Remember your first
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a Sox and Blue Jays game with Ed, his brother-in-law Eric and his son Makenna. They live in Pennsylvania and were out this way for Jason‘s East Coast wedding reception, a “Shindig,” and Jason’s parents made many tickets available to people that made the trip. (Ed has written up a nice account of the time and posted it and my comments are over there so I’ll skip that part here.)
Kenna is a big Sox fan — he can recognize Jeff Bailey, can you? — and this was his first game at Fenway Park, so a pretty big deal. I tried to get them tickets at the end of last year and again earlier this summer, but they both didn’t work out for scheduling reasons, so I was psyched that he was finally going to get to a game. There’s something about that first time. I think it really can be magical and it is certainly something you want every kid to experience.
So, that day, it rains cats and dogs, much like this weekend, and you have to wonder if the game is even going to happen. If it doesn’t it was unlikely they’d be here for a makeup since there was already a doubleheader the next day and they were leaving for home on Sunday. Luckily, the rain did taper off enough for the game to be played after a delayed start.
Now, the seats were up in the State Street Pavillion and we were in the first row of the top section, so just under cover where we remained nice and dry for the duration. I don’t think the rest of the family was as lucky. It was a good game too. Wakefield, who I had already seen pitch 4 out of 5 games I had been to this year, had a shutout thru eight, but didn’t finish it off even though his pitch count was 93. Definitely the best performance out of the now five, but what’s up with that? I mean really, it became a joke that he was pitching every game I was going to this year. At least the other start was a D-Mat win against a Josh Hamilton-less (grumble) Texas.
Tangent aside, as we were leaving the game, I realized that my first game at Fenway Park was against the Blue Jays too. I was younger than Kenna, probably eight, and not yet a diehard baseball fan — I played hockey, but more on that in a bit — so I don’t think it was quite the deal to me, besides the fact that I did live in the state. Back on track, I remembered that our seats were in the same general area, the first base side sky boxes, but a little closer to the plate than this night. So, how weird is that?
It got me thinking about whether I remembered my other firsts for professional sports. I do remember my first Pats game being against the Houston Oilers and it was probably one or two years before 85, so they weren’t very good. My memory believes that was the only game they won that year, but that is not so. The internets tell me differently, so that’s weird.
I definitely couldn’t tell you what my first Bruins or Celtics game was. I think my first Celts was probably around the same time as the Pats one because I think the same person would have brought me, but Bruins would probably have been earlier than that. In the end, as a kid prior to getting out of high school, I definitely saw a lot more Bruins and Celts games than Sox or Pats. A lot of that was due to my paper route for the Patriot Ledger, but also because I played hockey and that was what I wanted to see. Since high school it has been all about the Sox and I have gone to a lot of games. Going to Pats games has really just been over the last 3-4 years.
Back to the game at hand, we all had a good time and it was a good weekend as a whole. Soon Jason and his parents will bringing his little ones to a game. It also makes me think that when the time comes for Ed to bring his kids, I want to be there for that too, especially since his might be as close as I’ll ever get to having my own! If I already have one out there, you should let me know. I’m sure it was the result of one of my many homances. Hanging with Chip and Whit bring out the worst in me. š
The only thing that was too bad was none of us had a real camera, so camera phone pics are all there are, except I did hear there was a FanFoto pic of the three others prior to my arrival, so I guess those guys are good for something. I would have brought my gear, but with the threat of rain and not knowing where the seats were (i.e. covered), I didn’t bring it. I’ll have to be better prepared given another chance with Colin and Aria. š
So what about you? Do you remember your first(s)?
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This post has 4 comments (now closed):
Ed
Sun :: 28 :: Sep :: 2008 :: 07.55 am
Great writeup and that synergy between you and Kenna’s first game is X-Filey.
First Red Sox game was when I was in 8th grade. We had just secured cable and as part of the big push in the nighborhood, the cable company was giving away free pairs of Red Sox tix. So my Dad and I headed in for the game (against Kansas City). Don’t ask me who won or lost. I was drunk on the vastness of the field and the stadium (seems so much smaller and more intimate now).
First Celtics game was in ’84. Again, I don’t remember who they played – only that it was a Sunday afternoon just after Romancing the Stone opened. I only remember that becuase my buddy and neighbor, Kyle Connelly, had just seen the movie the day before and recounted the entire plot on the way in. He and I were guests of my Dad and his Dad. I do know the Celts won (which given the time period was probably assumed).
First Bruins game was waaaaayyyyy later. Not counting a Black and Gold game at UMASS in the early 90’s – it was one of our GNO’s. It was in 2000, just after Bush took office. This is the infamous night where Mook was railing on and on about Bush from the game to the streets to the bars. Little did we know then how right he was.
First Pats game also came post-college. It was with Timm Haskins against Miami. That would have been ’95 – shortly after we moved to Mansfield. I went to several others under his season tix (at the old stadium). My first game at Gillette was using my uncle’s tix (that whole group of us that went on the day my car slowly died on the way home – like something out of a movie where the systems on a starship gradually fail). That same year also found Andi and I up close and personal for the final game of the season against Miami. Pats pulled out a last minute win and needed Green Bay to beat the Jets in the 4:00 o’clock game (to advance to the playoffs). For one-half, all of New England were cheeseheads.
For one-half only.
Juice
Mon :: 29 :: Sep :: 2008 :: 08.45 am
The first time you walk up that ramp and see the greenest of fields, you dream about playing on it immediately….or at least I did….made me want to play sports so much seeing how maticulous the field was kept.
The same feeling as when I would walk up the long gray concrete ramp up to the garden and you could feel the rush of cold air trying to keep the ice inside the old barn frozen. Gives me chills…..well done.
Ed
Mon :: 29 :: Sep :: 2008 :: 11.38 am
Hear hear on the walkup to the Fenway field!!!
Sean
Mon :: 29 :: Sep :: 2008 :: 02.51 pm
@Both: Absolutely! Especially when you come up a tunnel that faces the Monster. Nothing else like it.
@Ed: I wish I had as good a memory as you for my non-Sox games. In fact, I wish mine was better for my Sox game. Only thing I didn’t add was I am pretty sure they won. Now, I know I got a program from the game, and often did for B’s and C’s games, but I have no idea whatever happened to them. I must have chucked them at some point. Idiot.