 Pedro’s return – photo taken by me in 2006 |
There’s a meme going around Facebook right now called (among other titles) “25 Random Things About Me”. So, because I’d rather poke my eyes out than write something about Jason Varitek (no offense to the Captain. The entire affair has just made me weary), I’m going to steal that idea, make it specific to baseball and cut it down to ten. (This will probably become an ongoing feature whenever my brain has trouble focusing on the task at hand!)
1. The first time I went to Fenway Park, my dad took me and it happened to be the same night where Wade Boggs hit his first home run (I got my first game and my first walk-off out of the way in one shot!). Wade Boggs was my favorite player from that point until all of the Margo Adams stuff came out. When I saw him riding that horse in Yankee Stadium, it was probably the first time I ever felt true rage in my life.
2. I was able to take my Dad to Opening Day when Manny Ramirez hit his first home run (in his first at bat) as a Red Sox player. It was a grey and rainy day and we were sitting in the bleachers and my father was proudly telling everyone that he had never been to Opening Day and it was the first time his daughter brought him to a game. 2001 turned into a truly horrible season for the Red Sox and this game is my only good memory of that entire season.
3. More Manny: I was in Baltimore at the game where Manny hit his 500th home run. I was sitting with two friends and we had other friends scattered in the park. Many of us (including me) cried. I still have the empty Twizzlers bag from that game (we were convinced that, somehow, our Twizzler eating made all the difference. Don’t ask. I’m not sure that I could explain it!).
4. I have been to a few games when ex-players have made their return. Dave Roberts, Orlando Cabrera, Kevin Millar and, most notably, Pedro Martinez.
5. I once got in an argument at Fenway Park that almost turned into a fistfight with a male Yankees fan who called me a “Masshole” because I wouldn’t stop cheering for Pedro Martinez. The only things that stopped the fight from getting physical? My dad was there (and I didn’t want to get arrested in front of him), Pedro was pitching (and I didn’t want to get booted while he was on the mound!) and an usher came over and kicked the guy out.
6. I broke my ankle when I was in high school and on that same day went to Fenway. My mother scored field box seats on the third base line so I wasn’t NOT going. With my mother, I clumped along in crutches I barely knew how to use. We had a great time even though, I’m sure, I annoyed many people around me. We also got to see Kevin McHale in the stands. These things I remember. I have no idea who the Sox were playing and which team won the game.
7. Although I try my best to not be an obnoxious fan, I DID, once, boo a player in his own park. But the player was Jay Payton, so I don’t feel as terrible about it as I probably should. (In my defense, we were in Baltimore. It FELT like we were in Fenway. I forgot myself for a moment!)
8. I once blew off a cousin’s wedding to go to an autograph signing so I could meet Kevin Millar. (I’m not proud.)
9. When I was in 6th grade the boys all ostracized me during the 1979 World Series because I wanted the Pittsburgh Pirates to win. I went from being “cool” because I was the only girl in class watching the World Series to an “outcast” because I wrote things like “Tanner’s Terrors” and “We are Family” on all my book covers. I now own the dvd box set of this World Series and have watched all the games more than once!
10. Also in sixth grade: We had to write an essay about the person we most admired. Everyone else wrote about their mom or their dad or even the President. Me? I wrote about Fred Lynn. Oddly enough, my parents totally understood.