Opening
day… decades in the making
|
The
Green Monster at the beginning of Opening Day
I
was there.
Yup.
Fenway
Park… Me and my Dad… April 11, 2005.
I
was there.
Finishing
up the introductions of the teams... a beautiful, but chilly,
day for baseball
Now
let me set the stage for you on this one, with my own perspective
on this event. My father, as I have noted before around this site,
for years worked as a news photographer for a television station.
He won an Emmy for his work, and filmed some of the greatest sporting
events in New England. NBA finals… Stanley Cup playoffs…
When
it comes to Fenway Park, check out this list…
-
He
worked at the 1967 World Series between Boston and St. Louis.
-
He
worked at the 1975 World Series between Boston and Cincinnati.
-
If
you show me a picture of Carlton Fisk’s home run, there is
a good chance I can find my father in it. He was standing
next to home plate when Fisk arrived, filming the moment,
and he was in the picture that ran in several national magazines.
-
He
worked at Carl Yastrzemski’s last game.
Not
too shabby. My Dad has been at Fenway for some pretty special
moments.
And
he placed yesterday above them all.
I
don’t think you can debate that. I think it was the biggest moment
at Fenway Park since 1918, and probably ever. And if you don’t
agree, let’s establish one thing before you lose the argument…
both the Yankees and the Cardinals lost the final two games of
each respective series last year on their home field. Games six
and seven of the American League Championship Series last year
were won by Boston at Yankee Stadium. Games three and four of
the World Series last year were won by Boston at Busch Stadium.
The Red Sox won on the road. Huge games. Significant games. Not
at Fenway Park.
Let's
play ball... the first pitch
Here
are some of the more memorable moments from the day…
-
Walked
around the park before heading in and watched a bus empty
out near the players’ entrance. Military personnel. Huge
applause for them. The military was well represented during
the ceremonies. Several brought the rings onto the field for
the presentation, and others carried a U.S. flag off of the
field (more on that in a moment).
-
Amazing
ovations for Derek Lowe and Dave Roberts. Possibly the biggest
ovations offered to any of the current players. Perhaps the
applause and cheers for Curt Schilling and David Ortiz were
bigger, but not by much.
A
very nice banner to cover all of the others...
-
Considering
all the significance of the championship and how it closed
the door on years of frustration that it took to realize it,
the events in left field were perfect, and the best part of
the entire ceremony. The Green Monster is Fenway Park when
you distill it to the true essence. It’s the most recognizable
part of the park, it has changed the way players approach
the game on the Fenway field (for better and worse), and it
is itself an icon. So unfolding pennants for each championship
from the first to 1918 along the wall, and then covering them
with a 2004 banner that spanned the wall… side to side, top
to bottom… was beautiful. Finally, unfurling an American flag
over that banner for the start of the game was an amazing
moment. Wonderfully symbolic.
...and
yet the decorations on the Green Monster got even better
-
I
cannot believe how much my respect for Mariano Rivera grew.
He handled the sarcastic applause beautifully, by smiling
and waving back to the fans. He fully understood what the
applause was directed at, and he never shied away from it.
-
Here’s
how much we hate Alex Rodriguez…. and this shocked me… When
an error is committed on a batted ball, it usually hurts the
hitter. Sure, they normally end up on base… but they don’t
get credit for a hit. Johnny Damon hit a ground ball in the
fourth inning and Rodriguez charged it, then pulled a matador.
(Ole…) Immediately 33,000+ jumped to their feet screaming
“E-5” and “error.” I had never, ever before heard the home
town fans so quickly and universally scream for an error to
be called that would take a hit away from a home town player.
Do
the league offices know about this? Look at how close Rodriguez
gets to the plate (he was actually closer on Jeter's previous
at bat)... and he's on deck!!!
Was
it perfect? Nope. I have questions…
-
The
legends. Why weren’t they introduced? They appeared in left
field to raise the championship flag. They walked around the
park, from outfield to infield and then back around and out.
But no one introduced them. And beyond people like Yaz and
Fisk and Rice and Evans… the ones you would expect to be there…
I thought I saw Rick Burleson. I would swear someone was wearing
number 7 out by that flag pole.
Raising
the championship flag... legends and current players
-
This
isn’t a question or a complaint… but I have heard people making
fun of the length of the ceremony. Actually, it was pretty
short. The Yankees were still on the field taking batting
practice at 2:00, with the ceremony scheduled to begin at
2:05 (it began a few minutes after that). Also, since it was
opening day, the ring ceremony was followed immediately by
the normal start of the season events… introducing both teams
and such. In reality, most of the ceremony was the players
being introduced, by length of time with the team. I will
admit that bringing the entire medical staff out was a bit
much, but it wasn’t a horrible decision.
The
8-1 victory was merely the perfect ending to the most special
day in the history of Fenway Park.
My
Dad and I… we were there.
|
|