A Dream Come True

(Full Fan Appreciation Day photoset here...)

Iain and I were tipping a few at the Baseball Tavern (above) when my Dad called. He'd been talking with the Herald's Sean McAdam (an alumnus of the high school my dad and I both went to - my dad works at the park now part-time), who tipped him that the Sox were letting fans on the field and possibly letting them meet players as part of the Fan Appreciation Series.

I haven't shotgunned a malt beverage like that since college. Iain and I quickly settled our tab, ran to buy baseballs and Sharpies (which didn't wind up getting used) and get in line to be let in to the park.

Sure enough, at 5:10 pm, the gates opened. We entered, walked a ways, then took a left at Canvas Alley, walking past the groundskeepers' brooms, past the field box seats...and out the open door onto the warning track.

We were, of course, expressly forbidden from treading on the field. But just getting to be up close to the bullpen and Monster had everyone, of every age, grinning and giggling and pointing and mugging for cameras like little kids.

We still weren't sure as we took up places in front of the Monster whether we would get to meet any players, or who we would get to meet.

Turns out, it was everybody. And I do mean everybody.

Jed was the sweetest. I said, "Hi Jed!" and he gave me a big grin. The younger guys were definitely more amazed by the attention than the older ones. Asked him for a pic and he said, more enthusiastically than most, "Sure!" He was a doll.

My season-long stumping for Nick Green for shortstop over Julio Lugo finally pays off.

I got to shake Tim Wakefield's hand, look him in the eye, and say, "Thank you. Thank you for everything." I'll never forget that.

Mike was one of the guys who seemed like he was not enjoying this event one bit. However, Mike at least let fans shake his hand and take pics--MUCH more than I can say for Jacoby Ellsbury, and especially Jon Lester.

I'm not saying they needed to stop and listen to everyone's life story or give us all a big kiss and a hug. Some of the guys ran quickly past everyone high-fiving, or waving and smiling, but not stopping for any one person. That's not what I'm talking about with Lester. He walked by about five feet away from the fan line as part of a big clump of players with a totally bored / pissed off expression on his face the entire time, and barely acknowledged anyone. Even if he wasn't feeling well or something like that, I really think it would've been better if he hadn't shown up, than to show up and telegraph so effectively just how much he didn't want to be there.

I still got him to turn around after calling his name a few times, just to tell him, "great game last night." He said "Thank You," but didn't crack a smile. Don't do us any favors, dude. Seriously.

Squee!

Pedroia seemed scared of us. Maybe because he's about 2 feet tall. I understand how much has been made of his size, but it is impossible to exaggerate how TEENY TINY he really is.

Youk was one of the ones who surprised me with his warmth and friendliness. I'd always thought he'd be the type to be aggravated about doing this kind of thing.

As you can imagine, many of these pictures of me would not see the light of day were it not for the context.

As I said, some of the guys went around the field quickly, high fiving and handshaking or waving and smiling, but not stopping. Others stopped every so often to shake hands or take a picture. But Papi had to stop for every. single. person. Nobody would let him by without throwing their arms around his neck or handing him their baby or getting a picture with him. It took him about five times as long to get around the field as any of the other players.

But when he got to us, the wait was worth it. He, like most of the other players, was actually not as tall as you'd expect (although I think in my mind I was expecting them all to take the field in front of us like Doctor Manhattan.) However, just as it's impossible to exaggerate how slight Dustin Pedroia was, it's almost impossible to exaggerate how broad and solid Papi was. His shoulders are approximately the width and breadth of a dining room table. His arms are like sapling trunks with tattoos.

When he got to me I asked if I could have a hug. Without a word, he opened his arms and wrapped me up in them.

My voice rose easily an octave as I said, "Thank you!!" He chuckled into my ear and pulled away with a big grin.

Iain's daughters are going to FREAK when they see this.

We also noticed that guys who had come in from somewhere else, like Bill Wagner and Alex Gonzalez, were friendlier than some of the veteran homegrown guys.

Jonathan Papelbon ran around the field high fiving people and yelling half-intelligible crazy things as he went by. My picture of him didn't come out, though I do think it's funny and fitting that he was a grinning blur. I also didn't get a picture of Alex Gonzalez because I was too busy talking to him and shaking his hand.

After about 45 minutes, I figured we'd seen everyone that was going to come out. I noticed Josh Beckett had not made an appearance, but decided he was probably going to skip it.

That's when I noticed a gray-hooded figure coming down the line...

Note he is using his left hand to high-five fans here. He switched to the right momentarily as he passed by us. Meaning, I touched Josh Beckett's pitching hand. *dies*.

Dorky as this sounds, I've had dreams about getting to meet / hang out with Red Sox players plenty of times. Even as this was happening, I thought to myself every so often, I'm gonna be so pissed if this isn't real.

But this morning, when I woke up, I had the pictures to prove it was.

Comments

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=751906729]

Glad you got the tip! They announced this in a press release Thursday, but there seemed to be no regular press followup--and they really weren't even telling people as they came into the park. I expected something in Extra Bases, at least!

You must have been about fifteen feet from me, from the angle. Did you hear Drew yelling at Lester? It was cracking me up that some guys understood the concept while others were like "They told me I have to walk around the field, I'll walk around the field. But I'm not going NEAR those people..."

I was standing next to a couple from Chicago (White Sox fans) making their first visit to Fenway. Can you imagine making a pilgrimage to America's Most Beloved Ballpark... and getting to stand on the warning track, and touch the Green Monster, and get a picture with Papi?

[joyosity]

Sigh, my Red Sox mojo must have totally disappeared. How did I miss out on this?!?

Glad you didn't miss it though, and thanks for sharing with us.

[beth]

@Kelly No, what did Drew say to Lester? LOL the CWS fans must've thought this happens every day. Can't wait to see your photos!

@joyosity Glad you liked it!

[Louis Gray]

That is freakin' awesome. So cool for you, Beth. Congratulations. I can see the excitement in your pics and story. :)

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=751906729]

@beth: He was yelling stuff I didn't really catch, but definitely at Lester, in a voice of disgust, and waving toward the crowd--seemed like folks were calling to Lester and Drew was like "C'mon, Jon!" Not that Drew was much closer to us, of course! I did manage to interrupt him long enough to wish him well for the postseason. But most of that whole group seemed to think "Well, we have Kotchman and Reddick on the front line slapping hands and kissing babies, we'll just keep on walking together..."

The White Sox fans were VERY appreciative of what they'd stumbled into! They were tipped off to it when an usher said "If you folks weren't wearing Chicago gear, I'd let you go onto the field..."

[Sam]

DYING OF JEALOUSY OMG

You have hugged Big Papi, you must tell us how it feels to have a moment of pure perfection in your life.

[beth]

It seriously felt like a dream I've had before, except this time it was real. I have always wanted to give Papi a hug -- not just meet him, not just get an autograph, but hug him, in thanks and because he's just so eminently huggable.

The dreamlike quality of the whole thing may be why I succeeded in not running away from anyone or throwing up on anybody's shoes.

[Leeann]

There are no words. So jealous.

Wasn't it you, or the guys at Surviving Grady, who once posited that we could achieve world peace if Papi gave out hugs to everyone?

And just think, from now on, whenever you're having a bad day, you have all those photos of a perfect day. :)

[Anne Lang]

from Leeann's Aunt (a serious Red Sox fan)....pictures are awesome! I'm jealous.

[COD]

This is seriously the coolest thing ever. This was Friday right? Because if it was Saturday and I could have skipped out on my cousin's wedding reception....

[mouse]

So. Much. Jealousy. ARGH!

Seriously, that's awesome that you got to be there. Great pictures too! See, I wouldn't have had the guts to ask Papi for a hug; I would've hung at the back of the crowd grinning like a fool but too nervous to say/do anything. And if I had touched the right arm of Commander Kickass (or the left arm of his apparently cold-shouldered co-ace)? I likely would've melted into a puddle right there on the spot.

Dream come true indeed. :)

[beth]

@Leeann You're right! The memory will last a lifetime. :)

@COD Yes, it was Friday. No regrets!

@mouse I thought I would have also, but in the end I think it helped they were there specifically to interact with fans (JON LESTER) so it wasn't like bugging them on the street or something--that would be a totally different story. I only was able to ask Papi for a hug because I saw SEVERAL other people up and down the line get hugs.

[Pam]

Love the photos! Thank you for sharing. The whole time I was reading your post, I was thinking "but where's Josh Beckett?" and then, there he was. Should have known you'd save the best for last.

[Devine]

That is super-awesome! Congrats to you and Iain, you deserve it.

Great pictures, I'm glad Youk and especially Ortiz were warm.

I guess I'll be okay with Lester's attitude if he can kick Angel ass come Wednesday/Thursday, but it is a shame to learn he wasn't very friendly.

[Chops]

Great story and photos! Way to make it feel real for those of us who couldn't be there.

[beth]

Thanks, appreciate the linklove at your place too! :)

[beth]

@Devine Hard to tell if that's his general attitude or if it was just a bad day (although the way his start went the night before I'd have to wonder why!)

[Amy]

I've been reading your blog and been a fan of it for quite some time now. I always enjoy reading your posts and opinions and looking at your great photographs.

And I know you have no idea who I am, so it might not really be my place to say something like this, especially since I myself did not attend the game and fan/player interaction you describe, but I just want to throw in my two cents.

Just because somebody is a baseball player doesn't mean they have to feel completely comfortable around large crowds of people they don't know. While a lot of players like David Ortiz and Mike Lowell are all gun-ho about participating in a fan event like this, some players might just be a little freaked out by the whole thing. I'm sure there are some players that are just plain shy. Which might be Lester's case, along with some of the other players that didn't seem very friendly. I think a lot of people tend to forget that these players just don't know who we are, because we all know who -they- are. We watch them every night, but they've never seen us before, and the whole concept of shaking hands and slapping fives and hugging thousands of people they don't know can make them very uncomfortable. Especially since many fans are a little, um, overzealous, I guess I could say.

Now, one can counterpoint this by saying that all players are completely comfortable playing baseball in front of 30,00+ people every night. They have to in order to keep their jobs. So why shouldn't they feel comfortable meeting said 30,000+ people? It's because they're two completely different things. I know when I was in high school, I had a bit of social anxiety. But I was a pitcher on the varsity softball team. I could go out and play softball in the state semifinals in front of tons of people with no problem, and enjoy it. But I couldn't for the life of me get up in front of people I didn't know and talk, and I was never friendly when I met new people, because I was always so nervous.

While my situation was much different than a major league baseball player's like Lester, I think the same idea can be applied. While what you and others perceived as being unfriendly, and having an attitude from Lester and some other players, might just have been a bit of shyness on their part. Again, I wasn't there, and you have every right to feel the way that you do. But, I'm just saying there's another way to look at this.

Please keep up your great blogging! I look forward to all your posts. :)

[beth]

Amy, if you read the post and my comments since I believe I was careful to state that I didn't think they should all come over and hug us. I didn't think they should even come and shake our hands or do pictures. Many of them didn't (and for the record, Mike Lowell was NOT gung ho about doing it, that much was clear to everyone I was with, but he did it anyway, and good for him).

But Jon Lester was the ONLY one who wouldn't even acknowledge fans -- including little kids -- who tried to call out to him. Not a smile, not a wave, not a nod. He refused to make eye contact with anyone.

My point was not that Lester should be a different kind of person or that he can't ever have a bad day. I also don't think I know what was going on with him or what kind of person he is or anything like that. My point was that if it was THAT bad for him, even if he's THAT shy or not feeling well to THAT extent, he should've skipped it rather than show up and be sullen. It would've been better if he was not there than for him to be there and frankly make me feel like an idiot for being there to tell him "great game last night." I don't think that's unreasonable at all.

[MoonstarMA]

These are AWESOME! I keep looking at them to live vicariously through you. Congrats on such an amazing opportunity.

[E. Christopher Clark]

I love these pics. This has been sitting as a saved tab in my browser for a week or more, and I keep forgetting to comment, but now I am, and all I gotta say is they are awesome and I'm happy for you that you got these moments. :-)