Boston from Above - Fenway Park

Boston from Above - Fenway Park 2, originally uploaded by southiejason.

After a full weekend of photos, I have so many great shots. I thought this one was appropriate today, not only because it seems to have had an inordinate number of hits on my Flickr account, but also because the Sox could use some help.

Even as a born-and-bred Yankees fan, I will admit to feeling bittersweet about where the Red Sox are now, down 3-1 to Tampa.

Gone is my hatred of them. Once they won the World Series in 2004, and then again in 2007, I realized that their success was real and I should let it go. Another few victories in the decade, and I'd even make a case for them approaching the Yankees of the late 90's.

It's still a great rivalry, and even I will admit that the Red Sox are fun to watch.

Living here in Boston, they are the most convenient team to watch. I like how they bring people together, creating ample social and boozing opportunities.

They are familiar.

And I'm a bit afraid that all of that will end tomorrow.

Even I'd be willing to extend this thing into the World Series. It would give me an excuse for a few more midweek nights out.

But clearly, Tampa came to play. The World Series everyone wanted (Sox-Dodgers) is at risk.

It looks like the natural order of the AL East is shifting yet again.

Fenway Seats

Fenway Seats, originally uploaded by southiejason.

Believe it or not, last night, I had dinner with an old co-worker from my former California office who, up until about a year ago, had never heard of Fenway Park.

I know that doesn't make sense. Even I, an admitted Yankees fan (who would probably be as irritated about having my college graduation ceremony at Fenway as Red Sox fans would having theirs at Yankee Stadium) understand why Fenway Park is such hallowed ground, and that it should permeate the ignorance of non-sports fans.

I wouldn't expect the casual American to know where places like Jacobs Field (Cleveland), or Camden Yards (Baltimore) are.

But Fenway? Really?

Really.

So, I picked her up at her hotel last night - The Westin Waterfront (remarkably close to my part of Southie...) and gave her a quick driving tour of The Waterfront, The North End, Faneuil Hall / Government Center, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Kenmore, a drive across and back on the Mass Ave bridge (driving from Cambridge back into Boston being my favorite nighttime view of the city), The South End, and (after dinner) my part of Southie.

Approaching Kenmore, I pointed out the CITGO Sign (she had never heard of it).

Then, at Fenway, I drove down Landsdowne Street and mentioned that we were behind the Green Monster (she had never heard of it).

It just goes to show, what is something tantamount to breathing for many around here, isn't even on the radar of others.

I admit that this is likely a rare case of someone simply having no connection whatsoever with Boston landmarks and sports.

So, I did my part - if nothing else, I wanted her to realize that Boston was much more than the empty, windy streets outside of the Westin Waterfront and BCEC.

And that Fenway Park actually did exist.

Advertisement for the Giants' 18-1 T-shirt

I find it a bit odd to have seen a link on Bostonist to Busted Tees for this particular T-shirt.

The URL string generated after clicking the ad actually had the referring site as Gothamist, so perhaps they are marketing it on all of the "-ist" network of blogs.

But, out of good taste, they probably could have left Bostonist off the list of sites being served the ad.

Personally, I'm not heartbroken. The T-Shirt battle has just begun. I'm sure I'll be seeing a few "Eli sucks Plaxico-ck" shirts outside Fenway in a couple of months.

Grammar Police - Under arrest: infraction

Just returned from a late lunch at Game On! near Fenway

Walking in at 2:30 - there were indications of a large event in the vicinity this evening

Walking out at 3:15 - tons of people already, the party has begun

I took this picture of a sign inside of Game On! If the world is watching, I hope they don't understand the proper usage of adverbs.

Bad decision

I came into a last-minute Sox-Yanks ticket yesterday. The seats that our managing partner has are incredible - 5th row to the right of the Sox dugout.

I ran into Doug while entering the gates, so I knew he was there at the game too. During the 5th inning, my boss, his wife, and son had to leave for a few reasons, so I texted Doug to come join me if his seats were bad. He brought a friend over, and stayed for a couple innings.

This game is a loooong one (it's almost 11pm and we're still in the 7th), I'm a bit tired and at the end of a cold, and the Yanks are losing 7-2, and once again sitting there alone.

I left during Take Me Out To The Ballgame in the middle of the 7th....

...to awake to the headline:

"Mammoth Rally carries Yanks past Red Sox"

The Yanks scored 6 in the top of the 8th, and I was home watching The DaVinci Code.

I deserve to have my Yankees membership card rescinded. I feel empty.

Two No-Hitters

I have been going to MLB games since 1980 or 1981. Let's say I have been to an average of 5 games every season, and let's say it's 27 seasons. That's 135 games total.

The odds are very low to have seen one no-hitter out of 135 games.

But now, I have seen TWO.

It's well documented that I am from New York originally. The Yankees are my team. I try to put it into perspective with Sox fans who live here and question my allegiance to them while living in Boston. I ask them if they would suddenly become fans of the Yankees if they moved to New york, and then usually it makes sense to them.

I gotta admit, six innings into the game, 8-0 Sox, no-hitter brewing, I absolutely became a fan of the game over a fan of any particular team. Three innings of yelling and screaming for the no-hitter did indeed coincide with cheering for the Sox to win, but truly I just waned to no-hitter. I pledged that if hit #1 came, I'd be done aligning myself with the rest of the crowd there.

But it never came, and it was awfully fun to witness history and to be cheering along with everyone else at Fenway (for me, that NEVER happens).

The other no hitter I witnessed was back in 1997 in Pittsburgh when the Pirates still played in Three Rivers Stadium.

It was fireworks night, they had an extremely rare sellout crowd (we scalped tickets), and the Pirates needed 10 innings before they put up any runs. But when they did, the place went crazy. Two pitchers combined for the no-no, but Francisco Cordova indeed pitched the full nine innings of the regular game. The Pirates just could not score a run to support the effort. It was bizarre. Finally a walk-off three-tun homer in the bottom of the 10th sealed the no-hitter.