Fenway, Here I Come

Fenway Park

Originally uploaded by sogrady.

Good news – for once – from the travel department. I’ve been on the road more than I care for of late, so while I’ve been looking forward to an engagement I have in Boston tomorrow, I have not been looking forward to the travel. The whole “Yankees stole your hotel so take a red eye” thing wasn’t helping much either. But what a difference a day makes. I now have proof that sometimes, the travel gods will throw even cursed travelers such as myself a bone.

In this case, it was a Wednesday email from a friend of mine in Boston offering not only a couch on Friday night but a ticket to the Sox/Yankees contest on Saturday. One phone call and $23.50 [1] on the personal credit card for a changed flight later, and I’ll be back at one of my favorite places in the entire world – Fenway Park.

Tim Wakefield, one of the genuine good guys in the game (my Dad met him a couple of years ago in the Exchange) and – arguably – the Sox best starter this year, will be facing off against the Yankees’ hired gun, Randy Johnson. The last time these guys hooked up, Wake got jobbed with a 1-0, complete game loss. If you like David and Goliath comparions, this is your matchup: Johnson’s got a foot on Wake heightwise, and the Big Unit – as he’s known – is typically throwing in the high 90’s as opposed to the 60’s like Boston’s favorite knuckleballer.

Given that the Evil Empire now holds a 1 game lead in the AL East pending tonight’s contest, and the fact that the Sox are currently tied with the Indians for the wild card, every game from here on out is essentially a playoff game. And I’ll be fortunate enough to be at one of them, as will fellow Sox fan Erik on Sunday. Good vs evil, this weekend, at Fenway Park.

There aren’t too many times when I’m happy about my increasingly absurd travel schedule; it’s the part of my job that I like least. But this is most definitely one of those times – GO SOX.

[1] You read that right; JetBlue charges only $25 bucks to change a flight over the phone. It’s supposedly $20 on the web, but I couldn’t find the link to actually change the flight. It’s still unclear why I received a $1.50 discount on my change fee, but who am I to complain?