Hot and Humid Fenway

The last time I went to Fenway Park, the high temperature that day was 27 and the low was 2.  It was in the mid-20s for pretty much the whole day once it warmed up, but it was crazy (by the way, I would use a source that isn't named for these scumbags, but they had the easiest website to use with some quick googling).  Things were a little different on my latest trip to Fenway Park.

I drove up on a Monday morning.  I took the ferry from Orient Point, which was a nice ride.  I was staying with John and Liz at their new house.  John had a Summer Ale and some grilled meat waiting for me when I arrived.  He knows me well.  We didn't have time to do much during the day, so after relaxing for a while, I headed into Boston with John.  During our drive, we were discussing names.  I said how I'm no fan of the British monarchy, but I do like their names.  John's response was something like this:  "In the 11 years that we've been friends, you've made it abundantly clear that you don't like the British monarchy."  Anyway, when we got into Boston, John parked the car and he took me down to the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

John was not all that far from here when the bombing happened two years ago.

After that, we went to Fenway Park.  John has been working there for a few years now (something that he detailed in the only guest blog post here).  John got me in for the Notre Dame hockey game last year, but I hadn't been to a baseball game since he started working at Fenway (my last baseball game there was 2010).  And John is retiring from Fenway after this year.  I really wanted to get to a game while he could get me in.  So we just walked in before the park was open to the public.  John got his friend to give me a wristband that I could use to get on the field for batting practice.  We sat and relaxed for a little while before John had to start working.

Batting practice started shortly after John left to get to work.  I was able to stand in this small area on the warning track behind home plate.  It was pretty much the same part of the field where I was able to stand on a Dodger Stadium tour back in 2011.  So I've now stood on the field at my two favorite ballparks (updated rankings coming soon).  One thing I noticed was that Fenway still has the overhead screen behind home plate.  Shea Stadium and Old Yankee Stadium had that, but I can't think of any other current stadium that has the overhead screen.  Anyway, the Indians were in town so lots of fans were excited to see Terry Francona.  He was signing autographs for kids and he was about two feet away from me.  I kind of felt sorry for him.  He did sign lots of autographs and take some pictures with people, but at some point he's got things to do and he's going to stop before he gets to everybody who wants an autograph or picture.  If I were him, I wouldn't want to say no to anybody, but you kind of have to.

On the field for batting practice

I watched batting practice for a little bit and then walked around the stadium.  I went out to a section in right field that I might have sat in for my first game at Fenway Park back in 1995.  I also went up to the upper level.  Fenway is weird in that the vast majority of seats are on the lower level.  The upper level also isn't that high.  If you're close to home plate, it's a really good view.  But since the supply of those seats is so low, the price is pretty ridiculous.

The view I had for Twins-Red Sox in 1995 was something like this.

I didn't have a ticket so I decided to stay up on the upper level between home plate and first base for as long as I could (intentionally on that side so that I was facing the Green Monster).  I had a lobster roll for $13.50.  It's more than I would usually pay for food at a game, but it was something unique and I didn't have to pay for a ticket, so whatever.  It was good, but not something that I would spend that much money for if I went to games at Fenway with any regularity.  I was able to stay up there for the first two innings before people showed up and took their seats up there.

My view for the first two innings

Fenway didn't have a great beer selection, but they did have Sam Adams Summer Ale.  That's my favorite beer, but I might opt for something else if I'm visiting another ballpark early on in the summer.  I like to try some local beer that I've never had before.  But when I'm in Boston and it's the middle of August and my favorite beer is about to disappear until March, I'm perfectly happy with a Summer Ale on tap.

After being kicked out of my seat early in the game, I walked down to the lower level and found a seat a little bit down the right field line.  I stayed there for about an inning.  After that, I moved closer to home plate and just stood until I met up with John.  After trying a few different spots, I settled on standing directly behind the plate.  The high that day was 90.  It was humid and it didn't get much cooler at night.  There was a good breeze behind the plate.

I watched several innings from here while I waited for John to get done working.  It's a good view, but you can't see a lot of balls hit in the air because of the overhang.

John got done with work after the seventh inning and we took a walk to the Green Monster.  We watched the eighth inning from there and then went home.  It was not a competitive game anyway.

John and me on the Green Monster

Speaking of the game, it was Danny Salazar against Matt Barnes.  Going into this game, I think the Red Sox were 7-0 with me in attendance.  They were definitely 6-0 since 2005 (I know that thanks to my Ballpark app) and they won the game I went to at Fenway in 1995.  I know I didn't go to a game at Yankee Stadium from 2000-2004.  So unless I'm not remembering a Yankee-Red Sox game from the 1990s (or possibly a Mets-Red Sox game), they were 7-0 all time with me in attendance.  They took a 1-0 lead in the third on a home run by Travis Shaw.  But the Indians answered with five in the fourth, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth.  Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall both had two hits with a home run (three RBIs for Chisenall).  And Dodger fans are not going to believe this, but Hanley Ramirez misplayed a ball in left field.  Salazar pitched seven and only gave up one run.  Both teams scored a run in the ninth after we left for a final score of 8-2.  Attendance was listed at 32,701, but that didn't include me.

I was driving home the next day, but I had one thing I wanted to do.  John isn't all that far from Maine so I was planning on taking a drive up there.  John decided to join me and he brought the kids.  On our drive up to Maine, John told Jack where we were going.  Jack asked why and John's answer was, "Because that's what men do.  We cross things off of lists."  So Maine has been crossed off my list.  Jack has been mentioned on the blog before.  I haven't mentioned Teddy, but he was born the day I got a speeding ticket in Missouri last summer.  So we played man to man defense on the kids.  I took Teddy, who was really cool with me.  But believe me, if Teddy was driving hard to the basket, John was going to have bring the help defense to block the shot.  Teddy doesn't talk much yet, but he will ask "What's that?" about anything.  We went to eat a diner in Wells, Maine, which is near Kennebunkport.  The Bushes have been to this diner.  There was a crowd so we had to wait a little while.  We went to a gift shot next door and I was holding Teddy.  He pointed to some shot glasses and asked "What's that?"  So I told him that they were shot glasses.  For breakfast, I had Eggs Benedict served over cod cakes.  Really good.  And people definitely thought John and I were a gay couple with the two kids.  So that was my 44th state.

I feel like I held Teddy in check, but he might have been having an off day.

Breakfast in Maine.  I didn't have clam chowder there.

Thanks again to John and Liz.  I always love getting to Fenway (I plan on being back for the Shamrock Series game in November) and it was great to see John, Liz, and the kids.