Originally I was supposed to go to the home opener last Friday against Seattle, but Claire was invited to a sleepover and it was the first weekend of our softball that I play with my best friends, D and John.
So I decided to give my tickets to another friend, Jonathan, and his fiance, as a birthday gift to him. And what happens? Naturally, they lose. But it was a jinx, of sorts.
Historically, the A's lose when I'm in attendance. This hasn't always been the case. But more often than not.
I have been to some major blowouts such as when Kari's dental office got the BBQ Terrace in late September for what turned out to be a 22-3 victory over the Rangers. Or an 18-5 win over Chicago, which was the day I caught a batting practice home run for the first time.
But it has been awhile since I've been to an A's / Red Sox game. I decided to go to last night's game after I read that the Hero of the Hudson - "Sully" - was going to throw out the first pitch. That was totally cool. It was the only moment of the night where both sets of fans where cheering together.
I mean, Sox fans are as bad, if not worse, than Yankee fans. Perhaps it's our laid back, west coast attitude or something, but these "passionate" fans that come in droves to see their boys from Boston play ball are ridiculous. It's "Papi" this, or "Mikey" that. And it didn't help that they scored 3 runs in the first off of Dana Eveland. I thought, 'Great, I'm going to be listening to this all night long.' Fortunately, I was seated next to a very pleasant couple - Red Sox, fans - down from Sacramento to enjoy the game. They were polite, however. Enthusiastically supporting Boston, but with some class.
And the good news was that in the bottom of the 1st, the A's fought back with 5 runs of their own! That was very satisfying!
It was incredibly windy last night, to be sure. Freezing. Check out the wind billowing on the tarps.
The rows and rows to the right of me, however, were filled with boo-birds for the A's and everything "MVP" or "Rah rah" for the Red Sox, or how badly the A's suck, or anything else profane or otherwise bad about Oakland. It's gets to be aggravating, and it didn't help that the game stretched into the 12th inning and finally wrapped up at 11:30pm.
But, there were moments of redemption that I savored as a lifelong A's fan and Red Sox hater. Take the game's pivotal play in the 10th inning when Boston loaded the bases on Brad Ziegler. Up to bat with 2 outs is David "Big Papi" Ortiz with a chance to blow it open. Nearly the entire stadium is on their feet in red and white cheering on Ortiz to get the big hit. It was deafening. On a 3-2 pitch he hits a lazy pop fly to 2nd base which Mark Ellis caught and we're out of the jam.
I was on my feet, A's hat in hand, fists pumping, high-fiving other A's fans who finally had a chance to get on their feet. And the tables turned in the 12th inning as the A's loaded the bases with 2 outs. Travis Buck hit a ball that chopped off the ground and went high into the air. The Sox MVP 2nd basemen Dustin Pedroia fielded the ball and threw to Youklis at 1st, but it was a second too late and pinch-runner Rajai Davis scored the game-winning run!
The most satisfying moment of the night was to see the loud-mouthed Red Sox fans tucking their $200 million dollar tails between their legs and leaving shame-facedly while anybody wearing green and gold was high-fiving throughout the Coliseum. That's 2 victories now for Oakland over Boston in their only visit to our place this season. Gotta love it! 100% baseball!
4 comments:
There is something about Red Sox fans. That seems to be the game that I always see a fight. If they're this bad here...I'm afraid to see them in their own element. Eeeekkk!
Bring a pair of earplugs, for sure.
And while you’re at Fenway Park, check out the one red seat in section 42, row 37, seat 21 of the right-field bleachers, which commemorates the longest home run ever hit inside the park, a 502-foot blast by Ted Williams on June 9, 1946.
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