Groovin' on a Summer Afternoon
By Karlsie
I decided to take a couple of weeks off when I was so angry at the Red Sox that I took off my cap and threw it on the floor. A couple of plays later, I kicked it across the room and it limply sat there until I calmed down enough to look at it again.
I'm not proud - and I don't have those kinds of tantrums often when it comes to the Sox but when we keep hanging onto guys like Mark "go ahead, strike me out, I know you can" Bellhorn… well, it's enough to make a girl throw her baseball cap on the floor and kick it across the room.
But I missed the Sox, I missed the ups and downs and inside outs of the game. Oh sure, I spent some time in Pawtucket and Lowell as a way to remind myself of what players who actually care about playing look like - but it really isn't the same thing.
So today, instead of selling my ticket, I headed into Fenway for one of my afternoon "indulgences." Ahh… to watch a game without a kid up my backside - the luxury of it all defies words.
Today was a good day and not just because we won. The weather, while hot, was good. There was a nice breeze and the infield grand stands were under cover, so it was comfortable. I ended up surrounded by real fans - people who watched the minors and could tell the players without a program, my favorite kinds of fans.
Today was one of my typical game days as I showed up early to try and get an autograph for the kids I left at home (or, in this case, at camp) and today I came up with some pay dirt. Curt Schilling came along canvas alley signing for kids only. I yelled out that it was for my son, but he passed me by so I ran down the row and got ahead of him. When a kid shoved something out but didn't have a pen, Schilling took mine and signed the kid's thing and then my son's hat. I walked away knowing that nothing was going to top that for my youngest.
I showed my buddy, Bob, one of the ushers over by field box 18. We joked around a little before I headed up to my seat. I have to say a word here about Bob and his co-workers. I adore this guy. When I slipped and fell heading for canvas alley a while back, he was one of the first there to try and help me up. This is a guy who's been around the park for quite some time and has the stories to tell about it as well - but doesn't because he's making sure that everyone is finding their seats and comfortable. He takes a lot of abuse from people who are over the top (usually the drunks who sneak down into the box seats and are reluctant to give them up when the person with the ticket appears) and yet year after year, he is there with his towel and his smile making sure we have a "pleasant day" at Fenway. So folks, let me end this digression with reminding you to let the folks at Fenway know when you run into guys like Bob and how well they've done their job. We complain fast enough - we need to compliment twice as fast.
Now back to your irregularly scheduled observations of the game.
If I had one thing to say to the upper management team is that throwing out the first pitch is getting ridiculous. Today was a guy who's company raised a bunch of money for charity (gee that's nice, but is it as nice as a kid who gives up his allowance?), the Nutcracker advertising that the Boston Ballet will be performing at the newly restored Opera House this year and JP Villamon's kids.
Sorry Theo - your guys screwed up on this. Villamon's kids should have been the only ones out there today. You weakened the honor of a damn good broadcaster's memory with an advertiser and a money guy.
One of the advantages of sitting with fans is that they can fill you in on what you missed when you're in line for something. They're also the guys that get creative in their heckling. None of the standard "you suck" stuff - not the guys I was in with today. These are the guys yelling stuff to Halama like "How do you score 'choke'?"
Now, I like Halama, he's a class act who really strikes me as a good and decent man. He's the type of guy a mother likes to hold up as what a professional should be, but he's got to get back in the groove or he'll be joining Embree in calling the real estate agent to put his place on the market. (Alan, keep your base around the corner from my friend Tom's house and your kids in school around here and commute during the season…. please, I beg you.)
Of course this brings me back to a general observation that lead to the abuse of my poor hat. The Sox seem to be in and out of their groove lately. Wells pitched a good game, but something seemed off. Even Damon admitted it the other night when he was talking about how his bat just didn't feel right during his streak. I know they'll find their groove and settle back in, they're the Red Sox. I just hope it's soon - I don't think my hat could take another beating.
