Thursday, May 19, 2011

Babe Ruth used to play here


Above: Fenway Park has been the home of the Boston Red Sox for 99 years. Can you see the fog from last night's game?

Going to a Boston Red Sox game is like a walk back in sports history. Almost all the greats of the game have played here. Other franchises have torn down their ballparks and built new ones. First there were the cookie-cutter stadiums in the Seventies and Eighties. They all looked the same from town to town. Then the fad was to build stadiums with the "retro" look such as Camden Yard and the new Busch Stadium. But the Red Sox kept Fenway Park. Why tear down an institution? It opened in 1912 and will 100-years-old next year!

I went to the game last night with a friend, Adam. We listened to the pre-game show on the radio on the trip. One hour before the game, it was raining and the tarp was on the infield. This sounded bad. The game on Tuesday (vs. Baltimore) had been rained out and the twitter feed said there was only a 40% chance that this one would be played.

Wrong! When we got there, the rain had stopped. There was still fog and it was chilly, but there would be baseball!

In the middle of the seventh inning, there was a rain delay, but they finished the game and the Sox won 1-0, yes! The whole time, I was looking around for the Sox' greatest fan, but I didn't see her or Waffles.

The Red Sox pitcher was Clay Buchholz. He gave up no runs. This was the second time I'd seen him pitch -- the other he pitched a no-hitter! He needs to pay me to come from Memphis each time he's scheduled to start -- my MOJO is very strong.


Above: The Green Monster is one of the most famous landmarks in professional baseball.


Above: Albert Pujols is generally considered baseball's best hitter. Not far behind is (Detroit's) Miguel Cabrera. He's not only a slugger, but hits for average. The guy is 6'4" and 240 -- big and strong.


Above: Clay Buchholz looks more composed than what you'd expect from a young pitcher. One inning, he hit two batters and the bases were loaded, but he pitched his way out of it as cool as a cucumber.

Images by MOJO and taken with my P&S.

5 comments:

  1. Nice post MOJO, thanks!

    Did you know Fenway opened five days after the Titanic sank?

    Coincidence? I think not!

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  2. Wow you saw a great game but.....YOU WERE IN BOSTON?????? R U STILL?

    I would've sooo met you before the game for a drink! You're not afraid of me, are you? ;) Don't believe what you hear!

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  3. @LuckiDuck: I didn't know that.

    @Josie: I'm in Connecticut with friends. Just a quick trip to the game. Parked at one of the MBTA (or whatever it's called) stops at Riverside and took the train in.

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  4. Ahhhh Connecticut, with the birds, right? Enjoy your time on the east coast, regardless of the weather!

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  5. What great fun. So glad for you. And you photographs are excellent!

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