Happy Opening Day!

If you know me, you know by now that I’m passionate about a few things…..my amazing boys, the school where I am blessed to work and my boys are even more blessed to attend, people who have your back, staying busy, all things Cape Ann, and Fenway Park.  Weird, right?

I say the same thing each year at about this same time…..  I appreciate baseball, I like the Red Sox, but I love Fenway Park.  Cliche as it is, I find it kind of intoxicating.  Larry Lucchino once led me through a door that leads from the front office to the grandstand on a day when the park was relatively empty.  It was, in fact, hours away from an evening game time and the park was just starting to yawn and stetch.  He told me that it was moments like that when Fenway spoke to him the most.  I couldn’t agree more.

I am in love with the geometric lines and patterns, the shadows, the shapes, the textures, and the colors that make Fenway come to life.  During game time, as exciting as the play on the field can get, it is the sounds, smells, and palpable buzz in the air that literally give me goosebumps.  It is watching families, friends, soulmates, and strangers united in their love of a day together at the park.  At all other times, it is the history that seeps from every nook and cranny, it is the tradition that stands at attention, and the memories that echo off the hallowed walls.  It is my own memories and the memories of millions of others swirling together in shades of green and red that make me take pause….and smile.

I have attended Opening Days, World Series games, Big Papi’s last game, Pedro’s # retirement, ring ceremonies, rolling rally parades, concerts, charity events, and hundreds of games in between.  I have been blessed to be in the midst of some incredibly exciting moments and to bear witness to history being made. That being said, my favorite minutes in the ballpark still remain the very late night hours when I’ve left a game, met friends for a drink, and then wandered back into the park and down towards the field.  The park is sleepy then, the lights are still on, the air is still buzzing, the field is often shiny and wet, and all is right in the world.

The 2018 Red Sox Home Opener takes place today….and with it comes the promise of excitement, disappointments, cheers, spills, laughs, rally caps, 7th inning stretches, home runs, wins, losses, broken bats, broken hearts, continued traditions, lots of firsts, and a wild, wild ride. Buckle up, grab some friends, and make some memories.  Game on.