Sharing

Like any good album, there has to be highs and lows, correct? The previous entry was a bit somber so it’s time to bring things up a bit.

In the vein of my previous ruminations concerning posting anything too personal, I have also refrained from letting anyone get a clear look at me, image-wise. There are, I believe, only four pictures of me lurking on these pages and none of them are all that revealing. I kind of like the anonymity. I will however, step out from the shadows a bit for the purpose of this tale.

This blog is mostly about my passions and up until now, I left one out. Baseball. I have been a fan of the Boston Red Sox since I was a kid. It started with my grandfather, who gifted each male grandchild with a mitt, ball and bat at birth, even if it would be some time before they got to use the gifts.

The connection to the sport(and the team) was further strengthened by the fact that Grandpa(a Parnell) traced and claimed kinship(distant cousins) with the last Red Sox left hander to throw a no hitter until John Lester threw his in 2008, Mel Parnell(who also embraced my Grandpa as a cousin). In fact, my mother tells stories of having met Mel and how he was extremely gracious to them whenever they went to Fenway, signing autographs, etc. The cap that I wear is a nod to this connection as it is a replica of the ones worn by the team from ’46-’51. Cousin Mel would’ve sported one like it during his tenure with the Sox.

I made my true bones in ’86 at age 15 as I watched “that play” go down while at a CYO banquet, clustered around a tv with a bunch of others. You could hear this collective gasp like we had all taken a punch to the gut. Naively at the time, I swore to myself that they would win Game 7. We know how that turned out.

I first stepped foot in Fenway at age 17 as I was going to college in Boston and would routinely walk down with friends and buy bleacher seat tickets for $8 bucks. Yes…$8 bucks.

I took a sabbatical from baseball when the strike in ‘94/’95 happened. I was so pissed off that my interest remained casual at best until my ire had subsided a bit, which was only around 2000/2001.

I put in an appearance in “Still We Believe. The Boston Red Sox Movie” as the bar we frequented in LA, Sonny McLean’s was a haven for all of the New England expats and featured in the movie. The film focuses on 2003 and when Aaron “bleepin’” Boone hits that dinger, I can be seen with my head on the bar.

Still and all, there was 2004, followed by 2007 and my passion for the game remains as strong as always, if not stronger, as I have become increasingly geeky about following our minor league prospects and getting all stoked when they make their first appearance in The Show.

My tale notwithstanding, Thing 1 has watched games with me on tv since he was a baby and even has his favorite players. He is not happy that “Gonzo” is no longer with the team and goes into apoplexies when Jacoby Ellsbury is batting. So when I got a phone call from a friend of ours that she had two extra tickets to the Sunday afternoon game of a double header, I jumped at the chance to take Thing 1 to his first game at Fenway. He had a great time, eating hot dogs and peanuts and gleefully following my heckling advice(the folks around us were pretty amused at his, “Take a seat!” whenever an opposing player struck out). A true trooper and possible future fanatic, he lasted all 9 innings with only a minor amount of grousing.

I hope he never forgets the experience because I know I never will. Much in the way that I was thrilled to give him his first wave riding experience on the front of my board last summer, I was beside myself getting to share my love of the game with him and I look forward to Thing 2’s first game as well.

The photographic evidence and me stepping from behind the curtain a bit, submitted for your approval.