By Mike Curtis:
The Boston Red Sox hosted their 118th opening day last week against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was their earliest opening day since 2008. This year also marks the 106th anniversary of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Walking into Fenway is a very special experience and being there to see an opening day takes the experience to the next level. Opening day is everything that the Boston Red Sox stand for, it’s the Flag draped over the Green Monster and the one and only fly over by the Air National Guard.
For some, it means that summer is near and that those sixty degree nights at Fenway are soon to come. For others, opening day is the official start to their job and all those days working with no team at the field are over. This was the case for Cody Mcgowan, a local kid who works for the Boston Red Sox. Cody works in the facilities department. His job on opening day was to make sure that all the suites and restaurants are set up, fixing all the broken seats and cup-holders and preparing the visitor dugout for the visiting team. Cody also sets up the metal detectors, ticket scanners, street barriers and then directs people on to the field for the pre-game ceremonies. Cody said he couldn’t wait for the season to start and to finally have the team back around. He said working for the Red Sox has always been a dream of his and he couldn’t wait for the season to start.
The Red Sox ended up beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the 12th inning. Hanley Ramirez hit a walk off single to cap things off against the Rays. Fans may have prepared for a Red Sox win but they were definitely not expecting the game to go to extra innings. I asked Assumption College’s Tom Horstkotte on his thoughts on the game. He said “You know, you hear a lot of things from news outlets about our rivals The Yankees and how good they are. It’s nice to be considered the Dark Horse team this year where we’re not expected to win the division. Opening night kicked off a good start to a seemingly bright year and I’m excited to see a group of young, talented players shock the East”. He was ecstatic about the win over the Rays.
Opening day at Fenway Park proved to be another great day for many people. Whether Red Sox fans were working the game or watching from their dorm rooms, their win impacted Red Sox nation everywhere.
THE AC301 