a truck drive away but we do it anyway. Â It’s a fun ritual that gives us all hope about the upcoming season. Â It doesn’t hurt to have an event you can use to mark the onset of spring as well.
The Red Sox season ended terribly and their off-season hasn’t been a picnic either. Add to that the disappointing end of the Patriots’ season and while sports fans still have the Bruins and Celtics, it’s fair to say we could use a little bit of euphemistic sunshine right now and Truck Day is exactly what we need. That small reminder that things start anew in the spring and we still have so much to look forward to is just what many New England sports fans need right now.  Bring on the trucks!
(Originally published on Examiner.com)