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Before I went to the game last night, I updated my Facebook status to say that I was "ready to catch Papi's first homer". Since I had written something similar before the last game I went to, I didn't really expect it to come true, but this time it did!
First there were Tek's two homers to bring the game to 3-0. Then with two outs in the bottom of the 5th, the big Papi comes up to the plate. We had all wildly cheered for him during his previous 2 at-bats, and this at-bat was no different, except for the result: with a 1-1 count, he belts out a hit that had all the potential height and velocity of a home run. It looks so familiar coming from Ortiz, but it's been so long since the last one. Could this possibly be...? I think every pair of eyes in the stadium was tracking that ball as it sailed closer and closer to the center field bleachers. To my eyes it hit right around the yellow tape, so when I started screaming with everyone else I still wasn't sure if it was a homer or a long double, but as I watched Papi round the bases, my screams only got louder. And of course, we couldn't let his first homer go unacknowledged, so we chanted "PA-PI, PA-PI" over and over again until he rewarded us with stepping out of the dugout to give us a tip of the hat.
But that wasn't the end of the inning, nosiree. I was too busy texting Dan to see when Bay hit his homer, but once the crowd started cheering again, I managed to catch the ball flying over the Green Monster. And then Mike Lowell stepped up to the plate and gave us a back-to-back. It was like Fenway had turned into the new Yankee Stadium for a half inning!*
At the beginning of the bottom of the 6th, Lily asked me what a "putout" was. I had to admit I didn't know, but then she pointed out the jumbotron which said that Ellsbury had broken the club record for number of putouts by an outfielder in a single game. I was confused because Ellsbury hadn't even come up to bat yet that inning, and he certainly hadn't done anything remarkable offensively that game (except for increasing this hitting streak to 15 games with a bunt single in the 3rd). But then I started picturing all the fly balls that had gone to him already in the game. While I had mentally noted to myself that he was certainly catching a lot of fly balls, I didn't know there was a term for making outs or even a record to break. But I should've known; this is baseball: there's a record for everything. And so by catching the last out in the top of the 9th, Jacoby ended up tying the MLB record for most putouts in a game at 12.
Lastly, I just needed to record the fact that last night I saw one man get 38,000 people to do the wave in only two tries. Two tries! It usually takes a whole bunch of people at least 4 tries to get a wave going into the rightfield grandstand, and then another 4 to get it to the infield seats. But this happened in only 2 attempts. By one guy. This, my friends, is where amazing happens this year.
*Of course, I am only referring to the suspiciously high number of home runs that have been hit in the new toilet bowl since it opened this season.
My friend, Nicole was able to pull some strings and book a tour of Fenway before she left Boston. This wasn't the official tour given by a tour guide (I've done one of those before, and they're pretty informative) but a favor-for-a-friend tour given by someone from the Fenway Affairs office. Therefore, instead of starting in the Absolut Lounge which leads directly into Fenway grounds, we walked through the wooden doors of 4 Yawkey Way and got to enter the office areas. The first thing I noticed was the framed official pictures of all the players lining the wall in the reception area.  click here for the bigger version I think I've IDed everyone except for the upper-right most picture. It's probably Ramon Ramirez, but the glare doesn't help. Right across from that is this quote painted on the wall:  The grammar cop in me feels like there should be another comma after "in Boston", but what do I know? And around the corner from the receptionist's desk were these two beauties:
 At first I couldn't believe my eyes because it was just so unexpected. I mean, there were no huge signs pointing at them saying "WORLD SERIES TROPHIES!!!" with blinking lights. They were just...there....next to the receptionist. The tour itself was kind of cool because even though we did the usual walk up the Green Monster, down through the Grand Concourse, up to the Right Field Roof Deck, and behind the Club Boxes, there was like no one else there since it was an Off Day. So I got to take these shots which I normally wouldn't have been able to get:  click here for the original size  Notice how they're mowing in a new pattern in the outfield and have some crazy pattern going on in the infield. I wonder if that'll influence how a bunted ball rolls around in there.
We asked if we could go on the field, but apparently that wasn't allowed. We did find a random pile of warning track dirt on the ground in the concourse, so I grabbed a handful and put some in the pillbox I keep on my keychain. So I'll always have a piece of Fenway with me no matter where I go. And when I die they can sprinkle some into the grave with me. =) Oh, a fun fact: the guy giving the tour said that the warning track dirt was just made out of crushed bricks. Yikes, imagine sliding on that to catch a ball. Makes me appreciate Ellsbury that much more. =)
 When the guy giving the tour mentioned that he ate up in the cafeteria with the media people, I immediately asked if we could go up there and look around. So I did get to go up to the media booth level and peeked into some of the offices, but we didn't actually get to go into any of them. I did notice that there was this cute sign outside of Booth F stating that it was a peanut-free zone. Wonder who has the allergies....  On the way out we got to go through the offices again, and I noticed the cutest model of Fenway Park sitting in the hallway, but when I asked if we could go take a look at it (and maybe a picture), the guy got a little nervous and said we probably shouldn't. So I'm assuming it's a model of some super secret future plans for the park. But it was so cute; I want one now.
Anyways, thanks, Nicole, for hooking a girl up!
 click here to see larger versionThe last time I was there, Ellsbury stole home against the Yankees. This time, I got to witness the team break an A.L. record for most runs scored in an inning before recording an out. Okay, granted, it's one of those kind of ridiculous stats like most doubles hit on a Tuesday by a switch hitter during a rain-delayed game. But seriously. TWELVE RUNS. IN AN INNING. Regardless of when the outs were scored, that's pretty ridiculously AWESOME. And to top it off, we didn't even have 3 of our starters (Papi, Ellsbury, and Youk) playing. And Lugo was our DH and lead-off hitter. Julio freaking Lugo. Who'd have thunk? Apparently not even the jumbotron was ready for all the awesomeness because it couldn't handle a two-digit score in one inning:  And lest you think the game overshadowed the news about Manny, I spotted this shirt already printed and being sold the same day the news broke:
video courtesy of BorrowedTune72 I've seen it all now.* I've seen an inside-the-park home run. I've seen a grand slam. I've seen two grand slams in one game. I've even seen a no-hitter. And now I've seen someone successfully steal home. I actually saw someone try to steal home at the Giants game last Saturday, but it was so unsuccessful, it had me and Alvin completely bewildered as to why the attempt was made in the first place. Who tries to steal home in the major leagues? Jacoby Ellsbury, that's who. I was sitting in probably the furthest seat from home plate I've ever sat in (we were so high up in the up in the upper bleachers that we were behind the jumbotron). But whenever Ellsbury is on base you know you have to watch him; he's that exciting. Still he was at third; where was he going to go? But then all of a sudden I see him making a mad dash towards home. He's fast--too fast for anyone to comprehend what's actually happening. Is he...? Did he just...? Even the TV cameramen couldn't catch him starting his attempt. The pitch is thrown. Jacoby goes into a headlong slide. Posada catches it at strike level--way too high for a tag. He's safe! And the crowd goes wild. Everyone is realizing what just happened. Those who missed it get filled in by friends. The crowd doesn't stop cheering for a long time. And the next time he comes up at bat we give him another standing ovation. Because now, we've seen it all. *Okay, actually I still have yet to see a triple play and a perfect game. But I still have a bunch more games to go to this year! Thu, Apr. 16th, 2009, 10:37 am
Gotcha
So remember when I said that you really want to click on the panoramic of Opening Day BP? (Go ahead, click it.) If you did, you would've seen this:  Notice anything interesting?
Still don't see it?
Take a look at the lower left corner....
 WTF? My guess is someone decided to try to use their umbrella to get the ball on the ground. Unfortunately, it also looks like he ended up losing the umbrella. So guess who went to help him out.  The funny thing is, while I noticed the umbrella on the field and Gabe returning it to the fan, I didn't realize I had captured how the fan had lost the umbrella until I was taking a closer look at the panoramic.
Anyways, congrats to Wake for having a no-hitter through 7 innings. I was lucky enough to leave work early yesterday, so I was able to catch the whole game on TV. It was good to get that last W in during this horrible road trip; hopefully coming home will continue the turnaround. And I can't wait for Masterson to take the mound on Monday. I have a lot of faith in that kid. =)
I couldn't sleep all Sunday night because I was afraid they were going to postpone the Home Opener for Tuesday, and when I woke up at 6 am and saw that they hadn't made the call yet, I thought I was in the clear. Eight o'clock and nine o'clock passed without a peep, and I was even more confident. But then at 10:05 am, 4 hours before the game, they finally made the call to push the game back to Tuesday at 4:06 pm. Which was what I was afraid of because I was supposed to fly out to Chicago that morning. In the end, everything worked itself out, but at a pretty steep price, making this the most expensive game I'd ever gone to, but I knew it would be all worth it if only I could hear "Dirty Water" and "Tessie" that night. =) I headed over two hours before game time so I could be there when the gates opened for the first time this season. Walking down Lansdowne Street I noticed a new addition to the exterior wall of Fenway: a takeout window!  According to the sign, hot dogs are $4 (50 cents cheaper than inside the park!), sodas are $2, pretzels are $5, and fries are $3. No idea if the window is open on non-home game days, but I'm sure I'll find out. Once I got into the park, I ran up to the center field bleachers to get this shot of the Rays taking BP (the Sox were already done, boo):  Believe me, you really want to click on the picture to see it bigger Then I looked down and saw this chiseled jaw and recognized this signature windmill throw; it was Gabe Kapler, back in Fenway (albeit as a Ray)!  He was nice enough to help a fan out with getting his umbrella back too. Aww, isn't Gabe the best? And then I ran down to the concourse to grab my first Fenway Frank of the year before 3 pm so that I could take advantage of Fenway Family Hour when 9 selected concessions are half off. Walking around I noticed a couple of other changes too. The Pesky Pole had a fresh coat of paint so there was no more graffiti on it, although I'm sure that by the end of the season it'll be all marked up again. The right field roof deck was completely different. Can you spot changes? (I think there are 5 in all, although you probably can't see them all very clearly from this picture.)  And finally, the bestest, most wonderful change to Fenway of all!  Popeyes! IN the Park!!! Unfortunately, I wasn't hungry enough to order any, but Dan did try out the new sliders they had added to the concessions menu. They had fried fish sliders with tartar sauce, frish chicken sliders with Thousand Island dressing, and burgers with Russian dressing plus fries, all for $8. Except apparently they hadn't added the button for that order to the cash registers yet, so Dan was only charged $7 for the combo. For the national anthem, apparently Seal had a prior commitment for Tuesday so we just had Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops, but at least we still had the fly by. Ethan and I both got texts from friends saying they had heard or seen the planes fly over them several minutes before they flew over us. And it looks like they have a rain proof flag banner to use; it was significantly more plastic looking than the previous two years'.  Well, the game finally started after Jim Rice and Ted Kennedy "threw" the first pitch, and Johnny Pesky said the two words we'd all been longing to hear for 5 months, "Play ball!" Pedroia ripped a homer off the 2nd pitch he saw, BecKKKKKKKKKKett had 10 Ks, I called Annie during "Sweet Caroline", Papelbon came out to "Shipping Up to Boston", and all was right with the world again. Baseball, my friends, is back. So yeah, it was all worth it, because being at Fenway for Opening Day? Completely priceless. ^_^ Wed, Feb. 18th, 2009, 08:19 am
Tilt Shifting
I've been fascinated with the tilt shift effect ever since I searched on flickr for Ogunquit Beach last year and found this picture, which led me to this photo of Fenway. Aren't they super cute? The term "tilt shift" refers to the special lenses you need to get that effect manually, but thankfully now you can do it digitally using tiltshiftmaker.com! Basically, you are manipulating the photo so that there is a very tight plane of focus, thus making the contents of the photo look like a miniature model. If you push the color saturation and sharpness of the photo, it furthers the illusion even more. After playing around with some of my old photos, here are some of my favorites: Of course I have to start off with my second favorite place of worship--Fenway Park. This was taken from the Left Field Roof Deck during batting practice. Original here. Sitting in Grandstand Section 23. Pedroia steps up in the game that ends up being Lester's no-hitter. Original here. Taken on Breakwater Beach on Cape Cod. Not as much of a miniature model effect here, but I do like what the tight focus does for the picture. Original here. The steps down Mohegan Bluffs. Original here. The beach at the bottom of Mohegan Bluffs. Original here. View of the beach and hot tub from my hotel room in Cancun. Original here.  The Strip in Vegas as seen from the top of the Stratosphere hotel. Original here. A rock bridge in Golden Gate Park. Original here. Koi in Stow Lake. Original here.  Another one where you don't get the miniature effect. Nevertheless, I love it. Original here. More tilt-shifted pictures here.
 When I saw this post on Photojojo on how to make your own perpetual calendar, I just knew I had to make one with my pictures from Fenway. Since almost all of these pictures are crops of bigger pictures I wanted to make sure I didn't lose any image quality when printing so I printed them as business cards using moo.com. The nice thing about using moo is that you can get a different picture on each card if you want. Unfortunately, they are printed in the U.K. so it takes like forever for them to get to you. So basically you want to get a picture of the numbers 1-31, the days of the week, and 6 additional pictures you like to fill in for when the months don't start on a Sunday and to make the calendar a full rectangle. From there, you can rearrange the pictures every month so that you have a perpetual calendar and never need to buy a new one again! Here are some other examples. The original post used Fotoclips to put the pictures together, but I thought I'd try mounting each of the cards on a magnet. I found magnetic sheets with adhesive backing at the Artist & Craftsman Supply store in Central Square (right across from Pearl Art and usually cheaper) and just used a box cutter to cut each card out once I'd stuck it on. I kind of like the magnets better than the Fotoclips because I have a feeling that after a couple of months of rearranging, the magnets will hold up better than the cards would with the clips. Also, there's no need to "mount" the calendar after it's assembled; it sticks by itself to your refrigerator or, in this case, the door to the backyard. If you click on the picture above, it'll take you to the flickr page where I've made notes on where most of the pictures came from (the ones that I remember, anyways). I'm actually not fully satisfied with the print quality of some of the numbers, so I think when I get back to Fenway this year I'll try taking some purposeful shots of numbers (and months, if I can find them!) and maybe try making another (bigger) set.
So when you think of a yard sale you usually think of people trying to sell off stuff they don't want anymore. But when you hear "the Great Fenway Park Yard Sale" you kind of think it might be something a little different. Little did I know, it would basically be me shelling out $30 to haul away stuff they don't want anymore. Still, I was happy to do it. ^_^ This Saturday was the annual Christmas at Fenway, and while I didn't win the chance to actually go to Fenway Park to buy tickets, I was able to get one Sox Pak and tickets to 7 other games thanks to Leslie and Timmy. Sunday was the Great Fenway Park Yard Sale, and I also didn't win the chance to go, but I did get an e-mail Sunday night saying I was a "Second Chance winner" to go on Monday. All I knew about this yard sale was that I would have the chance to "purchase historic items from Fenway Park and Red Sox past." There was some "grab bag" promotion where for $30 I would get this bag which included 2 bricks and 1 t-shirt and with which I could then fill with "magazines, pins, media guides, and other great items." Also available for purchase would be "authentic game worn jerseys, used bats, ballpark signage, and seats from around Fenway Park." I got there about 10 minutes early and there were already maybe 75 people ahead of me in line waiting for the doors to open. When they did, we all rushed in to buy our "grab bags" and start stuffing them. There were literally piles and piles of bricks just waiting for us to take and boxes and boxes of old t-shirts. I ended up picking up a "Why Not Us" shirt from the 2004 World Series run. Unfortunately, the smallest size I could find was a large, so I guess I have another workout shirt now. I did also manage to grab a couple Red Sox magazines from this year, various media guides, a few baseball card packs, a Red Sox World Series pin, and World Series ticket holders. Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to do with those either, but they were "free" so whatevs. my loot I then moved on to the next room where the real action was. I really wish I had brought my camera because it would've been worth taking a picture of since I wasn't about to actually spend any money to buy this junk. Still, large boxes full of used (and I mean seriously used, like mostly splintered) bats, old signage, chairs, tables, plates, tabletops, used jerseys, yearbooks, it was really a yard sale. Too bad they didn't have any cooler signs; I would've loved to pick up something to put up on my walls. The bar stool seats were pretty cool, but I just couldn't justify shelling out a few hundred dollars when I didn't even have a high counter to put them at.  click here for a larger (but equally crappy) picture
The best part of the whole thing was taking a peek into Fenway again and seeing it under construction. Oh yeah, and meeting Miss O'Connor of sittingstill.net fame and Jerry from A Red Sox fan from Pinstripe Territory. Hee, blog fan-girling indeed. But yeah, owning a piece of Fenway? Priceless. ^_^
I have to say, the 2008 season has been my favorite season so far. Even though we didn't win any pennants, I was blessed enough to go to so many games (18!), watch them win 11 times, sit in some great seats, and spend some time with my favorite people in the world. Here's some of my highlights of the season: Best pre-game ceremony: The Home Opener, April 8, 2008 - You can't beat front row seats to the unfurling of the Green Monster-sized 2004 and 2007 World Series Champions banners, a fighter jet flyby, first pitch by Bill Buckner, and World Series ring ceremony, topped off by a 5-0 win for the Red Sox. Best away game: Red Sox at Detroit, May 6, 2008 - My first time at a game by myself, but I got to catch Papelbon teaching Okajima how to play craps during BP, and my pictures and video made it onto deadspin.com, among other places. Best seats ( three- way tie): That would be a tie between when Anna offered me the seats on the HP Pavilion and when Ethan offered me tickets for the Green Monster for 2 Yankees games (one of which turned out to be the game that they retired Pesky's number at). Thanks again, Anna and Ethan! Best pitched game: Red Sox vs. Royals, May 19, 2008 - No doubt about it, the no-hitter by Lester (ironically, these would probably be the worst seats ever). I feel like I watched a boy become a man that night. Still can't believe I got to be there. Um, I didn't mean for that to sound so dirty.... Best game I didn't go to: Red Sox vs. Rangers, August 12, 2008 - The Sox score 10 runs in the first inning, including 2 3-run homers by Papi, and yet lose the lead in the 6th inning, only to come back in the 8th to win it. Final score, 19-17. Crazy. Best game I had tickets for but didn't go to: Red Sox vs. Cleveland, September 23, 2008 - Not so much for the game itself, but what happened afterwards. The Sox clinched their playoff berth, and I missed the celebration because I was on a plane. Bugger. (And btw, last year's AL East pennant clincher is still my favorite experience at Fenway, ever.) Best surprise: Red Sox vs. Rays, September 8, 2008 - Again, not so much for the game itself but this time, for what happened beforehand. Meeting Justin Masterson and having him recognize me and shaking his hand...I still get a huge smile on my face when I think about it. Also, this was the 456th record-breaking consecutive sell-out game, so now I have my name listed somewhere in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Best three innings of a game: Red Sox vs. Rays, October 16, 2008 - Second biggest comeback in a playoff game ever (and biggest comeback in an elimination game ever). While jeering Whee-ler and How-ell with the rest of the crowd, I really felt like I was actually doing something for my team. And I still can't believe we won. And that I was there. And that we had cupholders. Cupholders! You know all those billboards I've been taking pictures of throughout the season? Well, I got this in my mailbox today: Hee, I was there for all of those except Bay's first game-winner. What an amazing year it's been. Thanks, Jesus. And finally, I leave you with one of my favoritest quotes ever: "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do--I stare out the window and wait for spring." - Rogers Hornsby
But I'm doing okay. The way I look at it, the last two games were bonus games for us fans, and the Rays really showed that they were the better team, this year. Who'd have thunk? So I'll be going through this adjustment period I go through every year to re-acclimate to a world without baseball. Did you guys know there's this kinda important election coming up in a couple of weeks? And that the world's economy is in a "slump"? Oh, and apparently, there was this big Greek sporting event that took place in this big east Asian country earlier in the summer where this one guy won, like, 8 gold medals or something. Crazy! But for now, it's goodbye to Fenway, Fenway Franks, nachos grande, kettle corn, ice cream in a helmet, batting practice, the wave, Napoleon, Sweet Caroline, Cherub Rock, Shipping Up to Boston, Wild Thing, Okidokie, the bullpen band, Blame It On the Rain, Green Monster, Number 6, Pedie, Big Papi, Mikey, Yooooooooouk, Lowrie, Coco, JD, Jay Bay, Jacoby, Justin, and Cinco Ocho. Thanks for giving us so much, and I'll see you next year!
And only 4 months until Spring Training, and 3.5 months until Truck Day!!!
Okay, first of all, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you so much for the tickets, Sophia! Secondly, I'm writing this on less than 4 hours sleep because I could hardly fall asleep with all the adrenaline running through my veins and woke up before 6 am this morning because it was still there. So right before the game, I was actually getting kind of emotional, or as I explained to Paul and Josh, "feeling like a girl". After all, this was most likely my last game at Fenway this year, and even possibly the last game, period, at Fenway this year. And if I cried at all, I told Ethan that they would be "manly tears", but in fact they ended up being tears of joy. ^_^ Our seats were fantastic again, five rows up behind the Rays' bullpen. And look, we even had two very special surprises waiting for us there.  click here for a larger view  Can you tell what's different about these seats?  Cupholders!!! Since my first time in the bleachers I've been saying that they needed cupholders. I mean, even Wrigley had them way up in the nosebleeds; so why can't we have them in America's most beloved ballpark? They were only installed in a few seats (we had the only 2 in our section, and there were a few more in the adjacent section) as a test to see if they would be ripped off, according to the staff gal we talked to. I remembered to bring a spare ball to the game (you know, in case I ended up catching a Rays' homerun ball and needed to throw one back, and btw, we also asked security if they do throw people out for doing that and the answer is yes) so I tried a few fun shots.  Whew, that was a close one!  Even closer!  The new earrings Okay, so you probably already know that the Rays were up 7-0 by the middle of the 7th. The night up 'til then was kinda surreal because I just couldn't believe it was happening, again. But I made extra special care not to say things like, "what am I going to do after tonight?" and instead said, "what am I going to do after the season is over?" Most of the crowd was getting really agitated (and some even left in the 6th or so) and people were getting kicked out left and right for unruly behavior. This guy that had front row seats in the section next to us apparently heckled one of the Fenway security guys in the Rays' bullpen and got kicked out. Sensing an opportunity, I ran down and snagged the empty seat.  Notice the cast, it's important later on And that's when the Sox decided to call it a comeback. First Pedroia singled Lowrie in, and then Papi hit a 3-run homer, all with 2 outs. The guys sitting behind me called me a lucky charm, and I think they were right because in the next inning Drew hit a 2-run homer, and then Crisp tied the game by batting Kotsay in. I was jumping up and down and screaming so loud I had no idea why the Rays' outfield was running into their dugout and why the Sox were running out to take the field. (In fact, my mind had pretty much exploded after Pedroia's RBI, and I didn't even remember that it was Papi that had hit the homer in the 7th until Annie mentioned it to me later at home.) And before I get to the 9th, let me just say Francona putting Papelbon in in the 7th was brilliant. And then Masterson performed beautifully forcing Upton into a double play to end the top of the 9th.  click here for a larger view So by now everyone was standing up, even the guy with the cast and crutches that was in front of me. (Now I don't have any photographic evidence, but I'm pretty sure that by the end of the game the guys that were in the wheelchairs to the right of me were jumping up and down too.) And then Pedroia and Papi are out, and I'm getting mentally prepared to bunker down for extra innings, but then Youk hits a single and reaches second on an error by the guy that everyone keeps talking about as a prime candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year. And then Bay comes up, but they intentionally walk him, and then, and then Drew--Mister J-D- freaking-Drew--drives Youk home for the walk-off win. FTW!!!!!  "Dirty Water" and "Tessie" never sounded so sweet. =) I was in such euphoria that it wasn't until after I had already walked across the Mass Ave. bridge that I realized I hadn't said goodbye to Fenway yet. So here is my last parting shot of my second favorite place of worship.  Thanks for the memories! But that's not all, folks. Turns out Ethan and I made it onto national television, and here's a screencap by Ethan:  If you can't find us, click here. It's from the game-winning play of the night, so you should be able to find it on redsox.com and espn.com. Oh, and Piney heard this on NESN, and I just had to share it: On October 17, 2003 at 12:16am, the Red Sox were dealt with their most painful loss since 1986 with a walkoff HR in Game 7 of the ALCS from Aaron Boone.
On October 17, 2008 at 12:16am, the Red Sox capped off one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history with a walkoff single from JD Drew.
I still remember the walk home that night in 2003, and I don't think I'll ever forget the walk home last night. Thank you, Jesus!
I was lucky enough to be picked for a last chance on-line purchase opportunity and got 3rd row bleacher tickets for the game. Now 3rd row bleacher tickets to any game is pretty darn good, but for an ALCS game? It can't be beat.  click here for a larger view But as you probably know, the Rays ended up winning 13-4, and thousands of fans left the game early with some booing of the home town team involved. Now this is a pretty good study in personalities. You could view the game as a complete blow out and waste of your time and money. Or you could view it as your last chance to watch your team at home in a playoff game on a beautiful October night (seriously, I didn't even put on my jacket!). Sigh, it's like people don't even remember what it was like to be a Red Sox fan pre-2004. Needless to say, I stuck through 'til the end and eventually ended up with a front row seat right up against the Rays' bullpen.  click here for a larger view So now we're down 3-1, but hello?! Do people not remember what happened in the 2004 ALCS? The 2007 ALCS? Sure, the team's pretty beat up, but they're still the mother-effing Red Sox. And you know what, if they do end up losing again tomorrow, I'm still going to stand up at the very end and give them a standing ovation. Because, seriously? As much as I hate to say it, the Rays earned their wins, but I'm a Red Sox fan, and that means standing by them through thick and thin and sickness and health and good and bad. More pictures here.
And apparently 165 isn't enough, either So the outcome of last night's game sucked, but you know what, looking back on the entire, what, 5 hours plus (not counting the 2 hours of BP and pre-game we caught)? I'm just so glad I could be there. It was my first post-season game ever, thanks to Yumi who won the chance to buy the tickets and gave them to me! Since Annie was already going with Dan, I took Ethan to the game (thanks, Jackie, for always being so willing to lend your man =P). It was a cold, cold night, but I was prepared and brought my ski jacket, gloves, scarf, blanket, and goggles. Unfortunately I didn't get to use my goggles. =(
The first breathtaking glimpse Our tickets were for the Right Field Grandstand Section 6. I had been getting pretty good seats in the RF GS, but this one was really bad for me because it was a little lower and the seats faced center field so not only did I not have enough elevation to look over people's heads, but I had an entire row of people's heads to look over to see home plate.  This was taken with my hands up in the air (click here for larger image) Luckily, Ethan had found a pair of seats in Box 90 with a much better view.
 Ignore the ghostly concession vendor (click here for a larger image) I have to admit, watching Beckett struggle through the first inning was not fun. Has he ever walked a runner home in a post-season game? Ugh. But Ellsbury's little 3 RBI blooper was a joyful surprise; I've never seen runners run so early in a pitch, even if it was 3-2 with 2 outs. Then came the long wait as the Halos tied it up, then went ahead, and then lost the lead again. I swear, I've been to Fenway 48 times (yes, I counted) but I don't think I ever heard Fenway as loud as it was at the bottom of the 10th with the bases loaded. Unfortunately it was all for naught, and 5 hours and 19 minutes after it had started, the game was over with the Sox losing 5-4. But, I did get to see the K-Men again with their BecKKKett sign, the dancing Papelbon, and a new Pedroia for MVP placard. And thanks to Ethan, the vegetarian, I discovered that you can ask for the chili to be served on the side of the nachos grande. So basically you're getting a cup of chili and a huge bowl (think face sized) of nachos, cheese sauce, salsa, sour cream, and olives for $7.50. So worth it, especially since they usually put the chili at the bottom of the bowl and by the time you get down there it's all cold and you're not that hungry anymore. So here's hoping they win tonight and go to Game 5 in the ALCS so I can go to another game at Fenway (courtesy of slai)! ETA: Ha, I just got an e-mail saying I won the "last chance on-line purchase opportunity" for ALCS home game 2. Hopefully there will be some reasonably priced tickets left....
I got to enjoy another Red Sox Yankees game from the Monster yesterday courtesy of Ethan and Nate. It was supposed to be the last regular season game of the year, but because of Saturday's rainout, it ended up being the first game of a doubleheader. It would've provided some nice symmetry to the season since I had gone to the home opener this year, but I'm not going to complain. After all, Friday's rain delay pushed the retirement of Pesky's number to the game I went to so yay!  New billboard outside of Fenway  The unveiling of the new retired number  Ta-da! When we first got there it wasn't raining, but it started coming down right after the retirement ceremony so we ended up with an hour rain delay. We had scored some primo standing room spots so instead of heading in, we just hung out up there sheltered under umbrellas and raincoats. Luckily it wasn't too cold or windy so it wasn't too bad.
 click here for larger image About two-thirds of the way through the game, this couple sitting in front of us left so we commandeered their seats, and I got to watch the rest of the game sitting on the Monster! Unfortunately the Sox ended up losing to that team that is now homeless and jobless for the rest of the year. But then they came back in Game 2 and won in spectacular walk off fashion. So excuse me now while I go pray for Josh Beckett's oblique, thank Yumi for getting ALDS Game 3 tickets for me, and watch this video again and again. Help yourself to some more pictures here.
I've been blessed enough to be able to go to 10+ Red Sox games each season for the last four seasons, and that's no small feat considering I've never bought a scalped ticket, only twice paid more than face value for a ticket, and the last 460+ games at Fenway have been sold out. Here are my tips for how you, too, can score Red Sox tickets:  1) Sign up to receive e-mails from redsox.com. Sure, it's annoying to get more bacn, but it is the best way to find out when the tickets go on sale at redsox.com for the upcoming season.
2) Be patient (part 1). Keep in mind that you will be spending money on tickets that you will not be using for five to eight months. You need to be okay with this. The last couple of years, the regular season tickets have gone on sale over 3 phases: April, May, and September games go on sale in early December, the rest of the season will go on sale in mid- to late January, and the premium games (Yankees, Opening Day, Patriots Day, etc.) and premium seats (Monster seats, Right Field Roof Deck, etc.) go on sale separately and are only accessible via winning an on-line drawing. The e-mails from redsox.com let you know when all of these chances open up and remind you to sign up for the drawings.
3) Be patient (part 2). So now that you know the day that the tickets go on sale at redsox.com, plan on spending most of that day in the vicinity of your computer. I'm not saying you have to be staring at your monitor for hours on end, but make sure it's in your line of sight as you do other things like watch tv, laundry, clean, cook, etc. Once you log in, you will be shunted to the dreaded Virtual Waiting Room which automatically reloads every 30 seconds or so. You will be randomly chosen to leave the VWR and sent to the page where you can buy tickets so it doesn't really matter if you log on later in the day or have been in there for hours. However, you have zero chance of scoring good tickets if you don't try to get in the first hour or so. You can also try using multiple computers and/or different browsers to increase your chances of getting out of the VWR sooner.
And while you're in the VWR, you may as well read the fine print. For the past couple of years, you were limited to buying a total of 4 tickets per game, and I think during the initial sales you were limited to 2 games (8 tickets total). Also, the name on the credit card, billing address, and shipping address for the tickets all have to match the info on your mlb.com account. I've gotten around this by asking close friends and family members for their cc info and then paying them back for the tickets. Which leads me to the next tip.
4) Have really good friends, good friends with good friends, and co-workers with season tickets. Seriously, almost half of the games I go to are through tickets that my friends have given/sold to me. And I really, really appreciate it, everyone! Keep them coming!
5) Be proactive. It helps to be known as a rabid Red Sox fan so that anytime your friends come across an extra ticket, they immediately think of you.
6) Be willing to go to games by yourself. It is so much easier to buy single tickets, either through redsox.com or on craigslist.
7) Be willing to travel. It is also a lot easier to buy tickets for the Red Sox when they are away. Camden Yards is a beautiful place to catch a Red Sox game, and I had a great time at Comerica Park earlier this year.
8) Be willing to stand. Standing Room Only tickets are sometimes all that's left at the end of the day when you (finally) get past the VWR. Even when I've been stuck with these tickets (also the cheapest tickets there are) I've never had to stand the entire game because there are always empty seats somewhere in Fenway. In fact, I often get to sit in better seats than I would ever have gotten myself this way. In the same vein, the Upper Bleachers are also cheap tickets that aren't as bad as they sound. Sure you're about as far away as you can get from home plate, but this is Fenway, and Fenway is small.
9) Be willing to splurge. If a friend offers you a Green Monster SRO ticket for a Red Sox Yankees game for three times it's face value (because he got it from an auction), you say yes. Or you tell me about it so that I can say yes.
10) Be flexible and decisive. There have been times when an opportunity to go to a game reveals itself the morning of. You've got to be able to jump on those opportunities without taking the time to think too much or the chance will be gone.
11) Be generous. One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. - Proverbs 11:24 I truly, truly believe that all these games that I have been able to go to have been a gift from God, and in accordance, I like to give back. Although I have learned not to bring a pastor who is rooting for the opposing team. That never ends well for the Red Sox.
So once I figured out that last night's game was going to be the record-breaking 456th consecutive sell out at Fenway, I just knew I had to be there. I scoured craigslist and found someone selling a single ticket for face value. Yay! I decided to head over straight from work and try to catch some BP and whatever other festivities they might have going on to celebrate. Since I had just gotten a new cell phone, I wanted to grab a head-on shot from the bleachers for my wallpaper, so I headed over to Gate C. After the usual bag check and ticket scanning, I get handed this nice laminated piece of cardboard. Cool, right? But then I looked around to see who was handing them out. Relief pitchers Justin Masterson and Javier Lopez Okay, this is just getting surreal. And wow, those two are really tall in person! And then something really, really, really, really awesome happened. So awesome you'll have to ask me about it in person because it's too awesome to write about. *squee!* So of course I figure I should check out the other entrances to see which other players might be handing out these commemorative tickets. I saw Dwight Evans signing autographs and David Pauley at Gate B. I walked all the way around to Gate E without seeing anyone else only to see Casey, Lowrie, and Kotsay walk across the field from the dugout towards Gate C. So I hustle back to Gate C and grab these shots. Casey and Lowrie  Kotsay Mark Kotsay was kinda standing by himself, and I don't think many people recognized him since he is so new to the Red Sox. I asked him for a picture and he turned around to smile, only to stick his tongue out at the last second. Hee. And yes, I should have turned the flash on, but I didn't want to blind him before the game or anything, y'know? Then I headed back in to watch the Rays BP from Section 40. This guy next to me asked for one of the balls that went into bullpen so that he could give it to this girl who was at Fenway for the first time. At first I thought he was her sister or something, but it turned out he was just being nice. I think the girl's father bought him a grilled sandwich or something to thank him. But then later on when the father caught another ball, he gave it to his girl, who automatically gave it to this little boy that was near her, and I'm pretty sure they weren't related or anything. It was so cute! Turns out he already had another ball, too, so he in turn went to find another kid to give it to. Okay, this is why I love Fenway. And why I need to get a kid. Then it was finally time for the pre-game ceremonies. They showed this video thanking the fans for the new record. Heehee, it was cool to see parts of games that I had been at--the AL East clincher, 2008 home opener, Lester's no-hitter. And then the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by 3 people: one lady held the oldest-known season ticket account (since 1935!), one kid was born on May 15, 2003 (the day the streak started), and one guy was chosen at random. And then as the starting line-up took the field, they threw out these special baseballs that were engraved and signed and stuff. Unfortunately I didn't catch one, but that's okay. Ooh, and apparently all the names of people who have bought Red Sox tickets during the streak will be compiled and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame. So yay, I'll be in the Baseball Hall of Fame! Oh yeah, and they showed this video (yes, I had to break it into two because the lady next to me couldn't wait until the end to go to the bathroom, sigh) sometime in the middle of the 5th or 6th inning. You can see a non-blurry version here, but I like my version because you can see the reasons why they're saying thank you on the side. =) The game itself was super fast as the Lester and Paps blanked the Rays, and all 3 runs that the Red Sox scored were in the first inning. I'm so glad I got to see Papelbon come out again. There's nothing like singing "Shipping Out to Boston" with 36 thousand other fans as your closer warms up on the mound. And now we're only a half game back behind the Rays! Oh yeah, and another guy asked me for my number. I'm 2-for-2! Although the guys are 0-2. But keep trying!
So as of yesterday morning I thought that last night's game was going to be my last Red Sox game of the season. But then I checked to see if there were any single tickets left for the last non-Yankees home game of the season, and there were! And it was in the section I had sat in on Saturday that I liked. Even better, one of my project managers came around asking me if she could convince me to take this afternoon off to see the day game. And I am not ashamed to say that she was able to. Ryan, Austin, and Andy joined me for last night's game. I had home plate standing room only tickets, but we were able to find some empty seats in the infield grandstand. By the end of the fourth inning the Sox had spanked the Orioles 10-1 with Pedroia hitting a 3-run home run. Unfortunately the boys had to go home right then, but I stayed through until the end of the 8th. Somewhere before the 7th inning stretch this random guy sat down behind me and asked me if I thought the Red Sox could possibly take the division. I answered that I didn't know but acknowledged that the Yankees had the lead over the Rays at the moment and that we still had 6 more games against the Rays so it was anyone's guess. He seemed pretty impressed that I knew what I was talking about and by the end of the inning we had both moved down into the loge boxes. Of course he tried to ask me out before I left, but I told him my rule about only dating men who were Christians and serious about their faith. Too bad he didn't pass because he was 1) not drunk, 2) well-mannered, and 3) didn't beg. I hate it when they beg. It's so unbecoming.  If you watch NESN you'll recognize this view cuz the camera was right behind me Went with Tina Lee to today's game. The weather was perfect--sunny with just a few clouds, high 70s-low 80s. And it turns out today's game was the 455th consecutive sell out at Fenway, which ties the old record set in Jacobs Field. I'll be kind of sad when they break the record on Monday because I was part of the old record in Cleveland, and it means so much more: Jacobs Field is a lot bigger, less people live in Cleveland, and it's really all Cleveland had going for it. Oh well; now I'm trying to find a single ticket to Monday's game so I can be there for another historic event. Plus, I really want to crush the Rays. I think it's high time for a collapse. Anyways, the Red Sox were trailing 4-0 for most of the game, tied it 4-4 in the bottom of the 8th, and won on a walk-off error. Pedroia scored the first run for the Sox with another homer. That kid is unstoppable! =) Fun Fenway Fact #455: They play the score from Pirates of the Caribbean when the bullpen pitchers walk from the dugout to the bullpen since they have the whole pirates theme going on over there. I just figured that out myself yesterday.
I've been lucky enough to see Papelbon and Buccholz's first start in the majors in the last couple of years, so I was pretty psyched to see Bowden's first start last night. Thanks, Ethan, for the tickets! There's just something so exciting about watching a pitcher's first start, with everyone concentrating so intently on every pitch, cheering so enthusiastically for every strike, and watching the ERA stay at zero or fall with every batter retired. I was really looking forward to checking out the new all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet out on the left field deck as well.  The menu But after I saw the menu and the price, I decided it wouldn't be worth it for me. Now if there had been all-you-can-eat ice cream thrown in, I would've been down fo sho. But let's face it, there's no way I can eat $30 worth of bbq chicken or hot dogs. Instead, I settled for picking up a slice of Gino's cheese pizza, kettle korn, fresh lemonade, and one Fenway frank. =) Bowden had a quality start, and the Red Sox offense provided plenty of offensive support with Pedey (in the clean up spot for the first time!) going 4-for-4 and Ellsbury going 3-5. And I finally got to see Masterson pitch in person for the first time! Yay! I always thought I hated the right field grandstand seats, partly because they all face the Monster instead of home plate, but Section 4, which admittedly is about as far away as you can get from home plate, at least angles the seats so that they face it. And even though I was in the very last row and there was a beam partly obscuring my view, it was still decent enough that I stayed there until the very last out of the game.  View from Section 4, Row 17 (click for a larger version) And here's a shot of the Pesky Pole that I really like:  Alas, I think Tuesday's game will be my last of the season. =(
So after I found out Manny had been traded to the Dodgers, I realized I wanted to see a Dodgers game after all while I was in town. Luckily, tickets were still available the night before and Kristine was willing to come with me! In true LA sports scene fashion, we got to our seats at the end of the 4th inning, but that was mostly due to traffic and being stuck in the garlic fries line for TWO AND A HALF INNINGS. Seriously, the lady behind the counter was not very efficient. At least there were tvs by the stands so we could watch what was going on. And the garlic fries were pretty darn good. I can still taste them this morning. =)  Kristine and I with our garlic fries So I don't actually remember very much about the game except that it ended up being a sold out game and the Dodgers lost. Also, Fenway Franks beat Dodger Dogs any day. The fans seemed to like Manny, and I realized I have a healthy appreciation for heights. We sat up in the Lower Reserve section which is still on the 3rd tier. I don't think we have any seats in Fenway that are that high!  Anyways, I'm glad God gave me a chance to say goodbye to Manny. I hope he does well in LA!
 Perhaps my last time seeing Manny at the plate |
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joyosity's journal
