Walking in Boston
by Asher B. Chancey, BaseballEvolution.com
August 26, 2009

And she said --
"Tell me are you a Christian child?"
And I said "Ma'am I am tonight"

Remember that line, from Walking in Memphis, when the singer/narrator got so stirred up by the gospel music that, when asked if he was Christian, he was totally overcome with emotion and declared that for that night, he was?

That's how I felt in Fenway Park.  The whole thing was a beautiful, transcendent experience.  I got goosebumps and teary eyes several times, including when the big screen showed a tribute to Carlton Fisk and I realized someone was in the same seat I was sitting in for Fisk's foulpole homerun, and Ted Williams final homerun, and Babe Ruth in a Red Sox uniform, and Bucky Dent's homerun, and the 2004 comeback.  I never think of pre-color television history in color, but being there, I could picture so much history in full color, in the exact same place I was sitting.

The fans were great - those amazing Boston accents just buzzing all around me.  For some reason, the park was full of amazingly hot young girls, and I happened to be surrounded by guys my age or slightly older, and by the end of the sixth inning we'd all bonded over the incredible sexiness of everyone around us.  Before the game, loud euphoric cheers when David Ortiz came out onto the field to stretch.  The National Anthem was sung by a guy who worked for two years as an usher at Fenway, specializing in escorting disabled and elderly people to, from, and around the stadium.   He gets up to sing, and he just KILLED it.  Every note spectacular.  When he finished, the crowd went nuts.  I've never been so excited, or seen a crowd so excited, for a national anthem.

Jacoby Ellsbury set the Red Sox single season mark with his 55th stolen base.  Generally, I'll tell you Ellsbury is overrated.  On this night, he was the MAN!

I bought a scalped ticket - 40 dollars for a 24 dollar ticket for deep outfield behind bullpen - and I went in the moment the gates opened.  I walked around the stadium for about an hour, and then sat down at a seat on the third base side, from row of the second box up from the field, determined to sit there until someone made me move - AND NO ONE EVER DID.  In a sellout crowd of over 38,000 fans, I happened to sit in the seat of someone who never showed up.  I was as close to the field as I would be at spring training or in the minor leagues - I could hear guys talking to each other on the field.

The stadium is great.  The new seats on top of the monster are amazing.  You are right on top of the field from any angle you choose to sit at.  All of the angles and nooks and crannies are just so incredible.  As great as the field is, the walkways and concession areas feel like a DUMPY minor league stadium.  Just an unreal feeling - we're playing MAJOR LEAGUE baseball here.

After Varitek hit a double, down by one, Terry Francona brought in Nick Green to pinch run and at the same time pinch hit Victor Martinez for Alex Gonzalez.  Martinez' first pitch was a run scoring single, and I thought "Francona IS a genius."  When Jason Bay hit the go ahead solo shot after striking out looking his first two times up, I cheered loudly and high-fived all around me.  I hate Jason Bay.

By the time they played Sweet Caroline at the middle of the 8th inning, I had goosebumps and I was singing my heart out.  And I kind of hate that song.

My favorite baseball game of all time was the Cubs game on Andre Dawson day in 2001 when Kelly and Eric and Andrew and I drove up from New Orleans, and Dawson sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame and Sosa hit a homerun that we never saw land and the crowd turned into Carnival in Rio, and the game went 14 innings and Jon Lieber was a pinch hitter at one point and Kelly and I narrowed missed a foul ball.

That was my favorite of all time.  But this one was a VERY close second.

People kept asking me if I was a Red Sox fan.  And I kept saying, Man, I am tonight.


Questions? Concerns? Comments? Asher lives in Philadelphia, PA, and can be reached at asher@baseballevolution.com.