Have you ever had one of those moments in life where you say to yourself (or out loud) "WOW! This is amazing!" You know, maybe you go to visit The Alamo, The Lincoln Memorial, The Grand Canyon or some other place that is awesome and you think "this is so cool!" I went to a Red Sox game with my Swedish nephew Adrian Saturday and upon entering Fenway Park (my home away from home) Addie noticed that there were a number of people on the field. I didn't think much of it because before most games there are small groups of people that are allowed to go onto the field for special circumstances. But then I looked in the stands and noticed that there was no one there! I looked back at the field and realized that everyone was being allowed to go onto the field, the warning track which wraps around the field. Needless to say we made a beeline for the field.
As I stepped onto the field I told Addie "This is amazing! This is something I have always wanted to do!" A man about my age was walking by me and with a sheepish grin on his face he said to me "me too!" So we entered the hallowed ground of Fenway Park.
I remember the first Red Sox game my father took me to. I was about 12 years old and my most vivid memory of that day was walking up the ramp which went from the concourse to the seats and getting my first view of the grass and the infield dirt. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. The grass was so much greener than on TV. This is where they play baseball! Wow! We didn't get any autographs or foul balls hit to us. It didn't matter. We were there and that was all that mattered.
As we walked around the field there were players shaking hands and having photos taken of themselves and anyone who asked to have one done. While we were looking at the likes of David Ortiz (Big Papi), Adrian Gonzalez, Tim Wakefield and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (who by the way owns the longest name in baseball) I thought this is very cool. But I also thought that, as cool as this was for me, the kids that were anywhere from 8 years old and up were probably in awe...after all, these were their heroes, the players they saw every day on TV. I enjoyed myself immensely but I know that, had this happened some 40 years ago, I would have been so excited to see the players I grew up with, like Carl Yastrzemski, Luis Tiant, Carlton Fisk and Rico Petrocelli.
I also couldn't help but think about my dad too. He was of the generation that, while he was a life long Red Sox fan, he never got to see them win the World Series. He was my first thought back on October 27, 2004 just before midnight when the Sox finally "beat the curse" and won the Series. And he was among my thoughts on Saturday when I was on the field...how great would it have been to be with him on the field that day.
So we were there on Saturday; there on the field - having fun even though we didn't get an autograph or a foul ball. I did, however, scoop up a fistful of dirt from the warning track to bring home with me. After all, isn't that was all boys do?
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